Common knowledge isn’t that common. Sure, you can’t know everything, and excelling in one area often means neglecting another, but things like first aid and the definition (and use) of free speech should be universally understood. At least, in the perfect world — it’s in everyone’s best interest.

But, again, they’re not. So when Reddit user CasualBeers made a post on the platform, asking its users to share basic facts that they’ve noticed a surprisingly large number of people don’t know, folks immediately started listing their suggestions. Here are some of the most popular ones.

#1

that freedom of speech doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want without consequences or other people giving you s**t about it. it just means you can’t go to jail for criticizing the government.

Image credits: fxm87

#2

How vaccines work. If they “make you sick,” it’s because they’re working! Your body is mounting a defense and creating antibodies to help fight off infection. A lot of really smart scientists have devoted their entire lives to keep us safe against life-threatening infection and people who have no medical training refuse them. It seems pretty idiotic and cavalier to me

Image credits: JennieFairplay

#3

That you should wait for people to get off the elevator when it arrives at your floor, instead of cramming yourself in when the doors open, blocking their departure.

Image credits: DVWhat

#4

#DON’T BOTHER WILD ANIMALS

I’m sure it’s just natural selection at this point

but the amount of stupid people I see walking up to wild creatures for video footage is irritating tbh.

Bonus points if the human gets hurt haha

Image credits: SyndrFox

#5

Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it is automatically healthy.

Just because it is artificial or synthetic doesn’t mean it is automatically bad for you.

Image credits: halosos

#6

First Aid

Image credits: rabidpuppy007

#7

That not all internet news is real ….

Image credits: OutsideBox4855

#8

Antibiotics do not work on a virus.

Edit: I did not expect this to blow up this much. Thank you so much for the awards and the shared information!

Image credits: hushabyesecret

#9

Women don’t pee through their vagina

Image credits: Yetiman82

#10

The difference between there, their, and they’re.

Image credits: AristocratNJ80

#11

How to spot an obvious scam. Look how many people fall for those clickbait articles and chain posts and propaganda and stuff

Image credits: stitchmidda2

#12

Woman is singular, women is plural. Hate seeing inspirational comments that are intended to be moving start off with “As an independent women, I feel xyz”

Also that being a feminist doesn’t mean you hate men

#13

Gender, sex and sexuality are all separate.

Image credits: SarahRoseLives

#14

Ponies are *small* horses, not *baby* horses.

Image credits: TheMightyGoatMan

#15

That Africa is not a country.

Image credits: Waffles1502

#16

How long it takes a semi truck to stop

Image credits: atomek_xxi

#17

Women can get pregnant on their period.

Image credits: LolaCordelia

#18

It is very easy to not block the whole aisle with your cart at the grocery store.

Image credits: atistang

#19

That the scientific meaning of “theory” isn’t what the colloquial sense means.

#20

How to tell if food has gone bad. When I worked in a meat department, we got like one call a day from people saying “I bought this X days ago, is it still good?” Lady, I’m not there with you. This ain’t a smellophone. You’re going to have to use your own senses and brain on this one.

Image credits: lettherebemorelight

#21

A guest requested their chicken to be cooked medium rare this week. I don’t understand why I have to stress that chicken only leaves the kitchen when it’s completely cooked

#22

Fact checking.

Most of people are prone to fake news and propaganda nowadays.

Image credits: InvalidUsernamePH

#23

How to merge in traffic.

Image credits: DVWhat

#24

It’s better to use water that’s not quite boiling when you’re making your tea.

Image credits: Ok-Environment-7970

#25

Basic knowledge of electricity and electrical safety.

Ohms law should be taught, explained and known by everyone.

– Sincerely, a student learning Electronics

#26

Don’t just pet someone’s dog. Always ask first!

#27

Frankenstein isn’t the name of the moster. It’s the name of his doctor who created him.

Completely worthless information still.. I thought it may fit here. 😐

#28

that light bulbs burn out. now that one might seem like common sense, but i’m telling you, when i left for college i made a friend who had his own apartment. after a few months, the bulb in his closet burnt out and when i came over the next day he was telling me he has a power outage only in one room. i was confused and asked him to show me what he was talking about. he told mw how the light wasn’t working and some of his other friends said it must’ve been a power outage from the rain the week before. i explained to him that it doesn’t work that way, and i went out and bought him some lightbulbs that he could use for next time

#29

Not to pour water into hot oil

Edit. Damn, this blew up! (Lol)
I’ll also add that that this may not be basic knowledge – but it should be. I myself only found out from one of my science electives in year 11/12 and even then it was a topic that only came up after a student asked my teacher about an incident that popped up on the news so chances are it would never have been mentioned otherwise.

Schools should at least have a lesson/program highlighting the common risks at home and the methods to avoid/contain them. Homeroom class would have been a perfect time – we spent the majority of that twiddling our fingers until the bell rang

Image credits: jluub

#30

How to talk to people. Like, in general. Stuff like basic phone etiquette (greeting, ending a conversation)…

#31

Tax brackets. You only pay the higher rate on the portion above the threshold amount

Edit: great example video [here](https://youtu.be/VJhsjUPDulw)

Image credits: superslomotion

#32

This one is for my fellow men out there. Washing your booty hole DOES NOT make you gay. I have seen comments being made by a plethora of males stating that. It’s basic hygiene yo.

