What do you feel are the most important myths that have been shattered during your lifetime?

To me, it’s religion. More specifically, the concrete proof in evolution and natural selection showing us that we were not created by some invisible sky guy but that we and every single other life form evolved over millions of years. It really is a thing of beauty, far more beautiful than the creation myth.

@dynamicduo Very true. It is a far more amazing place than what a creation myth depicts.

“America isn’t ready to put a black man in the White House”
Endless supply of cheap gasoline
“America doesn’t torture”
“Government should step aside and let free markets regulate themselves”

The god myth, the tooth fairy myth, the Easter Bunny myth, the masturbation causes blindness myth and the most insiduous myth of all, the lost sock in the dryer myth. That last one bothered me for years.

Santa.

* The love you get is equal to the love you give
* The Truth will set you free
* Love can cure all ills

Man will never stand on the moon.

The myth of manliness.

That humankind is indefinitely improvable.

The myth that science has the potential to answer any question.
The myth that science leads to atheism.
The myth that you can’t prove a negative.
The myth that modern communication systems can replace business travel completely.
The myth that Germany would not become reunited in the foreseeable future.
The myth of trickle-down economics.

@bob_ What about Santa?

America’s moral superiority.

“Computing will usher in the paperless society”

I’m afraid that many things that I consider discredited myths are still (frighteningly) widely accepted: creationism, race inequality, gender inequality, LGBT bigotry, what we do to the environment doesn’t matter.

That women don’t drive trucks and men don’t change diapers.

But we still have a myth-laden society.

As a child, I was told that the government would always look out for us.

You can get STDs from kissing toilet seats.

@galileogirl Erm, nothing…

be yourself and people will like you.

Work hard and you will succeed.

War is a thing of the past.

Your wedding is the happiest day of your life.

@ratboy Who the heck kisses a toilet seat? Eww, even if it won’t give you an STD.

Man are better than women at many things.
Gay couples can’t get married.
Our country would never…..

OK one more…
My company will cover health care and pay my pension until I die.
I have it in writing. Right here.

You can grow up to become anything you want if you work hard enough.

Pluto is a planet.

Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.

I don’t care what they say. I think that Pluto is a planet, and I will think so until I die.

Some myths must live on.

@SirBailey LOL pluto is a planet! lurve!

that my family will always be there for me, no matter what. they really effed that one up.

@Clair, apparently not? See http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Pluto

@SirBailey i know you’re for real, i just find it funny that they even bothered. seems goofy to me.

Money can’t buy happiness- it’s easier to be happy when you don’t have to worry about losing your home or what you can buy a family of three for dinner with $8.26. Then again, the quest for money seems to make people into monsters…

It’s so true what @elijah said. If I had $100 million, and then the next day I had $1,000 million, I wouldn’t be 10 times happier. More like 5 or 6 times happier. Stupid diminishing returns.

A person can live comfortably on one or two million. Anything after that is disposable. Of course if I had 10 million and lost 8 I’d be pissed, but I wouldn’t starve to death.

Another myth that isn’t true: Blood is thicker than water.

When I was young, and even later in my life, there were many that shaped my thought processes at that time.
1. Intermarriage is a danger to society
2. Blacks are inferior
3.Working woman would ruin society
4. Rock music is evil
5. Immigrants will take all the jobs
6. Eating meat on Friday is a mortal sin
7. The Internet is a fad, will never last
8. The Russians are evil
9. Stereotypes..too numerous to list

@evelyns_pet_zebra – It isn’t? But the specific gravity for whole blood is 1.0621, which means it is denser than water, so wouldn’t that mean it is thicker?

Possession is 9/10 of the law.
Video games cause kids to act out criminally or violently.
Love means never having to say your sorry.
Using hair spray causes cancer.
Guns kill people. (Wrong – people kill people)
Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone shooter and there was no conspiracy.
The Apollo moon landings were faked.

@Darwin, the myth isn’t about the physical properties of blood compared to the physical attributes of water, but that family is stronger than friendship. But I’m sure you knew that I was talking in a figurative sense and not literally.

@evelyns_pet_zebra – Yes, I know. I was just twitting you.

However, in our family it is no myth.

God is good.

Zionist really have the best interests of everyone.

[mod says] Personal attacks and off-topic chatter removed. Let’s get back to the topic at hand, folks.

Religion of course. I’m sure it’s everyones. Also the myth that everyone and everything is equal and fair and all you have to do is your part and good things will come.