What do you think is the biggest misconception that seems to be accepted by a huge majority?

[NowWhatUsernameShallIHave]

That if you’re rich or skinny you’re automatically happy

That vegan chocolate is not real chocolate even though chocolate is cacao which is a plant. If anything it's the other way round as chocolate without milk tends to be dark chocolate thus having more cacao than milk chocolate.

Also that sushi is raw fish. It's not. It's actually rice and seaweed but it can be topped and filled with any ingredient you like. I like cucumber rolls myself.

That humans 'own' planet Earth and 'human rights' trump science, nature and evolution

That all men are highly sexed, and up for it all the time.

@Thatwentbadly

Yes I know employers are allowed to give a bad reference. I said it was a commonly held belief that they weren't but that's obviously incorrect.

"93% of communication is nonverbal."

This arose from experiments that one, focussed specifically on communication of feelings and attitudes, and two, were rigged against verbal communication anyway! When the experimenter only allowed someone to say one word, of course they found little meaning in the words.

Common misconception, fog lights must only be used in fog, they should be used whenever visibility is below 100 meters.

That the gap between rich and poor is widening. In the UK, it isn't.

That ‘karma’ exists and that people get what they deserve/their just desserts. It doesn’t. They don’t.

That all those that vote Conservative are awful selfish people

It’s often posted on MN (though rarely hear this in real life)

That media is left wing dominated. In fact its around 90% Right wing in the UK

Gap between rich and poor begins to widen

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47370739

Although wage gaps narrowing, wealth gap growing

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47370739

That you need to fund the BBC

That all views have equal merit and equal right to representation

Was going to say about the common law wife misconceptions,but someone beat me to it.

Just thought of one,that 'if you've got nothing to hide,you've got nothing to worry about'. Totally untrue.

A common myth that I hear bandied about is that if you are slim and eat a healthy diet,then you cannot possibly suffer from hypertension or high cholesterol levels. I know quite a few slim,healthy eaters who have one or both of these conditions.

That equality between the sexes has been achieved.

So not true. The older I get, the more mysoginy I see and the more I find myself disadvantaged by my biology.

also

Wear a hat as you lose 90% of your heat through your head.

Not true.

That humans need dairy as part of their diet.

@FrancesHaHa

That if someone gets found not guilty in court, they are not guilty of the crime. Might be the case or there might just not be enough evidence

but that is literally true. you cannot say they are guilty of the crime if they have been found not guilty of it in a court. to do so would invite a claim for defamation.

@onlythepianoplayer

That you aren’t wealthy with a joint salary of £50,000

That's not a misconception. A single salary of 25 k is poor, two of them certainly does not make you wealthy!

it makes you a lot better off than not having it. try existing on carer's allowance. less than £70 a week.

That The Crown on Netflix is the truth about the Royals. I’m not a big fan of theirs but the misrepresentation is malicious.

@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire yep! I'm
Veggie and love sushi! Dd and I's favourite restaurant when we go a trip to the city is a fabulous Japanese place and I always eat really well there as does she (she's not veggie but is a fussy bugger! Far harder to feed than me )

That the gap between rich and poor is widening. In the UK, it isn't.

Genuine question - where is the evidence for this? Because I've certainly witnessed and read of plenty of evidence that it is!

That media is left wing dominated. In fact its around 90% Right wing in the UK

Main stream media definitely! Certainly we don't have a "free press"

@JimmyTheWeed - ditto diabetes! Both types! I know several people who are slim, fit and healthy eaters with type 2 diabetes there is starting to be evidence coming through showing that type 2 also has a strong genetic factor. If it was purely due to unhealthy lifestyle then far more people living those unhealthy lifestyles would have it and people who didn't wouldn't. Even the weight side of things apparently we're learning that diabetes may be a contributory cause OF the weight gain rather than caused BY it.

My ex has always had high bp he's ex army but a health "nut" and even now he's left army still looks after himself. It's just how he is.

I'm "female, fat and over 40" and my bp, cholesterol and pulse rate are all on the low side (I've had hcps doubt the results and repeat the tests at times, even though I tell them I've always had low results) and I am not diabetic not anywhere near (certain drs have made me have gtt's PURELY because I'm overweight ridiculous waste of resources imo I had no potential symptoms either).

Prejudice against fat people is definitely an issue. I'm not saying being overweight is ok or doesn't have risks (so does being underweight which a few of my friends really struggle with and are regularly dismissed by hcps when they have symptoms of illnesses associated with being overweight - 2 of them are now dx type 2 diabetics!) but hcps need to not overly focus on that as the cause for bloody everything! I've even had my mental illness (ocd) blamed on it! Which is utter bollocks!

@tilder I'm 48 and I'm shocked how bad it's getting again. The stuff I'm hearing from dd (almost 20) and her friends on how the boys/men around them behave is disgusting! We seem to be regressing if anything! I grew up in the 70's and 80's and some of the stuff younger men now seem to think is acceptable behaviour wouldn't have been tolerated even then!

We honestly seem to be back in the 20's/30's in some Ways! The 50's would be progress!

Flipping bold changes disappeared again so annoying!

@alexdgr8 I think it's perhaps more accurate to say that a not guilty VERDICT doesn't mean the person is not guilty/innocent

Here in Scotland we have a 3rd option "not proven" which is interesting and has critics and supporters. It's generally understood to mean (at least colloquially) that the defendant is likely guilty but the high burden of proof within Scots courts wasn't met

There have been some utterly shocking cases particularly in recent years where defendants have been found not guilty despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

In particular "rough sex gone wrong" murders and rape cases. It's virtually impossible to get a rape conviction in a British court these days.

That if you're overweight you must be lazy and greedy.

@alexdgr8 I think what that poster means is that being found not guilty doesn't mean they didn't do it. The fact they are legally 'innocent' is irrelevant.

Tbh I do actually think most people know that being found not guilty does not = definitely didn't do it. Ime it's only a specific crime that people seem to forget it and assume it means the alleged victim is definitely a liar...