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Jonas Žvilius

“I Didn’t Know This And Now I Feel Stupid”: 48 Pieces Of Knowledge That Were Supposed To Be Common

United States

We grow up in different circumstances, and it's impossible for everyone to develop the same worldview. Still, for society to function, we expect certain stuff to be universally understood — fundamental facts that people can agree on and rely on. But that isn't always the case.

Reddit user JustBeingElara recently asked the platform what common knowledge they realized wasn't so common.

Thousands replied, sharing etiquette rules, marketing tricks, basic biology, and much more, teaching each other all sorts of useful things. So we decided to collect the most interesting ones for those who love to learn!

#1

You don’t need religion to have morality.

#2

Don't watch videos on speakerphone when you're in public.
Don't talk on speakerphone in public.
Don't FaceTime on speakerphone in public.

#3

That tariffs are paid by the end user. They are initially paid by the importer but are passed along to the consumer.

#4

That "natural" doesn't mean "healthy".

anamorphic_cat:

Dozens of poisonous plants and lethal gases illustrate your point.

allthecats:

And "chemicals" doesn't mean "bad."

#5

DON'T DRIVE FAST IN BAD WEATHER. I CAN'T BELIEVE PEOPLE NEED THIS EXPLAINED TO THEM.

#6

That disabilities don’t check for proof of age before affecting someone - you can be any age and disabled, and that not all disabilities are immediately externally visible.

Also affect vs effect.

#7

There's a stick on the steering column of your car that indicates in which direction you want to turn.

#8

That you do not have to talk. Sometimes it's possible for you to shut up.

#9

Wait for the people to get off the elevator before trying to enter.

Giving_Cat:

Or Subway or bus or…

Marlsfarp:

Generalize to: people exiting the more confined space have the right of way.

#10

As a kid, I once argued with someone about penguins. They didn’t know penguins are birds so we placed a bet, googled to confirm that they are in fact birds, and then I took the money to buy lunch in the canteen the next day. I told the canteen lady that I won my lunch money by placing a bet on penguins being birds. To my surprise she also denied them being birds. So I made another bet - if google says they are birds, I get my lunch for free.
At that time I’ve only discussed penguins being birds with two people. So what I thought was common knowledge appeared not to be.

Sometimes I wonder how many people out there doesn’t know that penguins are birds. And if I can meet them to place bets or get free food.

#11

The President doesn't have unlimited authority and cannot rule by decree.

I've met so many people on all sides of the political spectrum that don't know civics.

They keep saying "why doesn't the president just ban/enact X?"

They are all surprised when i point out the president doesn't have such authority.

#12

Europe is a continent, not a country.

#13

That you give your seat up on the bus/subway etc for the elderly, humans with small children, humans with crutches/walkers/canes and humans with a lot of heavy looking bags (to name a few).

Be greatfull that you can stand. One day you may wish someone would be kinder to you than you have others in the past.

#14

You COULDN'T care less.

This is something I *could* care less about and really should.

CoolhandLW:

Dang that's a huge pet peeve of mine. I don't know why it bothers me so much.

#15

It’s genuinely not a judgement, but I find it alarming how many adults I know have poor grammar or spelling capabilities.

#16

Tax brackets! No, Bob, taxes won’t wipe out the raise you just turned down. You’re just an idiot.

#17

When I became a wheelchair user, I thought “wheelchairs don’t do stairs” was common knowledge. So imagine my shock when I started coming across people who thought 3-5 steps would still be considered “wheelchair accessible.”

This is why we need to be super specific when asking if a place is wheelchair accessible. We need to ask if there is step-free access. “Oh yeah, we are wheelchair accessible, there are just one or two steps” isn’t an acceptable answer.

#18

The size of the Great Lakes. The number of people who just don't believe that you can't see across most of Lake Michigan. Or that the lakes can produce any kind of waves at all, let alone of ship-sinking size. A friend was going to a wedding in the Upper Peninsula and told me they were also going to spend a day kayaking around Lake Superior. I said "Cool! What part?" And they looked at me like I was an idiot and said "All the way around? I've got a whole day." I wish I were kidding.

#19

That the seasons are reversed in the northern and southern hemispheres.

As an Australian, this is a fact we all know from a very young age. When I first went overseas at age 16, I quickly learnt that many, many people (including full grown adults) in the northern hemisphere have no idea about this.

#20

When you're in a touristy part of a city, overly friendly strangers that come up and talk to you unprovoked are not looking for new friends.

