Do you believe everything you read?
By nicolec
@nicolec (2671)
United States
March 26, 2007 10:01am CST
Recently I have been involved in some religous/political discussions here on mylot. And it amazed me to see how many people would post a link to some propaganda website from some uncreditable source to back up their point of view. And I just wanted to say 'come on people, do you believe everyting you read???"
Then to top it off, I get an email from a girlfriend of mine that gave a list of things asking which are true and which are false. Here are some of them, I shortened it for time:
--Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button.
--A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 years.
---People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more.
--When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart!
--Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties.
--Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years old.
--The average person over 50 will have spent 5 years waiting in lines.
--The toothbrush was invented in 1498.
--Toilets injure 40,000 Americans each year.
--The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute.
--Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than any other time of day.
--Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep.
--John Travolta turned down the starring roles in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Tootsie."
--If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be green
The email says, they are all TRUE! Do you believe everything you read???
3 people like this
9 responses
@nicolec (2671)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Some of it is just common sense. And that's the point. That people will just believe anything and pass it along. Does your common sense lead you to beleive that babies don't have knee caps until they are at least 2 years old? Can you imgaine crawling without them?
@stacyv81 (5903)
• United States
26 Mar 07
yeah, that doesnt make sense, some of them I can tell arent real, but I just wasnt sure, but I do agree with you on that. Especially with things on the internet anyone can write anything they want, and people need to research what they read before they actually believe it.
@shekaina24 (161)
• Philippines
26 Mar 07
Believing on what I have read?.....It depends on the book, article, newspaper, and others,....what I have read....Some were false written so I better check it out, applying my wisdom and experiences to project those are truth or not...In this case, probably protect myself from hazards that will occur evetually to my existence......
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
29 Mar 07
I definitely do not believe everything that I read. I've read a lot of things that I can tell you from personal experience aren't true, so I know better. =p
If I'm trying to find information about something online, I'm pretty choosy about the types of sites I look at. And even then, I try to find multiple sources for something before I make up my mind on it. I'm not the type of idiot that reads one article on something from an unreliable source and then decides to call myself an "expert".
1 person likes this
@pretty_angel (908)
• Philippines
29 Mar 07
Of course no. Not all are true in what i read. It's obvious whether what your reading is a fact or a fiction. But i can say that there are readings that are comfusing. But we must be skeptical and be rational.
@aso322 (75)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Not at all, I take everything I read with a grain of salt. People can make things up within a matter of seconds. Even decent looking websites don't take very long! Finding credible and reliable sources is something I've learned is very important, especially when writing a paper. It amazes me that people use sources like Wikipedia when quoting or researching. Anybody can write almost anything in there!
1 person likes this
@nicolec (2671)
• United States
26 Mar 07
To give Wikipedia it's due, most things in there are cited. If they aren't it sayd "this section needs citations". So if I am out for my own knowledge, then the cited parts are fine. If I need more than that, I go straight to the citation.
I write scientific papers and citing from the interent is a big no no. It's frowned upon. Unless you are using an analysis program that you downloaded.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
28 Mar 07
LOL I do not believe everything that I read. It is funny but my parents was reading some bad things about my church and instead of asking me, they just believed it. It was all untrue. They thought that if it was in print it was true but yet I have things in print that they think are untrue. so I think people just believe whatever they want to. I am the kind of person who researches things before believing them. I research them in the proper places not on off the way web sites.
@Myrrdin (3599)
• Canada
26 Mar 07
No I do not believe everything I read. Many things I have read and seemed valid fail the simple test of following the sources. I have read many "articles" online where if you follow the sources the sources don't at all support the articles suppostion. Sometimes this is intentional, others it is blatent lying, and other times it is misinterpretation of the original points.
