Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down What They Think Should Be Common Knowledge But Isn't

People Break Down What They Think Should Be Common Knowledge But Isn't
Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

Everyone grows up a bit (or a lot) differently, and we're all exposed to different experiences and taught different things. Some things that may seem like they should be common knowledge to you might be a big revelation to someone who was raised in a different environment.


Redditor Earthling3617 asked:

"What do you think should be common knowledge, but isn't?"

Save That Lost Tab

"Command/Ctrl + Shift + T will restore your accidentally closed tab in Chrome/Firefox/Opera."

- hiketew767

Mind The Blind Spots

"Trucks have a massive blind spot... don't drive in it"

-Spiritual-Wind-3898

"Exactly. If you can't see the driver, the driver can't see you."

-The_Werefrog

"Even if they can see you, sometimes they blow a tire, and if the tread comes off it can decapitate a person who is in the wrong spot, or a sudden wind gust can make the trailer veer. Don't dwell there."

-porcelainvacation

Gotta Make Room First

"When you are waiting for the subway and it arrives, YOU STAY OUT OF THE WAY FOR THE PEOPLE INSIDE TO COME OUT AND THEN YOU ENTER THE TRAIN."

-Rokoprog

"Same with elevators"

-allothernamestaken

"Or nearly any other instance. Out before In. If someone else is occupying the space you wish to occupy , they must vacate the space before it can be reoccupied. You know, basic physics?"

-The_Pfaffinator

Fitted Sheet Hacks

"When you're making your bed, the tag will almost always be on the bottom right of your fitted sheet. That way you don't have to deal with flipping it all around trying to orient it correctly."

-restingstitchfacevid

"Also, just buy sheets that it's super easy to see which way is which. I only buy stripes and directional patterns for all my sheets now."

-KestrelLowing

Nobody Is Omniscient

"You can say 'I don’t know'. To anything. There’s no shame in admitting you’re out of your knowledge depth. It’s ok. It actually makes you look smarter than talking out of your @ss."

-the-ish-i-say

"If you're in a meeting and the person holding it says something like 'is everyone familiar with (thing?)' and you're the one to speak up and say, 'no sorry, can you explain?' I GUARANTEE there are at least a few other people in that meeting who were too scared to ask and grateful you spoke up. Be that [person] whenever you can."

-linds360

Always Take The Pee Break

"Never, never pass up an opportunity to pee."

-Leading_Funny5802

"And if you're in bed and feel the need, just get up and go."

"You'll spend the next ~30 minutes not sleeping and thinking about it anyway. Save yourself the hassle and just get it done."

-linds360

"and NEVER NEVER get in car with the bladder full. Go to the bathroom before starting your trip"

-strawberrypuppy94

We're All Doing Our Own Thing

"Other people think about you WAY less than you think. Stop worrying about other people so much. You do you."

-ratiganthegreat

"Just think about how often you think of other people in a context other than them thinking about you, they likely are the same way. I once dwelled on something I said to someone as a joke that I felt bad about later and apologized after agonizing about it for hours. He said 'no man I never even gave it a second thought'"

-Bmore_raw

Not A Panacea

"Antibiotics kill bacteria only and are useless against the cold and flu, which are both caused by viruses. When not used correctly, they can be harmful to your health."

-romeses262

"Another thing is antibiotics kill ALL bacteria - good and bad. Which means it can upset your gut as it kills all the good bacteria. So always eat yogurt or take probiotics when you take antibiotics. I got a yeast infection after being on antibiotics way too many times with no yogurt or probiotics."

-zonkoss89

Everybody Hurts

"People need to stop with the mentality, 'Other people have it worse than me. So I have no right to feel this way.' You're allowed to feel unhappy and you shouldn't feel like your misery has to be worse (than someone else's) to be validated."

-LocaCola1997

"Everyone has their own problems and difficulties. And you have the right to feel however you feel like."

-No_Ambassador6564

"I've seen this explained recently as 'toxic gratitude'"

"Somewhere along the way all our self-care and gratitude list making took a turn and started to do more harm than good."

-linds360

We All Think Differently

"That the way people's mind works varies dramatically. Some people have no inner dialogue at all, some have no mind's eye and cant see images in their head. Most of us are somewhere on the spectrum for them though."

"For example I can't visualize images in my head well at all. I can do at most one colour at a time and I can't picture non-geometric objects so I cant imagine the face of my family or even myself. I have no issue with fluid motion of visuals in my head but others can only do slide-show-esque imagery. Others have inner dialogue but can't change the voice to sound different, can't hear music or sound effects, etc... like I can."

"It's something very rarely discussed but I think everyone should be aware of this variety within people."

-Sixhaunt

"This is something that frustrated me with my husband anytime we tried to work on a project together. I can play out how to do something in my head like a video and how the cause and effect would work when building something or putting an object together. While my husband does not have that same capability. It always confused me why he would just do things a certain way instead of pausing and thinking it through. After realizing that our brains function differently it made things much easier"

-Brightclementine

Spread the knowledge, don’t judge; you never know what someone else's life has been like or what they've learned.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Viola Davis
Rob Kim/Getty Images

New Wax Figure Of Viola Davis Leaves Fans—And The Oscar Winner—Stunned By Its Accuracy

Usually when one of Madame Tussauds' new wax sculptures makes headlines, it's because the sculpture in question looks nothing like the person it's meant to depict, and instead some uncanny valley horror show.

But the new figure of Oscar winner Viola Davis is not one of those cases!

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of fictional GOP congressman
Progress Action Fund

MAGA Outraged Over Hilariously NSFW Ad Ripping GOP For Catering To Wealthy Donors

The days of going high when they go low are over.

At least it is for the Progress Action Fund PAC—if their latest ad is any indication.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Scott Jennings and Jay Michaelson
CNN

GOP Commentator Ripped After Claiming Trump Is 'Standing Up' For 'Jewish Kids' With Harvard Funding Freeze

GOP strategist and CNN commentator Scott Jennings was criticized for hypocrisy by fellow panelist Jay Michaelson after claiming that President Donald Trump is "standing up" for Jewish students and combating antisemitism in ordering a funding freeze for Harvard University.

Since returning to office, Trump has made reshaping higher education a priority, threatening to pull federal research funding unless universities fall in line. His administration’s new rules—set to take effect by August 2025—target everything from DEI programs to international student admissions, while demanding “viewpoint” diversity and threatening to shut down noncompliant departments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Five elephants walking in an enclosure with trees and rocks.
ABC7News/YouTube

San Diego Zoo Elephants' Reaction To Earthquake Goes Viral—And It's Honestly Beautiful

Nature is truly amazing.

When a 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook Southern California on Monday, humans braced themselves with the grade school-taught drill to "drop, cover, and hold on." But a herd of African elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, California, coordinated their own "alert circle" drill to stand and protect the herd against seismic danger.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Donald Trump
Mario Tama/Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Idaho Rally Erupts In Cheers After AOC Epically Blasts 'Criminal' Trump In Blistering Speech

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned President Donald Trump at a rally in Nampa, Idaho, calling him a “criminal,” a liar, and a “rapist,” and reiterated her earlier statements that some members of Congress might have participated in insider trading after it was revealed that NASDAQ call volume spiked just minutes before Trump's tariffs pause announcement.

Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke alongside Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, stressed that the pause was "all about manipulating the markets so that he could quietly enrich his friends who bought the dip before reversing it all in the morning."

Keep ReadingShow less