#21

This may sound like common sense, but you’d be SHOCKED. Chickens will lay eggs nearly every day regardless of the presence of a rooster. It’s the equivalent of a period not a baby.

#22

That being out in the cold does not give you a cold.

Tomschewies:

Soooo many people believe this. I think it confuses people that cold weather can cause a leaky nose but that doesn’t mean it’s a cold.

#23

That not everything on the internet is real.

#24

You are allowed to not have an opinion on a subject.

#25

That in English, apostrophes are generally used for contractions (cannot=can't) or to show possession (the bone belongs to the dog. The dog's bone). It is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR PLURALS. 1 dog, 2 dogs. 1 ex, 2 exes.

#26

As an Aussie: the size of Aus and the distance/travel time between places in Aus. You can start in one state, drive for three days, and still be in the same state.

We’re basically the size of the US with nowhere near the population or inhabitable landscape.

#27

The fact that deer do in fact drop their antlers, usually after mating season is over & then grow a new set every year 🤷🏻‍♀️.

#28

Ponies are not baby horses, just like how chihuahua and pugs are not baby dogs. Ponies are a type of horse that stay small even as adults.

#29

An awful lot of people I talk to don’t realize their tax refund is their money anyway.

#30

How to properly train and own a dog. The amount of people who know nothing about dogs is baffling to me. The belief of alpha hierarchy has been proven false in both dogs and wolves for over 20 years by researchers. Yet, people still use it and recommend it as a form of training. It’s proven harmful. This leads to fearful and aggressive dogs.

There is a TON of ignorant dog owners. Not only do they spread false information, they don’t even bother fact checking themselves.

The reason why dogs end up in shelters is because of BOTH irresponsible breeding and irresponsible/uneducated owners.

#31

Pickles are pickled cucumbers.

i was amazed by the amount of people who argued with me when i told them.

#32

No, you cant use US $ to pay for things in an European country!

#33

Growing up I thought every household had constant yelling, walking on eggshells, and random silent treatments. Took me way too long to realize a lot of people actually grew up in calm, supportive homes and that mine wasn’t “normal conflict,” it was just unhealthy.

#34

The number of people who don't know that water boils faster if you put a lid on the pot is genuinely concerning.

#35

I don't know about most, but a lot of people near me:

That the ACA (Affordable Care Act) and "Obamacare" are the same piece of legislation.

#36

That green bell peppers are the unripe versions of yellow, orange, red and purple peppers

(ETA I didn't say those colors were stages of ripeness. Orange bell plants will grow orange peppers. Red bell plants will grow red peppers. But they start green and you have to let them ripen).

#37

That the UK has not left the European continent, just the European Union. The amount of people who genuinely think we’re not part of Europe anymore shocks me.

#38

I was an anatomy teacher and I had a student that didn’t know the meat we eat is muscle from animals until I was using a steak to demonstrate connective and muscle tissues.

#39

A light year is a measure of distance, not time.

#40

That cows have to be kept repeatedly pregnant to continue producing milk- too many people think that cows are just always making milk and it somehow "needs to be relieved" when their udders are full.

#41

Low(er) in calories does not mean it's healthy or better for you.

#42

Common knowledge isn't that common.

#43

That’s it’s not up for debate whether we landed on the moon. Now you might debate whether the first landing was faked. But we went 5 more times (manned landings). There is a lot of equipment left there that can be seen from earth. Even a mirror you can hit with a laser.

#44

How to spell 'definitely'. There are a finite number of ways to spell de-FINITE-ly.

#45

"Lead" pencils do not contain lead, they contain graphite.

#46

Getting an IV does not mean a needle is left inside you while that IV is in place.

While I don't expect everyone to know this, I continue to be surprised that people who actively have IVs in place do not know this.

hotdiggity75:

I didn’t know this and now I feel stupid.

LegCompetitive6636:

The needle has a plastic tube, a catheter, on it which is left inside the vein when the needle itself is removed
Edit: just to clarify more, the needle pierces the vein then the catheter is advanced further into the vein and the needle is removed, that long needle isn’t going all the way in your vein.

#47

Grapes, onions, garlic, chocolate, corn cobs, xylitol are all harmful for dogs to consume. I hate seeing people giving their dog a protein of whatever they cooked for dinner knowing that there’s onion in it. Yeah, a lot of dogs won’t get seriously sick, but I will hurt their stomach. And some do get very sick. Don’t give your pets human food.

#48

The only things you should flush down the toilet is TP and human waste. It doesn’t matter if the wipes or the cat litter says it’s flushable. It’s not!

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