Stupid or funny things people believe.

[phobic3000]

This made me laugh.

My mate thought that reindeers didn't exist. He thought they were invented for Christmas!

I also knew someone that managed to convince his girlfriend that marshmallow comes from a plant called the mallow plant, which grows in marshes!

Anyone got or had any funny / stupid beliefs of a similar vein?

[Jah Lush]

God, Santa Claus... I'm sure there was something else.

[Jeremy]

My wife (and my brother's wife) both think that ducks can't fly.

[Alan Medic]

Not sure I can can beat either of those, but a lot of people believe they will go to heaven when they die and meet the (departed) family. I've often wondered what age will we all be if it were true, which is why I can't really believe it. You can't meet your mum and be older than her if you lived longer than her surely?

[????]

People's basic missunderstanding of probablility leads to some pretty stoopid believes. My uncle has 10 grand children his first 9 were girls, just before his 10th was born (a boy) he was saying to me "what are the odds of this one being a girl eh must be 200,000 -1!?" er, no uncle ,Evens

[Alan Medic]

How do you actually know it's 'evens'? There are only two possibilities, yes. However maybe there are other forces at work that influence the outcome.My mother had a girl followed by 7 boys. Her sister had 4 girls. Evens doesn't explain it does it?

[uncleglen]

The probability of having certain inherited disorders is 1 in 4. There are people who believe that if they have 1 child with the disorder then the next 3 will be healthy.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

But marshmallows did originate from the mallow plant, though whether they grew in marshes, I have no idea.

[DulwichFox]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> But marshmallows did originate from the mallow

> plant, though whether they grew in marshes, I have

> no idea.

That is True:-

Althaea officinalis (marshmallow, marsh mallow, or common marshmallow) is a perennial species indigenous to Africa, which is used as a medicinal plant and ornamental plant.

A confection made from the root since ancient Egyptian time evolved into today's marshmallow treat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althaea_officinalis

Marshmallow is a sugar candy that, in its modern form, typically consists of sugar, whipped to a spongy consistency, molded into small cylindrical pieces, and coated with corn starch. Some marshmallow recipes call for eggs. This confection is the modern version of a medicinal confection made from Althaea officinalis, the marshmallow plant.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmallow

DulwichFox

[????]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> How do you actually know it's 'evens'? There are

> only two possibilities, yes. However maybe there

> are other forces at work that influence the

> outcome.My mother had a girl followed by 7 boys.

> Her sister had 4 girls. Evens doesn't explain it

> does it?

It's probability, not explanation. all things being equal, the chance of a baby being born a girl is near enough 50:50, are you infact my Uncle AM, your grasp of probability is similar?

[Alan Medic]

Wikipedia doesn't make anything true does it?

[numbers]

until I was about 13, I believed that haggis existed (one leg shorter than the other, running around the hills in circles etc)

Reiki. WTF is that all about? What a load of shit & how can anyone possibly fall for it?

[Salsaboy]

I told my kids about the haggis thing when they were little. Got away with it for years.

numbers Wrote:

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> until I was about 13, I believed that haggis

> existed (one leg shorter than the other, running

> around the hills in circles etc)

[Alan Medic]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Alan Medic Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > How do you actually know it's 'evens'? There

> are

> > only two possibilities, yes. However maybe

> there

> > are other forces at work that influence the

> > outcome.My mother had a girl followed by 7

> boys.

> > Her sister had 4 girls. Evens doesn't explain

> it

> > does it?

>

> It's probability, not explanation. all things

> being equal, the chance of a baby being born a

> girl is near enough 50:50, are you infact my Uncle

> AM, your grasp of probability is similar?

Some days it rains. Other days it doesn't. Does that mean that the probability of it raining on any given day is 50:50?

[Alan Medic]

numbers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Reiki. WTF is that all about? What a load of shit

> & how can anyone possibly fall for it?

My OH has done reiki on people who claim to have felt better afterwards. Come to think of it one of them is a GP. My view of it is that if it works it must be doing something. If you can buy that our bodies are channels of energy which can get blocked in times of stress then you can fall for it. Didn't Jesus go around healing people by putting his hands on them according to the bible? This doesn't prove anything and you're entitled to call it a load of shit. I happen to think there is more to it without particularly wanting to explore it.

[uncleglen]

Wasn't the haggis thing in the Beano or Dandy (the one with Dennis the menace I think)?

I used to think that if you pressed the button on a pelican crossing multiple times then the green man would come up because it thinks lots of people are waiting......

[steveo]

The water company came to sort out a leak in the front garden and to locate it they used dowsing rods. Y'know two bent coat hangers. I swear.

They were spot on and I now believe in dowsing

[DulwichFox]

I believe in The Line. Well there are infinite Lines..

It's like if you are scared of spiders. Then there is a line for that.

All lines start from a central point. The further down the Line the worst your fear gets.

All that a Psychiatrist does is take you back along one side of the Line and brings you back up the other side.

So you are no longer scared of spiders.

There is a line for everything ..

If you believe in the Line too then it exists..

If you do not believe in the Line, it still exists.

It's just that you are on the other side of the LINE.

DulwichFox

[RosieH]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> numbers Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > Reiki. WTF is that all about? What a load of

> shit

> > & how can anyone possibly fall for it?

>

> My OH has done reiki on people who claim to have

> felt better afterwards. Come to think of it one of

> them is a GP. My view of it is that if it works it

> must be doing something. If you can buy that our

> bodies are channels of energy which can get

> blocked in times of stress then you can fall for

> it. Didn't Jesus go around healing people by

> putting his hands on them according to the bible?

> This doesn't prove anything and you're entitled to

> call it a load of shit. I happen to think there is

> more to it without particularly wanting to explore

> it.

There is more to it - it's the placebo effect. Scientifically proven.

I think in made-up Jesus land, it wasn't intended to be the placebo effect, it was something quite other - god being omnipotent and all, and Jesus being the son of god, he actually cured people - in the manner of Wolverine actively self-healing, rather than just having some hot hands near him (sadly, not mine).

But I'm enjoying the notion that reiki woo merchants are the messiah in disguise. To paraphrase One Night in Bangkok, One woo's very like another, when your head's down over your patients, brother.

[Alan Medic]

The placebo effect seems to be science's answer to anything it can't explain. Where is it proven?

[TE44]

steveo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The water company came to sort out a leak in the

> front garden and to locate it they used dowsing

> rods. Y'know two bent coat hangers. I swear.

>

> They were spot on and I now believe in dowsing

http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/frog-blog/dowsing-for-history

Dowsers are used for other findings as well as water.

[MrBen]

Magpies. If I see one alone I tip my invisible hat to him/her. I'll also try and follow a "natural order" that involves a kind of harmony with people, nature, things....sounds weird but it has generally served me well so far. Is this a kind of Buddhism?

[MrBen]

A cabbie recently told me I've been doing it wrong as I'm supposed to say "Good morning Mr Magpie". Seems he does it too and once won ?220 on the dogs because of this.

[red devil]

You are not alone MrB, I have to say "Good morning Mr Magpie" 3 times and then 'salute' him.

I try and make the salute look like I'm scratching my head, which is what I'll be doing when I read this back later...

[MrBen]

And when there are two together...what's your tack?