Author: whyyourmeme

Donald Trump in People magazine

trump people magazine

Source: Facebook

While this may sound like something that Donald Trump would say, the first clue that the attribution is false is that the quote is allegedly from 1998. While Fox News was in some markets that year, the network had yet to build a reputation as a “right wing” media outlet.

Snopes has done a thorough investigation and has found no evidence this quote is real.

Zipper merge

zipper merge

Source: Facebook

Studies have shown (most notably, a study by the Minnesota Department of Transportation) that merging as late as possibly has many benefits on traffic:

  • Reduces differences in speeds between two lanes
  • Reduces the overall length of traffic backup by as much as 40 percent
  • Reduces congestion on freeway interchanges
  • Creates a sense of fairness and equity that all lanes are moving at the same rate

Hip replacement cane

hip replacement

Source Google+

This meme first appeared on Reddit in February 2015. One of the top comments by user OrthoMD does a fairly good job of debunking this photo.

When we do hip replacements we cut off nowhere near that much bone (google “total hip replacement” and you will see what I mean), and in the VERY rare case we do it’s as a result of this portion of bone being devastated by infection, fracture or tumor, in which case there would be no intact bone left to stick onto the end of your cane. As a scientist I normally advocate cautious inquisition but my bullshit meter is running particularly high with this one so had to call it out.

EDIT;Also for those that are interested, and as many have pointed out, patients in most countries are not offered the option to retain their resected bone, for the reason that the centre will have to certify that the bone has be sterilized, otherwise it would be a bio-hazard. Sterilizing bone is a relatively arduous process so as to retain the anatomy without destroying structure. It’s also requires somewhat specialized techniques which really only cadaver labs employ. It’s far simpler and (legally speaking safer) for most places to have a blanket policy of not allowing you to have it, rather than risk someone becoming infected as a result, and leaving themselves open to certain litigation.

A search for total hip replacement does confirm what OrthoMD states, the bone is not cutoff that low on the hip.

Image property of Tulane University School of Medicine.
Image property of Tulane University School of Medicine.

 

armed guards gun control

Source Facebook.

This argument suffers from a logical fallacy of ambiguity. The “armed guards” in the meme refer to the Secret Service (in the case of President Obama), or the NYPD (in the case of Mayor Bloomberg). As law enforcement agencies, they are clearly differentiated from armed citizens, or the unregulated purchases of fire arms by citizens. This neatly fits the definition of a straw man argument.

Captain American and Social Security

captain america

Source: cracked.com

As part of the New Deal the first Social Security numbers were not issued until November 1936. https://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/firstcard.html

The date of birth of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is reported as various dates in the 1920s. At his age, even if he has never paid Medicare payroll taxes, he would be eligible for both Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. https://www.medicare.gov/eligibilitypremiumcalc/

As a veteran, Captain America may also be eligible for other benefits.

Sloths grab their own arms

sloth

Source: Facebook

The only known source for this is a quote from Douglas Adams’ posthumous collection of essays, “The Salmon of Doubt.”

My favourite piece of information is that Branwell Brontë, brother of Emily and Charlotte, died standing up leaning against a mantle piece, in order to prove it could be done.

This is not quite true, in fact. My absolute favourite piece of information is the fact that young sloths are so inept that they frequently grab their own arms and legs instead of tree limbs, and fall out of trees.

However, this is not relevant to what is currently on my mind because it concerns sloths, whereas the Branwell Brontë piece of information concerns writers and feeling like death and doing things to prove they can be done, all of which are pertinent to my current situation to a degree that is, frankly, spooky.

Adams is, of course, the well-known author of works such as, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” and “Restaurant at the End of the Universe.”

No raise for Congress

no raise for congress

via Facebook

This meme is not factually incorrect, but suffers from “meme rot.” Like many internet the information is neither sourced, nor dated.

The legislation was introduced, but it was introduced on January 22, 2015. Almost ten months ago as of this posting.

The proposed legislation also would not have eliminated raises for Congress, it would simply have eliminated the automatic pay raise for members of Congress.

http://sinema.house.gov/index.cfm/2015/1/sinema-introduces-no-raise-for-congress-act