#33

Blinkers aren’t for you; they’re to warn other road users of your intentions. Blinking a fraction of a second before you turn, or worse, start to turn then activate the blinkers does f**k all.

#34

How you should vote in elections. Just because your parents were one side or the other, doesn’t mean you have to be. You don’t have to tell anyone how you voted. Do your research and vote smart.

#35

Evidence based reasoning and what evidence means.

#36

You can pick the better of two evils and still not like either choice.

Related:

You don’t need to be 100% for one thing and 100% against something else.

#37

The Earth is not flat.

#38

That in a lot of vehicles, when you turn on your hazard lights, it disables the brake lights. This is bad because I have seen in rain storms people will drive with their hazards on. They think they are being extra safe but in reality they are making it more dangerous, because now the person behind them won’t know when the person in front is stopping.

EDIT: spelling

#39

That the yolk of an egg does not develop into the chick

Image credits: Whattheduck27

#40

That the health of your teeth, gums, and mouth, is directly related to the health of your heart and how much inflammation exists in your body.

#41

That pretty much every machine requires maintenance. Think dishwashers, washing machines, cars, mowers, etc.

They aren’t magic boxes. And they will last longer if you know how to maintain them.

My mother in law is in her 80s and until recently didn’t know that the dishwasher needs its filters cleaning every so often.

Edit: since this blew up a bit, for those that would like to locate their dishwasher’s filters, they’re different for every make and model. You’d do well to Google the make and model of the unit and see if you can find a manual. Maybe even YouTube will have some information (YouTube is a great resource for learning about things). Taking my dishwasher as an example, there are some reasonably obvious plastic pieces in the bottom of the washing area that can be slid out/unscrewed (there are 3 parts to my filter). Rubber gloves when touching them might be a good idea. Cleaning them is as simple as taking a brush and some soapy water to them to remove all the gunk before reinstalling. You can also buy a plastic bottle full of chemicals that you put into the dishwasher. You run a cycle and the chemicals clean throughout the unit.

I do both because I like a clean dishwasher. I do it every month or so, or whenever I notice that dishes aren’t getting as clean as they should or some ‘not clean’ smell.

Edit: thanks for the awards. Now clean your dishwashers!

Image credits: WhatAGoodDoggy

#42

Don’t dive in the water to save a drowning person. They WILL kill you. Throw them a flotation device. Hand them a broomstick and pull them to safety. Do NOT get in the water with a panicking person. Wait until they are unconscious and then dive in to retrieve them.

Source: years of swim lessons and unfortunately knowing somebody who has died trying to rescue somebody

Image credits: ArmchairTeaEnthusias

#43

That mixing bleach and pine sol creates toxic fumes that can actually kill you if they build up too much in a room. A scary number of people actually do this though in their laundry or when cleaning their homes.

Image credits: AnnoyedDuckling

#44

Unsolicited advice is generally going to be taken as criticism. Criticizing the people in your personal life creates distance.

Butting in where you aren’t wanted is going to harm your relationships with other people, and they’re going to take your opinions and advice less seriously over time because they’ll think of you as a noodgy know-it-all.

Overbearing people get tuned out.

Instead, first ask yourself if your advice is even needed. Does this affect you? Is this an emergency? Is anyone going to be harmed if you don’t put your oar in?

Are you being asked for advice? Or is this person just sharing information about their day and building their relationship with you?

And if you do need to weigh in, try leading with, “May I make a suggestion?” Otherwise, you’re going to rile the other person up.

And on the flip side, if you have a noodgy know-it-all in your life, it’s best to simply pause them with a calm and polite, “thanks, but I didn’t ask.” If you try to explain your life to them, they see it as an invitation to be even more overbearing.

#45

Turn signals

* They’re not optional on cars for a reason. Use them.
* A turn signal means you’re intending to change direction and let other around you know this intention. It does NOT give you the authority to change direction.

#46

How to perform CPR.

Image credits: stondsmos

#47

How to change a tire

Image credits: killyourheart

#48

Major human organs and where they are.

#49

The average person is chronically dehydrated. Drink more water.

Stay hydrated. This is a threat.

#50

That epipens and narcan do not stop reactions/overdoses. They slow them down so getting a person to proper care is still a necessity

#51

It’s not “loose” weight, it’s “lose” weight. Drives me nuts.

#52

Sharing someone’s personal images, whether they’re an adult or a minor, whether you are an adult or a minor, can still end you on the sex offender registry. Revenge porn is real, even for adults. Keep your NSFW pics to yourself

#53

Any soap is antibacterial, You do not need soap labeled as such to kill germs effectively

#54

There is an arrow on the fuel gauge of cars that tells you which side of the car the gas cap is on

#55

Sit properly in any vehicles. Leg injuries are no joke and you can even dislocate/break your legs easily in a car crash because your legs where on the dashboard.

#56

How to balance a check book/do a budget.

#57

How a 4 way stop works. Every hurricane in Florida we’ve several traffic lights go out. People are supposed to treat it like a 4 way stop, but instead they do this nonsense, “oh, he went? 10 more of us will go! It’s fine!!”

I actually saw ONE light where people were doing it correctly after Ian and I nearly s**t myself I was so shocked.

#58

Basic computer knowledge. If you don’t even know how to extract a zip file you better leave this job.

Image credits: Maso_TGN

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