While common sense often gets mocked (perhaps, unjustly) as not being common enough, as every now and then, we have encounters where someone has made a decision so astoundingly strange that you almost feel like taking them aside and learning exactly what makes them tick.
Someone asked “What do you consider to be basic knowledge everyone should know (but they don't)?” and netizens listed all the things some folks are simply ignorant of. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own examples in the comments below.
#1
There's a profound difference between knowledge and belief.
Image credits: Lordica
#2
When you're about to enter an elevator, WAIT FOR THE PEOPLE IN IT TO GET OUT!!!!!!!!!!
Image credits: Mr_Picklesworth
#3
Africa is not a country.
You get better customer service if you're polite.
The sun is a star.
Saltwater fish go in saltwater.
Image credits: stigaz
#4
If somebody is helping you, even if it's their job to, say thank you, you p***k!
Image credits: anon
#5
That to one degree or another, evolution exists.
Edit: Just thought I'd add... I'm a Christian, and I know this to be true. There's a difference in faith and ignorance.
Image credits: anon
#6
Eat with you mouth closed and breathe through your nose whilst chewing. Seriously.
Image credits: anon
#7
If you're married/in a relationship, don't have affairs/cheat on them. No matter what the situation is, don't do it.
Image credits: remjob61
#8
How to read analog clocks. It's not rocket science.
Image credits: anon
#9
Don't randomly stop walking when you're in front of someone.
MOVE when you're in someones way (like while shopping, or in public in general).
Image credits: monsterette
#10
Turn Signal 101.
Image credits: iam4real
#11
The difference between "lose" and "loose"
Drives me nuts...
Image credits: I_are_facepalm
#12
An understanding of economics. You would think that most people (in the US anyway) vote with their pocketbooks. But at least half of the people consistently vote against their own self-interest because they apparently do not understand economics.
#13
The amount of wasted gasoline caused by people who are constantly braking and accelerating as opposed to coasting as much as possible. If there is a red light/wall of traffic 50 yards ahead, what's the point in accelerating when you know you're just going to brake immediately after? Such a waste of expensive energy.
Image credits: anon
#14
In almost 99.9% of the situations you're in, the person you are yelling at isn't to blame. I see it happen on tech support phone calls, restaurants, shops, towards police, teachers, etc.
Image credits: TheThirdBlackGuy
#15
How to sew a button back on. It often seems like almost no one still has this skill.
#16
Just because you can't disprove it, that does not mean it is true.
Image credits: nicholmikey
#17
F*****g let me off the bus before you try to get on. God d**n it.
Image credits: solublemarker
#18
Current and past political events in your country. So many politicians would not get elected if people knew what they have done and what they are planning on doing.
#19
Common courtesy in public areas. How to be considerate in navigating through a store. Being mindful of your place in an aisle and trying to least obstruct others' way.
#20
Screaming and freaking out during a bad situation doesn't help a thing. Breathe, calm the hell down. And think about possible solutions with a clear head. Staying calm is the key.
#21
Climate change is caused by humans.
#22
Basic math skills. I'm constantly shocked when people can't understand simple mathematics. For example, I used to work at a restaurant that often had X% off your next meal coupons. So many times I had people complain because the percentage was taken off the total "and all the items should have X% off". It's the same f*****g thing. This should not be a new concept.
Image credits: Pommesdor
#23
The Chinese and Japanese are not the same. They are two distinct groups with different cultures and idea that also happen to hate each other's guts.
#24
Other people have feelings too.
Image credits: percygreen
#25
New Mexico IS a part of the United States.
Image credits: pengooin
#26
Et cetera becomes etc. not ect.
Image credits: AllyGambit
#27
How to merge into traffic properly. Another word for merge is "blend", as in "Blend into existing traffic", not going half the speed and slowing everyone down around you. It's ignorant, really.
Image credits: Shawanabear
#28
Now that winter is coming up, i would say that the cold itself doesnt make you sick, but the germs that build up in your home because you neglect to ventilate it
not that the cold doesnt make it worse though.
Image credits: lille45
#29
They're, there and their.
#30
That Indian isn't a f*****g language! I get asked this on a regular basis and it pisses me off. There's over 20 languages in India and none of them are called Indian.
#31
Don't stand and talk with people in doorways. Somehow people always meet eachother for the first time in years and are then glued by their shoes to the floor in a doorway.
Image credits: SirEriim
#32
Basic Googling skills, i.e. if you don't know Google it!
If you ask me and I don't know, that's what I'll do anyways...
Image credits: SuperPup
#33
If you're an adult and hit someone you can have criminal charges pressed against you. its not like the movies where you can get into a bar fight and walk away like nothing happened.
Image credits: anon
#34
Semi trucks take very wide turns and you need to give them room. My girlfriend was about to stop at an intersection and a semi was turning our way. She kept moving forward and I warned her you need to stop so we don't get hit. She didn't listen and luckily backed up in time and she claimed she had no idea of trucks taking such wide turns. It scares me to think that she got her license and knew nothing of such simple rules of the road.
#35
"Righty tighty, lefty loosey.".
#36
When people choose to be gluten free for weight loss yet don't know what gluten is.
#37
What the passing lane is for.
#38
That you can use the address bar as the search engine...
It annoys me every time I see someone type google into the address bar and click google then search whatever they are looking for.
