Do you debunk myths?

[Rivka]

Suppose you run across someone who believes something that you know to be false. And further suppose that it's not a high-stakes situation; no one's health or safety is going to suffer one way or the other. It's just an innocuous myth about, say, science or history. They get a warm and fuzzy feeling from believing what they've heard. It's not hurting anyone.

 

Do you rain on their parade? Or let it go? Or let it go in the minute, and then make careful notes to teach your children the real truth later? :lol:

 

(Please don't bring religion into this question; I'm in enough trouble for a newbie already.)

[TravelingChris]

I definitely comment on it later with my children. I don't usually bring it up with the person.

[Cindyz]

I think it all depends on context and delivery.

 

The short answer is yes I will if it's convenient for me to do so. For instance, I'm not going to stand up in the middle of someone's speech and correct something, but if we were just having a general chat, I would. I'm also careful about how I word things to try to avoid defensiveness. Either way, I would definitely explain it to my child later if I wasn't able to do so at the time.

[Julie in Austin]

I'm incapable of saying nothing;), but depending on the situation, I might be as mild as "Huh. I never heard that before. I always thought ____. I guess I'll need to research that more."

[AK_Mom4]

As an example, my dear mother believed until the day she died that the moon landings were all a fake. I explained (often) to my children that Grandma was entitled to her own opinion on the matter, but I did not agree with her. Out of respect for my mother, I did not argue with her about it - I just let it slide.

[Orthodox6]

I can't think of any history or science myths which I could deem "innocuous." Truth matters in these areas, just as much as in religion.

 

Unless the other person has launched a frontal assault on me, personally, I tend to let things go. Once back home, I reinforce for dc what we know to be true. (if dc were there in the first place, that is)

[nmoira]

I'm getting out of here before Bill shows up.

 

:leaving:

 

 

 

 

 

 

:D

[Orthodox6]

I'm getting out of here before Bill shows up.

 

:leaving:

 

 

 

 

 

 

:D

 

Why leave ? He has his own arsenal of myths !

[Mejane]

I'm getting out of here before Bill shows up.

 

 

 

 

Bill (who loves nothing more than to debunk some myth.)

 

:D

[nmoira]

Bill (who loves nothing more than to debunk some myth.)

 

:D

 

Bill (who steadfastly refuses to accept any definition of myth which implies falsehood)

 

:tongue_smilie:

Edited May 21, 2010 by nmoira

[Perry]

All the time. I'm sure people find me very annoying.

[Melissa in FL]

All the time. I'm sure people find me very annoying.

 

:iagree: This is me too!

Melissa

[jewellsmommy]

I tend to not be in-your-face confrontational, instead leaning toward diplomacy. However, it depends on the myth or misinformation. If it is an elder, I restrain. If it is a youth or someone under my authority in some way (at church for instance) then I almost always correct, gently.

 

My dh, on the other hand, loves to take those emails that are urban legend and reply with the snopes article attached. He is quite blunt, preferring to not waste time with pleasantries.

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

If I see that someone is truly holding fast to a blatant falsehood, and it is not going to hurt them, I usually just let them persist in their beliefs. It is usually impossible to dissuade individuals from tightly held beliefs, and will only damage any relationship that exists.

 

the one exception is when people insist that their children (or mine) wear a coat "so they won't get sick." Illness is caused by germs and viruses not ambient temperature. Children should be taught to wash their hands to avoid illness, not put on a coat/sweater just because the mother is chilly.

 

~M who just realized she does have a soapbox

[KidsHappen]

Only if it is someone that I don't want to look stupid later. That pretty much narrows it down to family. Occassionally I will debunk here but most of the time, I just really don't care enough to make the effort.

[Jean in Newcastle]

If I do it is more on the lines of "Really? I had read that . . . "

 

My ds(almost 13) though is more than ready to jump in with "Actually. . ." When their eyes totally glaze over from informational overload, his work is done:D

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

I tend to not be in-your-face confrontational, instead leaning toward diplomacy. However, it depends on the myth or misinformation. If it is an elder, I restrain. If it is a youth or someone under my authority in some way (at church for instance) then I almost always correct, gently.

 

My dh, on the other hand, loves to take those emails that are urban legend and reply with the snopes article attached. He is quite blunt, preferring to not waste time with pleasantries.

 

Oh, I thought the question was about an in-person encounter. I totally do what your dh does with the snopes reply. Amazingly enough, my inbox gets fewer and fewer of "those" e-mail forwards.

 

~M who loves snopes and refuses to believe it has its own bias

[Greta]

My dh, on the other hand, loves to take those emails that are urban legend and reply with the snopes article attached. He is quite blunt, preferring to not waste time with pleasantries.

