Urban legends have been around since, well, time immemorial. They spread like wildfire, and are somehow accepted as fact by multiple generations. While fascinating (and sometimes even completely silly), many urban legends are firmly rooted in fallacy. We're not talking about the small-town rumors of high school heroes. We're talking widely accepted and distributed tales that are simply not true. Recently, a curious soul took to Reddit's r/AskReddit community and asked its members "What urban le…

Did you still believe this?

Embarrassing

Totally believable

Kids believe the dumbest things

Don't lie to your doctor!

If you go literally anywhere on the world wide web of dreams, you're almost guaranteed to stumle upon copious amounts of total bullshit , fake news, and bald-faced liars. It seems that many extremely online people simply can't help themselves and lie about the weirdest, most unnecessary stuff. Why do they do it? Does it give them satisfaction to get away with lying to faceless strangers on the internet? Or are they just trying to get the world record for Reddit upvotes by karma farming? Whateve…

FFS

I discovered sarcasm at an early age. I vividly recall discussing the definition of the word with a fellow second grader, and we determined that sarcasm was “saying something nice in a mean way.” We were pretty on the money, but Merriam-Webster describes it as follows: Sarcasm refers to the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say, especially in order to insult someone, or to show irritation, or just to be funny. Not everybody gets sarcasm. When you have a Saharan dese…

Lying is bad. At least that's what they tell you from a young age. But as controversial as it may sound, sometimes lies are necessary - even from the people who are supposed to teach kids right from wrong. You see, parenting is difficult. You've got these annoying critters hanging around 24/7, and they always seem to want things that are either bad for them or prevent you from having a good time. The thing is, they've got some pretty malleable brains. They're still learning about how the world…

For all the reasons that we love the internet (passing the time, learning about niche subjects, things we can't mention here if we want monetization), there are just as many reasons we hate it. First of all, it's addictive - even for people that use it all day for work. But most of all, the Internet is frustrating. There's so much to be gained by the wealth of knowledge on the world wide web, as well as the incredible platforms that give voices to marginalized voices, or connect loved ones who…

While it's true that lying is generally bad, it's also true that some lies are so inane, so ridiculous, and so detailed, that the entertainment factor pretty much absolves the fibber of sin. When I was a kid I would write personal essays that were filled with lies so obvious (No, I never actually worked at a tiger preserve in China) that it's a miracle I got all As. Perhaps my teachers admired my creativity, or gave me points simply because they had something entertaining to read in the teacher…

True audacity

Londoner Joel Golby is fascinated with a very specific concept. He believes there is a kind of “character” who plagues small towns. And the character in question is a pathological liar. While I didn't grow up in a small town, it can definitely be alarming to witness people confidently flaunt untruths. There was the girl in my elementary school who announced that she went on a date with Jonathan Taylor Thomas over summer vacation. And, of course, I cannot forget the kid who was pen pals with The…

Unacceptable

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