#39
Hot political issues, like what the Affordable Care act is. This way people can correctly support or disapprove of policies.
#40
Hallways are like roads, stay on the right side.
Image credits: SteadyOperative
#41
How to eat right. So many behavioral, mental, emotional, and physical problems stem simply from an improper diet.
Image credits: homedebut
#42
That the President of the United States does not have the power that people think he does.
He can't just fix every problem with the snap of his fingers people.
#43
Basic cooking skills.
1) Your stove has different temperature settings for a reason. Not everything should be cooked on full heat.
2) Salt is not evil - flavor your food as it is cooking. And as Chef Symon says, "Cook with Kosher, finish with Sea."
3) Fresh herbs and vegetables add flavor without excess salt.
4) If you burned food onto the bottom of a pan / pot, boil water in it for a while to loosen it up.
5) Rest any meat for several minutes after cooking, before cutting.
6) Don't dump water on a grease fire. Drop a lid or towel over it.
Image credits: seattleque
#44
How to whisper. seriously don't get mad when some people start to "eavesdrop".
#45
PEE AFTER S*X. It prevents UTIs. How do some girls not know this?
#46
How to budget.
#47
That if you don't use it, you lose it.
#48
Passing gas is a healthy bodily function that should not be shamed. (unless it's abused like the dutch oven).
#49
On stairs/elevators, stand right so people can pass you on the left side.
#50
General first aid. The Boy Scouts of America taught me everything I need to know.
#51
Basic things like how to jump a car, or hell, even where the battery is located or what it looks like.
I once jumped a McDonald's employee's car off. I got my jumper cables out and handed him the other side so he could connect them to his battery. He just kind of stood there like he didn't know what to do. The jump went successful and he told me my next meal there would be on him. IIRC I think I actually did get a free meal, I can't really remember that well.
Stuff like that and how to check your oil, add oil, etc. Most people should know these things.
#52
Just some basics about how traits are inherited, what traits can be inherited, and the probability of spontaneously forming genetic abnormalities. It's amazing what people don't know about this and how it impacts their life. A woman can be terrified to have a baby over 35 and change her whole life based on this because she is convinced that it will be a genetic monster when, in fact, it is only an elevated, but still very low, probability of having a problem. The same woman, however, could have a parent that died of a form of cancer that has a very high probability of being heritable and they never think to get checked.
#53
Not all debt is the most evil thing in the world. Sometimes the smartest financial decision is to take out a loan.
Ever hear the saying takes money to make money? Well that's a lot easier if you can use other peoples money.
Also your time has a value, factor that in when you make decisions. Don't waste several hours just to save a couple bucks.
#54
This may prove to be a divisive or controversial answer, but:
I think everybody should just "know" how many days are in each month.
It's the calendar. You learn it when you're a kid, and it hasn't changed since you were a kid. There are only four months that are thirty days long. You should just remember which ones they are. It shouldn't require any "tricks".
Knowing that April has 30 days is like knowing that Miami is in Florida or that Edinburgh is in Scotland.
I mentioned this on Facebook once, and my friends were kind of divided. Many of them agreed with me. The fact that June has 30 days and July has 31 are just part of the "personalities" of the months. Those are fundamental facts about the world around you, that you learn when you're a kid, and they ought to just "stick" with you, and you should know them forever.
But some of my friends seemed to think the number of days in each month is an "obscure" fact, like it's just trivia that you don't need to remember. That attitude seems so strange to me.
Image credits: skullturf
#55
How to use a compass.
#56
Nutrition. So many people don't realize things they eat are actually unhealthy for them. I don't mean the quarter pounder they choose once or twice a week. I mean the small things that people think are good for you that aren't really bad, but aren't good I.e. A baked potato loaded up for dinner or all the mac and cheese. Those small things are where diets usually get made or get broken.
Image credits: anon
#57
**DON'T WET THE TOILET SEAT! EVERYBODY HATES COLD TOILET SEATS!**.
#58
Everyone should know how to change a tire.
Image credits: LearningLifeAsIGo
#59
**How to tie your shoes:** left over right then right over left *or* right over left then left over right. Anything else is a granny knot and won't stay tight as long. Your laces will sit flat against your shoe too.
**How to dry your hands with one sheet (or equivalent) of paper towel, regardless of its quality:** shake as much water off your hands as you reasonably can then fold the sheet in half to increase its tensile strength and rub the remaining water off your hands.
#60
Tires need air to do their job, working in the industry, people do not get this and always blame it on the tire, never their lack of maintenance.
#61
The difference between storage(HDD or SDD or even flash memory) on a computer and memory(RAM literally being Random Access Memory).
#62
How to iron a shirt.
#63
Good math hygiene or grammar. Don't convert answers to decimals until the very end. It will make your life so much easier!
**Do this!**
(5 / (3 * 2 )) * ((3 * 2)/5) = (5 / 6) * (6 / 5) = (5 * 6) / (6 * 5) = 1
**Not this!**
5 / (3 * 2 ) * (3 * 2)/5 = 0.83 * 1.2 = 0.996.
#64
Barilla pasta doesn't come out perfect every time. No. You time that s**t so it comes out al dente.
#65
If you pizza when you're supposed to french fry you're going to have a bad time.
#66
The person that is the most stubborn and bold will always get their way.
