this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2025
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Half Life of Facts (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 week ago by Stamets@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/whitepeopletwitter@sh.itjust.works
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[–] egrets@lemmy.world 87 points 1 week ago (10 children)

There's no date bracketing, but Wikipedia's list of lists of misconceptions is excellent and often covers things taught in some schools, e.g.

  • the dodo primarily went extinct from the induction of invasive species, not hunting
  • urinating on jelly fish stings doesn't help
  • fossil fuels are primarily fossilized plant matter, not prehistoric animal remains
  • apes are monkeys
  • stretching before exercise doesn't help later muscle soreness
  • Western civilizations haven't generally thought the world is flat at any time in the Common Era
  • the pyramids weren't made by slaves
  • the story of Marie Antoinette declaring, "let them eat cake" is apocryphal, and predates her reign
[–] DrFunkenstein@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Apes being monkeys scientifically is the best news I've heard all year. It has been a banable offense in my home for years to correct someone for saying monkey when referring to gorillas, orangutans, etc., despite the fact that I genuinely thought scientists did not classify them as such.

Monge.

[–] piccolo@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

Return to monkee

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I think it's still useful to have informal words that distinguish smaller, typically less intelligent primates from larger and typically smarter ones, but I agree that using it as a gotcha is pointless.

It's like people using the botanical distinction about berries, legumes, etc to argue that some savory plant part isn't a vegetable (e.g. tomatoes as fruits, bananas as berries, etc). What's scientifically correct comes second to clear mutual communication, and no one likes a smart-ass.

Besides, we as mammals are really just all confused fish.

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