this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
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Bonus points if it's usually misused/misunderstood by the people who say it

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[–] Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 128 points 1 year ago (23 children)

"We only use ten percent of our brains."

People genuinely believe this and never learned where it came from.

[–] TechyDad@lemmy.world 54 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That and the "Alpha Male" garbage. Even the author of the study on wolves has said repeatedly that his study was totally wrong. And yet some people continue to reference it and apply it to humans when even the original study wasn't about people.

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[–] conciselyverbose@kbin.social 31 points 1 year ago (7 children)
[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I think we only use 10 percent of our hearts.

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[–] baggachipz@kbin.social 89 points 1 year ago (7 children)

"Everything happens for a reason"

The cancer disagrees.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 67 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Or worse: "it's all part of God's plan!" every time something bad happens. "So... God's a sadist, or what? Cuz his plan is shit."

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

God did ruin Job’s life over a bet with Satan so maybe this is less of a plan and more of a downward spiral gambling addiction

[–] TechyDad@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Or the related one: "I'd like to thank God for coming through this surgery."

What about the doctors, nurses, and various other staff members?

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

As a surgical tech, I have to bite my tongue when this pops up. Like... bitch, your god sent you to the OR in the first place - you should be pissed!

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[–] dreadgoat@kbin.social 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I actually love this one, because it's technically correct but not in the way people who use it mean, so you can turn it around easily.

Yes, you did get cancer for a reason. Because you insisted on maintaining your suntan every winter. Or perhaps merely because you pissed off the wrong banana.

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[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 89 points 1 year ago (5 children)

"I could care less".

Oh really? How much less?

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[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 67 points 1 year ago (4 children)

“They’re just one bad apple” in reference to (more often than not) shitty cops, but also for most malcontents in a position of public trust. This a misappropriation of the aphorism “one bad apple spoils the bunch” which is literally saying that if there’s one bad actor in a group, the entire group is comprised.

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[–] mangosloth@lemmy.world 58 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"Customer is always right" isn't a trump card for customers to win disputes with the staff. When it comes to matters of preference, yes, the customer is always right. Ketchup on ice cream? Great. Down jacket and shorts? Sure thing! If it makes you happy and you're paying for it then you're always right.

In most other matters though, customers are usually wrong. The idea that random people off the street know more about the products and the way a business should be run than the actual people selling said products and running said business is absolutely ridiculous.

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[–] GladiusB@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"if you can't handle me at my worst you don't deserve me at my best".

You're basically excusing bad behavior. And never taking accountability. People are wrong. Mostly when they are so blindly following some perception of greatness rather than caring for those around you.

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[–] jmsy@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago (8 children)

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

That is not the definition of insanity

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[–] TheInsane42@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Survival of the fittest" when used to indicate the stongest should survive. Instead of the one best suited for (fitting) the situation.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Both wrong. Survival of the barely adequate.

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[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 36 points 1 year ago (4 children)

do or do not, there is no try

Fuck you. That was meant for a Jedi master not your fucking IT systems admin

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[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 33 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (19 children)

"Agree to disagree." No, dipshit, you're just wrong.

I do not agree to disagree, because we're not arguing about opinions. Your belief is simply, objectively incorrect. Or mine is, which is something that I would be willing to accept. If I were wrong, you'd be able to convince me that I'm wrong. We can keep going until one of us accepts that we didn't have an accurate understanding of reality.

It's always the dipshits that fall back on "Well, we will have to agree to disagree," usually right after they've been presented with enough evidence to change the mind of a rational person. Fuck that, I do not agree to disagree.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 46 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Agree to disagree is for things like "what ice cream flavor is best", not for things like "2+2=4".

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that.

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[–] Ilovethebomb@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If I were wrong, you'd be able to convince me that I'm wrong. We can keep going until one of us accepts that we didn't have an accurate understanding of reality.

I had an ex like you.

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[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 31 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Whenever "woke" is brought up.

Please give me your definition of woke, because so far it's been different for everyone I've talked to.

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[–] HooPhuckenKarez@kbin.social 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Especially when used by people claiming to have done just that.

[–] Xariphon@kbin.social 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Especially when you consider that it was coined to refer to literally impossible action. It's not meant to be about self-reliance or whatever, it's something that cannot be done.

[–] Mishmash2000@lemmy.nz 16 points 1 year ago

THIS! A million times this!! It's literally implying the opposite of their intent in that you have to have someone else HELP YOU because you OBVIOUSLY can't pull yourself up by your own bootstraps!

One way to use this phrase correctly would be "No one can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, we all need some help along the way."!

[–] Okokimup@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Anything described as "just common sense." No, it's knowledge/awareness that you picked up from your particular environment. Not everyone has had the same exposure as you.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've found that "common sense" just means "things that I believe, but I can't explain why".

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[–] gatelike@feddit.de 27 points 1 year ago (3 children)

"actually we're a republic" when someone defends democracy

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[–] handsatinizer@lemm.ee 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"not all heroes wear capes"

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[–] SonOfSuns@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

"They need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps!" Apparently, the quote originates from like a late 1800s textbook or something, and it was a logic problem: "Why cannot a man pull himself up by his own bootstraps?" It's not possible, 'cause physics.

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[–] Fogle@lemmy.ca 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. And as far as I can tell Einstein never said it but it's always attributed to Einstein

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[–] Critical_Insight@feddit.uk 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

"Fuck around and find out"

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[–] lucullus@discuss.tchncs.de 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Occam's razor, because it seem it is often used wrong by using it for just shutting down possible explanations. Typically noone mentions, that this is about guessing probabilities without prior knowledge and not a way to completely ignore an explanation.

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[–] Twig@sopuli.xyz 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"make it was simple as possible"

Super annoying, because the people who use this always forget the second half, which makes the saying useful.

"Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler" it is effectively a re-stating of Occam's razor.

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[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No one wants to work anymore.

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[–] pizzazz@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"Galileo too was ostracized for his beliefs, but he was right"

Yeah but he did science, not that new age bullshit you think are an expert in.

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[–] Ilovethebomb@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 year ago (8 children)

"think of how stupid the average person is, and then think half of them are dumber than that"

So heavily overused.

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[–] LarryTheMatador@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (16 children)
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[–] SHamblingSHapes@lemmy.one 16 points 1 year ago (12 children)

I live in the US and follow rugby.

"Rugby is a hooligan's sport played by gentlemen, soccer is a gentleman's sport played by hooligans."

So cringe. Different sports are different. I can like both, I can even play both, and neither suffers a loss.

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