The world is a dangerous place, and it might be scarier than we think. Many people even worry about the fate of our civilization, as 70% of the global population expects a major worldwide conflict in the upcoming 25 years. But there are a lot more things that make living scary.
For example, have you ever thought about just how much of your data social media companies and apps are tracking? And have you ever heard about the Baby Scoop Era when newborns were taken from unwed mothers and fathers and given to those who couldn't have children?
If you haven't, this is a good opportunity to learn more about these and other phenomena. Folks have been sharing all sorts of unsettling facts in a thread where one netizen asked, "What is a disturbing truth that you know?" Here is a compilation of the most scary random facts that you might not have known yet!
#1

I work in Research Funding, so have a pretty wide ranging view of the problems our species and planet are facing. Soil quality, falling crop yields, rising sea levels, microplastics, pollinators, biodiversity, rising temperatures, anti-microbial resistance, AI power drain accelerating climate change and water shortages and so, so much more. Far, far too little is being done and far too late.
A great deal of effort, money and resource is being put into distracting people from these issues and stoking social divisions. If everyone is angry about engineered problems they won't blame those responsible for the real ones. Ask yourself why the richest people on the planet own a lot of the media.
A great deal of effort, money and resource is being put into distracting people from these issues and stoking social divisions. If everyone is angry about engineered problems they won't blame those responsible for the real ones. Ask yourself why the richest people on the planet own a lot of the media.
122points
#2

As nurses, we sort of "lie" to family all the time, particularly in hospice which is what I do and will speak from.
Let me explain non-maleficense: my care is for the patient. Do no harm. The benefit is for the patients benefit only.
Example: Is there anything more we can do for my 92 year old cancer ridden heart disease grandma to get more time? Her son will be here in 4 days!
Yes... I could... fluids subq, o2, meds, pull back the morphine, push Ensure protein drink if they have a feeding tube for calories and less ativan JUST a smidgen and I could def get her a few more days.... and in much more pain and anxiety...
My answer: im sorry, theres nothing we can do.
I dont care that you want more time with your mom or dad or grandma, I will tell you there is nothing more, because there is nothing more for the patient here... it's just needless suffering for the family to benefit from.
And so I offer the pain meds, I offer to increase with MD approval, and with that approval I know I'll be walking them to the veil at this point to cross over. (Let me edit in a disclaimer here: all drugs education and risks are laid out as part of what I do as reflex and training, ww dont mention drugs without risks and benefits, as in "this could be what does it but it will make them more comfortable" etc)
My mind prepares to get you all to acceptance as in 45 minutes, their breathing will stop when it hits. They will blame the meds or say it was too strong etc.
I once had a woman barely retirement age sorta, vomiting blood every 30 min, got the whole family to acceptance, cheered her on telling her how beautiful she looked, how incredible she was doing, how we were almost there and almost done. She smiled, sipped water, vomited blood, I wiped her face, put a cool cloth on her forehead, and gave her more water. She closes her eyes and I offer her pain meds and her dilauded and she said yes. We all smiled and nodded at eachother, tears in our eyes, and she said she felt better, vomiting slowed a little, she had some energy to talk to everyone and I said you need to say all that you can, now.
2 hours later she was gone.
I didn't tell them that I came to assist. It wasn't for them, it was for her.
After she's gone it will be all about the family for the next 13 months. That's a bereavement team, my goal is pre-bereavement acceptance.
Let me explain non-maleficense: my care is for the patient. Do no harm. The benefit is for the patients benefit only.
Example: Is there anything more we can do for my 92 year old cancer ridden heart disease grandma to get more time? Her son will be here in 4 days!
Yes... I could... fluids subq, o2, meds, pull back the morphine, push Ensure protein drink if they have a feeding tube for calories and less ativan JUST a smidgen and I could def get her a few more days.... and in much more pain and anxiety...
My answer: im sorry, theres nothing we can do.
I dont care that you want more time with your mom or dad or grandma, I will tell you there is nothing more, because there is nothing more for the patient here... it's just needless suffering for the family to benefit from.
And so I offer the pain meds, I offer to increase with MD approval, and with that approval I know I'll be walking them to the veil at this point to cross over. (Let me edit in a disclaimer here: all drugs education and risks are laid out as part of what I do as reflex and training, ww dont mention drugs without risks and benefits, as in "this could be what does it but it will make them more comfortable" etc)
My mind prepares to get you all to acceptance as in 45 minutes, their breathing will stop when it hits. They will blame the meds or say it was too strong etc.
I once had a woman barely retirement age sorta, vomiting blood every 30 min, got the whole family to acceptance, cheered her on telling her how beautiful she looked, how incredible she was doing, how we were almost there and almost done. She smiled, sipped water, vomited blood, I wiped her face, put a cool cloth on her forehead, and gave her more water. She closes her eyes and I offer her pain meds and her dilauded and she said yes. We all smiled and nodded at eachother, tears in our eyes, and she said she felt better, vomiting slowed a little, she had some energy to talk to everyone and I said you need to say all that you can, now.
2 hours later she was gone.
I didn't tell them that I came to assist. It wasn't for them, it was for her.
After she's gone it will be all about the family for the next 13 months. That's a bereavement team, my goal is pre-bereavement acceptance.
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88points
#3