 

In a real live conversation, it's hard to say. Just depends on the dynamics. But with email, I'm with your dh. If you send me an email with the subject line

 

FW: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: This is REAL!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You're gonna be getting a snopes link in return. And if you have cc-ed me with a thousand other people I don't know, you're going to get a link to a "how to use bcc" webpage as well.

 

Otherwise, I'm quite polite. Truly. :D It's just that I tend to lose patience after the two hundred and fifty third time I've received the same stupid urban legend about a horrifying new computer virus that's going to hit everyone tomorrow . . . and its an email that has been circulated for four years. :lol:

[Spy Car]

Why would I try to debunk someones sacred tales? :D

 

False-hoods, those are worth de-bunking!

 

Bill (playing to stereotype ;) )

[PinkInTheBlue]

My husband is a straight-forward person. He assume that everyone wants to be like him and be informed of any and every misconception that might be had. He'd "rain on their parade" but he'd think it was for a good cause. :)

 

I would say something if I could phrase it in a way to not hurt or offend. If it's not harmful and it's seems really important to them, I guess I wouldn't bother but I would likely think of it often when I was with them. Possibly I would offer something along the lines of "Hey, that's interesting. I've also heard......."

 

Edited to add: OH YES! If we're talking about the millions of misconceptions on emails and forwards, I absolutely provide something like a Snopes link. Those things drive me crazy. Often what I read online I assume to be false until I can verify it in other ways. lol

Edited May 21, 2010 by PinkInTheBlue

[Orthodox6]

Eating crow here. :o I really do try to be peaceable toward those who hold wrong beliefs. This afternoon, however, I lit into someone posting in another thread, who does not (if I understood her post correctly) believe in the stark reality of mental health and developmental health conditions. People who deny facts about those topics sometimes trigger passionate and truthful responses from me.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Eating crow here. :o I really do try to be peaceable toward those who hold wrong beliefs. This afternoon, however, I lit into someone posting in another thread, who does not (if I understood her post correctly) believe in the stark reality of mental health and developmental health conditions. People who deny facts about those topics sometimes trigger passionate and truthful responses from me.

 

It was that person's first post - I believe (but do not have the evidence to back it up from Snopes or anywhere else) that you might have been feeding a troll.

[smrtmama]

Suppose you run across someone who believes something that you know to be false. And further suppose that it's not a high-stakes situation; no one's health or safety is going to suffer one way or the other. It's just an innocuous myth about, say, science or history. They get a warm and fuzzy feeling from believing what they've heard. It's not hurting anyone.

 

Do you rain on their parade? Or let it go? Or let it go in the minute, and then make careful notes to teach your children the real truth later? :lol:

 

(Please don't bring religion into this question; I'm in enough trouble for a newbie already.)

 

I usually debunk science myths, especially if they pertain to things like birth or breastfeeding, because allowing those myths to perpetuate DOES hurt people.

[Garga]

When the earthquakes hit Haiti, a woman I know was talking about Haiti. She told us how she was telling her daughter about Haiti and how people think Haiti is such a bad place because it's like hell. Like when people say, "It's hot as Haiti today!"

 

I didn't have the heart to tell her that it's really Hades that everyone talks about being hell, not Haiti.

 

She was wrong and was passing on wrong info to her kid, but we were in front of people and if I had said anything, I think she'd have been terribly embarrassed. I considered pulling her aside and telling her later, but I didn't.

 

In the long-run, it doesn't really matter.

 

My kids weren't there. If they were, I'd have explained it all to them later.

 

(Edited to add: why does my computer keep adding the red thumbs down thing in my subject lines???? This keeps happening.)

Edited May 21, 2010 by Garga

[ereks mom]

I'm getting out of here before Bill shows up.

 

:leaving:

 

 

 

 

 

 

:D

 

:lol:

[dirty ethel rackham]

I usually debunk science myths, especially if they pertain to things like birth or breastfeeding, because allowing those myths to perpetuate DOES hurt people.

 

:iagree: Birth and babies are my hot buttons. I have been known to correct perfect strangers (and get strange looks :tongue_smilie:) I used to be fairly obnoxious about correcting people on other topics as well, but I slowly figured out that I wasn't getting anywhere. Now, ds16 does it for me:).

[ereks mom]

I think it all depends on context and delivery.

 

The short answer is yes I will if it's convenient for me to do so. For instance, I'm not going to stand up in the middle of someone's speech and correct something, but if we were just having a general chat, I would. I'm also careful about how I word things to try to avoid defensiveness. Either way, I would definitely explain it to my child later if I wasn't able to do so at the time.

 

:iagree:

[angela in ohio]

It was that person's first post - I believe (but do not have the evidence to back it up from Snopes or anywhere else) that you might have been feeding a troll.

