MetaFilter posts tagged with myths

The downside of the online gold rush – riches for some, “slavery” for most

joeclark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:27:13 -0800

How the myth of Silicon Valley is really like a “gold rush.” Riches for some, “slavery” for many, says Toronto technology commentator Jesse Hirsh, who also takes aim at the ethic of waste built into Web ideology as expressed in Chris Anderson’s Free. (Video of presentation.) From the liveblog: “[Kevin] Kelly [of Wired]’s critiques sold a false mythology of a frontier where anyone can create a business plan. This mythology is that of a biological techno-utopia, a hive. Problem: There are many worker bees, but only one queen bee.... The idea of the Long Tail is a meme within the California ideology. It’s meant to engender complacency about being in the lower ranks [of] the Long Tail. It’s more of the same: A lucky few get all the cheese.”

Bringing New Meaning to 'Flogging the Bishop'

Navelgazer — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:54:09 -0800

Does it cause hairy palms? (No, that is a myth.) Will it make you go blind? (No, though zinc deficiency can be detrimental to one's vision, and semen contains a small amount of zinc.) Are you going to hell for it? (Maybe, maybe not.) But what if it helps with conception? (well, the men doing it, anyway)

they come out the butt, stupid!

madamjujujive — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:14:43 -0800

Kinda sutra - a charmingly animated short in which people talk about childhood misconceptions about sex and childbirth. More on childhood sex misconceptions from Dan Savage 1, 2, 3. (pretty tame clip, but possibly NSFW) More on Kinda Sutra, which debuted this year at Sundance. See prior related posts: Classic underage misconceptions five fresh fish I used to believe - Stan Chin - not just sex misconceptions - but so amusing!

Offshore windfarms attract killer whales

Artw — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:14:59 -0800

Chris Goodall, author of Ten Technologies to Save the Planet, talks about the ten big green energy myths.

Quantum Mechanics: Myths and Facts

XMLicious — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:21:29 -0800

Quantum Mechanics: Myths and Facts (pdf), a recently-updated paper on the Cornell arXiv peer-review site. By Hrvoje Nikolić of the Rudjer Bošković Institute in Croatia. Note: the presence of a paper on arXiv does not necessarily mean it has been reviewed and is not equivalent to having been published in a journal.

Skulls... why'd it have to be Skulls?

crossoverman — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:49:43 -0800

Indiana Jones and... the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls? Actor Shia LaBeouf announced the title of the new Indiana Jones movie at the MTV Video Music Awards. But what was George Lucas' inspiration? Where did these Crystal Skulls come from? These ancient objects have been referenced in many places, including an episode of StarGate SG-1, imaginatively titled "Crystal Skull". There is also a Festival and a not-for-profit Foundation dedicated to researching these artifacts.

Myth-busters have the odds against them

homunculus — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:30:38 -0800

Persistence of Myths Could Alter Public Policy Approach. "The conventional response to myths and urban legends is to counter bad information with accurate information. But the new psychological studies (PDFs) show that denials and clarifications, for all their intuitive appeal, can paradoxically contribute to the resiliency of popular myths." [Via Firedoglake, more at MindHacks.]

Pirate myths...they're drivin' me nuts.

nasreddin — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:18:27 -0800

Pirate myths debunked. Slate's Explainer attacks your favorite pirate stereotypes: walking the plank, saying "arrr." Not a myth: pirate republics. Pirates formed egalitarian mini-states based upon utopian values, a prime reason for their brutal suppression by European authorities.

Don't get fooled again

psmealey — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:50:10 -0800

What are the greatest hoaxes in rock history? [MP3 links] They Might be Giants' John Flansburg tells John Schaefer what he knows, and Rolling Stone readers weigh in as well. Was it Mama Cass choking on a sandwich? Jack and Meg White as siblings? Paul dead (again)? Keith Richards getting his blood replaced? Or snorting his father's ashes? Oh, wait, that last one was true.

Drugs screens and poppyseed bagels don't mix.

Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:28:25 -0800

Top 20 Science Myths. Note: turns out some of these are not myths so much as exagerrations.

Becoming Mary Poppins

loquacious — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 18:22:06 -0800

Becoming Mary Poppins - A look at the original author P. L. Travers, Walt Disney, and the differences therein. Via the New Yorker.