Crows can remember human facial features and they hold grudges, remembering bad interactions with people for many years. They can also pass this knowledge to their offspring, creating a generational grudge.
Don't [mess] with crows.
Don't [mess] with crows.
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82points
#4

Abortion bans in the US mean that OBGYN residents in ban states are unable to access the training needed to practice to the full scope of their specialty, including managing pregnancy loss, miscarriage, and other vital services.
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78points
#5

What little amount charities actually give to the people they are raising money for.
73points
#6

Billionaires ruin global happiness and societal progress.
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70points
#7

That a majority of Americans lack the literacy and education but also the critical thinking capacity and motivation needed to do the kind of knowledge work and even factory work needed in the next 30 years.
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63points
#8

Many men still see women as inferior. Less human. Property. It's disgusting.
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62points
#9

The USA has the worst outcomes for maternal & infant mortality among all industrialized countries. It takes an education one can’t get by being passed through the assembly line, to avoid being a statistic. Most of the morbidities & mortalities are preventable. The problem is the system of care.
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59points
#10

Most people will never be held accountable for the pain they caused.
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52points
#11

This isn’t super disturbing but it disturbed me, I used to work in a charity shop in London and it really opened my eyes. About **80%** of the clothing donations never made it to the shop floor — they were sold off for pennies per kilo to a “rag man” for *textile recycling.*
*Most fast fashion items don't have a resell value ( ie Shein, Temu, Primark etc)*
But here’s the thing: most of it isn’t actually recycled. It gets packed into bales and shipped to countries like Ghana to be resold, but the quality is usually so poor that a huge percentage ends up as waste.
A lot of it ultimately gets:
* **Dumped** in open landfills, on beaches, or near waterways
* **Burned** in the open because there’s no proper waste infrastructure
* **Polluting the environment** with microplastics and chemicals as it breaks down
On top of that, the flood of ultra-cheap second-hand clothing can undercut local textile industries, making it harder for local manufacturers to survive.
It’s wild how much of our “donations” are basically just waste exports.
*Most fast fashion items don't have a resell value ( ie Shein, Temu, Primark etc)*
But here’s the thing: most of it isn’t actually recycled. It gets packed into bales and shipped to countries like Ghana to be resold, but the quality is usually so poor that a huge percentage ends up as waste.
A lot of it ultimately gets:
* **Dumped** in open landfills, on beaches, or near waterways
* **Burned** in the open because there’s no proper waste infrastructure
* **Polluting the environment** with microplastics and chemicals as it breaks down
On top of that, the flood of ultra-cheap second-hand clothing can undercut local textile industries, making it harder for local manufacturers to survive.
It’s wild how much of our “donations” are basically just waste exports.
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50points
#12

If you have a smart anything, smart fridge, camera sensors etc there are millions of unsavory people all over the world that already have your information.
If you are living paycheck to paycheck, it's not because you are not trying hard enough. It's because the system is designed for you to fall and fail.
If you are living paycheck to paycheck, it's not because you are not trying hard enough. It's because the system is designed for you to fall and fail.
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49points
#13

Measles resets your immune system. All those antibodies you’ve got from years of colds and stomach bugs and sore throats? Yeah, measles is cleaning those out. If you’re lucky enough to recover from measles, you could still be catching every disease you’ve ever had all over again.
49points
#14

When police go out to find missing persons, they frequently find several unrelated bodies.
48points
#15

The fact that misinformation spreads faster than the truth online is pretty chilling. It’s like we’re living in a world where facts don’t matter anymore.
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46points
#16

For a lot of people in nursing homes, nobody is really checking on them. Families visit less and less, staff are overworked, and if something bad happens, it can go unnoticed for a long time.
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44points
#17

There are extremely poor parents in 3rd world countries all over the world who actively have and sell their children for as little as 10k usd, which is a life changing amount of money for many of them, to the groups behind the operation of places like what happened on Epstein Island, which is still going on somewhere else right now.
43points
#18

People are willing to let bad people, do bad things, to get a small selfish benefit.
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43points
#19

I’m a Home Healthcare Aide for senior citizens, and the amount of seniors living in neglect and squalor (even in facilities, and often times of the senior’s own choosing) is appalling. The number of times I’ve walked into a home and thought *”adult protective services really needs to step in here because this place is a biohazard”* has been far too many.
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38points
#20

Humanity started and will end and it won't even be a flash in the age of the universe and most likely nothing will ever remember us.
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38points