 

:lol:

[angela in ohio]

That depends. How sure are you that they are wrong and you are right? Are we talking about very clear-cut thinks (like hot as Haiti :lol:) or something that one could argue both sides?

 

I think (okay, know) that I would correct 'hot as Haiti,' because I have a mother who does things like that, and I know it helps her to have it pointed out. She just doesn't hear things correctly. If she was completely deaf, people would understand, but because she just misses bits and pieces, they feel free to ridicule her. (Of course, I get a giggle out of an aunt and friend who say "bomb fire," :D but I wouldn't be mean about it.)

 

If people throw out illogical statements in an argument, I try to correct the issue ("you can't prove a statistic wrong with one anecdote," etc.)

 

If it is something funny ("Don't put your arms over your head because you will wrap the baby's umbilical cord around her neck.") I tend to laugh and pretend that they are joking.

 

If it is something about which the least doubt exists, I keep my mouth shut.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

If I do it is more on the lines of "Really? I had read that . . . "

 

My ds(almost 13) though is more than ready to jump in with "Actually. . ." When their eyes totally glaze over from informational overload, his work is done:D

 

My 10 yo does that too. He's polite but quite insistent.

 

My MIL just rolls her eyes when she hears him do this because his father was quite similar. She jokes that tour guides would stop asking if anyone had questions when he was visiting places.

[Gooblink]

:iagree: This is me too!

Melissa

 

Me three.

 

I will say there have been a few myths I'd accepted as fact before someone set me straight, and I am grateful they spoke up.

[Garga]

I think (okay, know) that I would correct 'hot as Haiti,' because I have a mother who does things like that, and I know it helps her to have it pointed out. She just doesn't hear things correctly. If she was completely deaf, people would understand, but because she just misses bits and pieces, they feel free to ridicule her.

 

Oh my goodness! My "Haiti" friend has hearing problems! I never connected the dots! You can't tell she has the hearing problems unless she tells you, so I forget it all the time.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My 10 yo does that too. He's polite but quite insistent.

 

My MIL just rolls her eyes when she hears him do this because his father was quite similar. She jokes that tour guides would stop asking if anyone had questions when he was visiting places.

 

Oh we had this happen when we visited the Philippines! The tour guide at Corregidor thought it was so funny that ds knew his WWII history almost better than he did. He was very good about asking him to let other people have questions and answers too, though.

[HRAAB]

With my children, in our own home, I certainly do. I'm not very confrontational and like peace and happiness, so for the most part I let people go. The one person who is always making statements as absolute truth with no facts to back it up is my dear mil. I literally bite my tongue, smile, and give the children a knowing look which tells them mom is going to have something to say about what grandma just said.

[jewellsmommy]

I can't think of any myths off hand but I do remember when my pastor's wife was talking to another woman in our church and said that, as she recalled, blue eyes were a dominant trait. It was difficult for me to not correct that especially when the other woman was like "yea, I remember reading that." I am close to both of these women, but I just didn't see the point in going there. KWIM? Had it been someone my own age or younger I would have found it easier. But of course this is just incorrect info. and that is not exactly the same thing as perpetuating a myth.

[Orthodox6]

It was that person's first post - I believe (but do not have the evidence to back it up from Snopes or anywhere else) that you might have been feeding a troll.

 

Maybe so. If so, then s/he was rabidly starving, and I wanted to force-fed him or her a 12-course meal !

Edited May 21, 2010 by Orthodox6

[kokotg]

This thread just reminded me of the time I toured the House of Seven Gables in Salem, MA along with a group of friends from grad school. The tour guide was some young kid--maybe 18 or 19--and not, it turned out, a particularly good Hawthorne scholar. So here we are--a group of English ph.D. students--and he tells us solemnly about how, in The Scarlet Letter, the people in the village made Hester Prynne so mad that she decided to wear a big red A on her chest. Umm. We didn't correct him, but it was pretty hard to keep a straight face.

 

I sometimes correct people; sometimes not. It just depends on the situation--my mood, how well I know the people, my read of how the information will be received, etc.

[MissKNG]

In regards to email myths that swirl around, I always check snopes.com. And sometimes I'll let the person know it's not true.

[Parrothead]

Oh, I can't keep my big mouth shut so I generally to debunk the myths.

[elizabeth]

Taking the 5th amendment on this one. I have been here far too long and my answer is unfortunately far too obvious. Dh tells others that the only time he saw me refrain from correcting, informing and telling others what was what is when I was looking down the business end of a 45 aimed right at my chest by an armed robber. We were not harmed but dh was so very glad I knew when to remain silent.

