Thread: False Myths

Originally Posted by Xei

Yeah, I learned it in the Yale psychology lectures, which are online for free.

Link? .-.

Myth: Crack is purer than powder cocaine, and is more potent.

Fact: There is no pharmacological difference between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Crack cocaine is simply powder cocaine which has been converted into a solid "rock" form that may be smoked. The effects of smoking crack cocaine may be more intense, but this is a result of the mode of ingestion rather than the drug's purity. Regardless, it is difficult to rationalize the extreme sentencing disparity between crack and cocaine.

Originally Posted by GavinGill

Link? .-.

Introduction to Psychology | Yale Video Course

I watched all of these in a couple of days last term when I should have been studying maths. Definitely recommend.

Originally Posted by Xei

Introduction to Psychology | Yale Video Course

I watched all of these in a couple of days last term when I should have been studying maths. Definitely recommend.

Thank you for the link. I'm on the second now and have never watched something educational that I find so entertaining. It makes me miss school a bit.

Oh, and I remembered another important one (to me).

Myth: Cracking your knuckles is bad for you.
Is Popping Your Knuckles/Back Bad For You?

I crack my knuckles, maybe a few times a day, and am sick of hearing people tell me it's bad for me, that I'll get arthritus, etc.

Originally Posted by Dianeva

Myth: Cracking your knuckles is bad for you.
Is Popping Your Knuckles/Back Bad For You?

There is a link between having a weaker grip and habitual knuckle cracking, but not arthritis.

Originally Posted by Shaelyn

Homosexuals are both nurtured and nature. Nature: I have no other memory than that of being attracted to females, even as young as 2 years of age. I never even considered it an oddity. Nurture: I have known many individuals who were sexually molested resulting in homosexuality that was before hand not existent.

I think the real myth is that we understand the first thing about the cause of homosexuality. So far I think we've only ruled out possible causes. Homosexuality is tricky though, we know it's not a choice, but all the evidence also opposes a genetic trait (namely that the genetic offspring of homosexuals show no greater chance of being homosexual than the offspring of straight couples). So how can something be nature based but not genetic? That's not say nurture is choice based either, obviously. Being molested into a conditioned sexual orientation is hardly a choice, after all. But we know molestation is a comparatively rare cause, and it's doubtful there's anything particularly noteworthy taking place in the womb. The myth is that homosexuality is anything other than a complete mystery. I think Satan did it.

Originally Posted by Artelis

The real question is.... would you love yourself forever if you could be two separate people (think a clone of yourself, but possibly the opposite sex. This only works as a hypothetical). Getting at the root of, if you're EXACTLY the same as your partner, would that be good or bad?

I know it wouldn't work our for me, but that's because I'm difficult to get along with and not willing to put up with difficult people.

Originally Posted by GavinGill

Link? .-.

Myth: Crack is purer than powder cocaine, and is more potent.

Fact: There is no pharmacological difference between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Crack cocaine is simply powder cocaine which has been converted into a solid "rock" form that may be smoked. The effects of smoking crack cocaine may be more intense, but this is a result of the mode of ingestion rather than the drug's purity. Regardless, it is difficult to rationalize the extreme sentencing disparity between crack and cocaine.

I believe crack cocaine is actually LESS pure than cocaine. It is made by mixing cocaine with some other substance... That's where it became a problem in poor communities. Because cocaine is so expensive, coke dealers made it into crack so they would have more drugs to sell, and the fact that crack became more addictive just made it even better for them because they could charge outrageous prices for it