2. "Immigrant" is not synonymous with "Latino" ...

amberglow — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 04:02:45 -0800

Some facts about Latinos and immigration, and chances are good they haven't been mentioned at all during coverage of the "immigration crisis" . (and take a stroll down memory lane to past GOP platform statements on the issue)

Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked

Dantien — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:00:48 -0800

Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked - Henry Jenkins (previous discussed here) points out errors in the myths we here about videogames and those who play them. It's nice to hear intelligent commentary that doesn't run along the lines of the usual messages.

Flood myths

destro — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 10:57:33 -0800

From a New York journalist's description of the days after the flood:

I saw persons take watches from dead men's jackets and brutally tore finger-rings from the hands of women. The ruffians also climbed into the overturned houses and ransacked the rooms, taking whatever they thought valuable.

Sound familiar? This report about the Johnstown Flood was also filled with stories of "minority savegery", drunken Hungarians at the time that eventually turned out to be completely untrue or wildly exaggerated, such as the rescue helicoptor being shot at. also see previous mefi thread on LA looting here

Rich get richer, poor get poorer...

AlexReynolds — Sun, 15 May 2005 07:13:04 -0800

Class Mobility within America - The mythology surrounding Horatio Alger is a powerful force within American culture: the idea that anyone can pull oneself up by the bootstraps to become financially successful. Surprising research by statistician Miles Corak shows that Americans have no more income mobility than Europeans — contradicting cultural presumptions of egalitarianism — and even less than Scandinavian countries, despite their heavy taxation. Marketing slowly meets reality in the American Dream...

The 'Acting White' Myth.

Lisa S — Sun, 12 Dec 2004 10:15:51 -0800

The 'Acting White' Myth. When smart black kids try hard and do well, they are picked on by their less successful peers for 'acting white.' But it isn't true.

jb — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 10:04:15 -0800

They called me ‘Crack Baby’ - An issue of the foster care youth magasine Represent (March/April 2004) takes on the media myths and realities of being the child of an addict. [via a&ldaily and PY]

The Skeptic's Dictionary

chrisgregory — Fri, 06 Feb 2004 06:01:49 -0800

The Skeptic's Dictionary is a wonderful resource for all sentient individuals: 'A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions (and how to think critically about them)'. It's where I send people when they start telling me nonsense. It is also a jolly good read: try the entry for natural, for example. And some entries, like the entry for IQ and race, verge on the profound. There is a print edition, but the extensive internal and external site linkage makes reading the collection online a particular joy. While The Skeptic's Dictionary has been referred to before on MeFi, the link made the site out to be a cornucopia of Urban legend-style oddities, like Snopes. Which I thought was a shame: not dissing Snopes, but the Skeptic's Dictionary delivers a firm grounding in critical thinking as well. This post is dedicated to all of my relatives who chipped in to buy shark cartilage tablets and several fifty-dollar pamphlets full of testimonials after my father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and who probably still think the worse of me for not contributing to their folly.

riffola — Thu, 31 Jan 2002 21:25:35 -0800

Apple Myths: Over the years, there have been more than a few misconceptions about Macs. Now Apple take's a look at some of the most popular ones.

mathowie — Mon, 26 Nov 2001 16:16:58 -0800

The day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year in America. False. This and many other popular xmas legends debunked at snopes (also notable: Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer created by the Montgomery Ward store chain).

nonharmful — Tue, 17 Jul 2001 07:04:56 -0800

Teenage myths about contraception "Coke douches work and you can use crisp bags as condoms" and "Putting a watch around your penis before sex means the radioactivity of the dial kills off sperm."
Many more....

ZachsMind — Wed, 06 Dec 2000 00:53:07 -0800

Eight Sword Myths by Glenn Pettit is a relaxing unobtrustive and straight-forward read for those who like to collect, brandish, or just stare in awe at c-c-c-cutlery. And who doesn't? This document dispells certain modern misunderstandings but also tips a hat to timeless legend itself.

jhiggy — Fri, 01 Dec 2000 03:15:33 -0800

Four out of 10 people mistakenly believe it is possible to get HIV by sharing a drinking glass or being coughed or sneezed on by an infected person. The survey, released Thursday, was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's scary that so many people are still so ignorant of what causes HIV-AIDS," said Marty Algaze, a spokesman for the Gay Men's Health Crisis. "Almost 20 years into this epidemic, it's disturbing that people think you could still get it from casual contact."