Edited May 21, 2010 by elizabeth

[Rivka]

Okay, so, hypothetically, if someone posted on the curriculum board about a science resource, and, hypothetically, you knew that cognitive scientists pretty much universally agree that "signing" apes are not actually using language, but this hypothetical person found the story of Koko's kitten sweet and moving and a good resource for her hypothetical children, would you link her to a debunking?

[Laurie4b]

In regards to email myths that swirl around, I always check snopes.com. And sometimes I'll let the person know it's not true.

 

I do this with emails. Hardly anyone sends those fwd'd rumor emails to me anymore--maybe because they've learned to check snopes first or maybe because I offended and have been removed from their mass email list. Either way is okay with me!

 

In person, it depends on the situation, the relationship, etc.

[lionfamily1999]

It really depends. If it's a myth that is easily dispelled and (imo) in some way harmful then I'll bust it. If it's a harmless (imo) myth and would take something better than a short explanation then I usually don't bother (unless they're family).

[lionfamily1999]

Okay, so, hypothetically, if someone posted on the curriculum board about a science resource, and, hypothetically, you knew that cognitive scientists pretty much universally agree that "signing" apes are not actually using language, but this hypothetical person found the story of Koko's kitten sweet and moving and a good resource for her hypothetical children, would you link her to a debunking?

Definitely.

 

I send people to "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" all the time to dispell the "we only use a tiny percentage of our brains" myth.

[elizabeth]

Okay, so, hypothetically, if someone posted on the curriculum board about a science resource, and, hypothetically, you knew that cognitive scientists pretty much universally agree that "signing" apes are not actually using language, but this hypothetical person found the story of Koko's kitten sweet and moving and a good resource for her hypothetical children, would you link her to a debunking?

 

Of course. That is for me the value of having such a diverse group of persons we have nurses, MD, JD,CPA, social workers, teachers, biologists, ministers,statisticians, authors, cooks , builders,artists, photographers,computer programmers and candlestick makers. I come here to sponge up expertise in the areas where my background is weak and likewise to share knowledge and experience where I am able to. I always think two heads are better than one.

[Nestof3]

I think you have two options here:

 

1. state that scientists disagree on whether the signing apes are using language

 

or

 

2. point the hypothethical person to the resource that shows cognitive scientists "pretty much universally agree" while explaining why all of them don't agree.

 

If it ends up being a debatable issue with proof on either side, I see nothing to debunk.

 

Okay, so, hypothetically, if someone posted on the curriculum board about a science resource, and, hypothetically, you knew that cognitive scientists pretty much universally agree that "signing" apes are not actually using language, but this hypothetical person found the story of Koko's kitten sweet and moving and a good resource for her hypothetical children, would you link her to a debunking?

[8circles]

I sometimes correct people; sometimes not. It just depends on the situation--my mood, how well I know the people, my read of how the information will be received, etc.

:iagree:

 

I can't think of any myths off hand but I do remember when my pastor's wife was talking to another woman in our church and said that, as she recalled, blue eyes were a dominant trait. It was difficult for me to not correct that especially when the other woman was like "yea, I remember reading that." I am close to both of these women, but I just didn't see the point in going there. KWIM? Had it been someone my own age or younger I would have found it easier. But of course this is just incorrect info. and that is not exactly the same thing as perpetuating a myth.

 

My MIL believes this! Except it's the reverse. I have blue eyes, DH has brown. All our kids have blue eyes. MIL thinks it's so mysterious that none of them have brown. :001_rolleyes:

I simply don't have the energy to keep explaining it anymore. Yes, MIL, it's very mysterious.

[secular_mom]

Okay, so, hypothetically, if someone posted on the curriculum board about a science resource, and, hypothetically, you knew that cognitive scientists pretty much universally agree that "signing" apes are not actually using language, but this hypothetical person found the story of Koko's kitten sweet and moving and a good resource for her hypothetical children, would you link her to a debunking?

 

I would bring it up, in an online conversation. I wouldn't do it by saying ' actually, the fact is blah blah blah' but rather- 'I've read/heard that blah blah blah' and include a link or two. I don't think it would be inappropriate.

[T'smom]

IRL, it depends on the situation, but if someone sends me a forward- I never, ever, EVER open it.

[Kirch]

I generally don't correct and just go on my way, smug in the superiority of knowing better. :tongue_smilie: I'm terrible!

 

 

the one exception is when people insist that their children (or mine) wear a coat "so they won't get sick." Illness is caused by germs and viruses not ambient temperature. Children should be taught to wash their hands to avoid illness, not put on a coat/sweater just because the mother is chilly.

 

~M who just realized she does have a soapbox

 

I have a friend who is still concerned about not letting "night air" in while her children are sleeping. :huh: