If you grew up with Boomer parents or had Boomer teachers, you probably heard a lot of things that you later came to realize (or maybe did at the time) just weren’t true. Some of these things were well-meaning. Some seemed about making you behave, while some were downright bizarre.

If You Swallow Gum, It Will Never Digest

Maybe this was meant to discourage kids from chewing gum. It didn’t work. Instead, kids had this terrifying image of gum building up in their stomachs forever. Maybe that’s why there was so much gum stuck to desks and floors in school.

Doing That with Your Eyes Will Make It Permanent

Many a child learned that if you pulled up on your eyelids, your eyeball would roll up and show only the whites. Adults telling them that one day their eyes would stay that way probably knew it wasn’t true but wanted them to stop because they found it disruptive, creepy, or gross.

Cracking Your Knuckles Causes Arthritis

News flash: it doesn’t. Most likely, they found the sound annoying and wanted you to stop.

Epic Walks to and from School

Remember hearing how your parents had to walk uphill 5 miles in the snow both ways when they were in school? It didn’t make sense when you thought about it, but they loved saying it. To be fair, they probably heard it from their parents; every generation likes to think they had it rough and that subsequent generations are soft and spoiled.

You’ll Catch Cold If You Don’t Wear Your Coat

Not dressing warmly enough in cold weather does put you more at risk of hypothermia or frostbite, but it’s not more likely that you’ll catch a cold. Most people catch a cold in indoor settings where they’re close to sick people.

Sitting Too Close to the TV Will Ruin Your Eyes

Being close to a screen for a long time can cause temporary strain or a headache, but it does not cause damage to vision. In fact, sitting really close to a TV might have been a sign that someone was nearsighted and needed glasses.

If You’re on Welfare, You’re Lazy and Cheating the Taxpayers

In America, there’s always been a strong societal correlation between work and worth, and it’s also true that welfare fraud is a thing. That’s not always the case, though. For example, consider a single parent of young children who can’t leave the kids home alone and can’t afford daycare.

Driving with the Dome Light On Is Illegal

It might not be a great idea since it can impair the visibility of outside surroundings. However, it isn’t illegal.

College Is the Best Path To Success

Statistics show that college graduates tend to earn more over time, but college isn’t for everyone. Many people have started their own businesses or applied other skills and ended up financially successful. And not every college graduate is earning a 6-figure salary.

The American Dream Is a House in the Suburbs with a White Picket Fence

And a handsome husband or pretty wife, two perfect kids, and a dog. This idea took hold in the 1950s, but as America changed, many people have found happy, fulfilling lives without pursuing that ideal.

Christopher Columbus Discovered America

He didn’t. Set aside the fact that the first people to “discover” America were nomads who crossed the Bering Land Bridge thousands of years ago. The first Europeans to set foot in America were probably Vikings led by Leif Eriksson around 500 years before 1492.

Source: Reddit

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