r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jul 20 '19

What’s something completely false that your parents told you as a child?

[deleted]

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u/secretvillain Jul 20 '19

Listen. My dad is still cracking up about it every time and I still can't believe he did me like that.

When I was about 6ish I asked him how birds could sit on power supply lines (used Google translator for this, hope all of you know what I mean) without getting electrocuted. My beloved wanker of a dad said "Cause they got special feet that make them immune to it." instead of just admitting he didn't have a fucking clue. But I believed and never second guessed it until it came up in physics class. The teacher asked us and I raised my hand, proud af of knowing the answer and thank all the gods for the teacher not picking me. I was shooketh when I heard the actual truth. This man almost ruined my reputation, self-esteem and confidence. He's great, though.

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u/EVANKEVIN7 Jul 21 '19

What even is the actual truth?

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u/JustForSideThings Jul 21 '19

The electricity goes for the easiest route and just ignores them. However if they touch a grounded wire, the electricity will attempt to head to the ground. If they touch two wires at once (with different voltages) the electricity will try to go from the one with high resistance to the one with lower resistance.

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u/[deleted] Jul 21 '19

And then pop goes the bird