Despite Wikipedia, there are still many widespread false beliefs holding us humans back. Some are innocent idiocy, like that we only use 10 percent of our brains, or that the pinky toe is disappearing with evolution, or that Santa Claus isn't real.

But sometimes, they take a malicious turn: Think of those Midwestern folks who refused to go to shopping malls in the late '80s over fears that gang members were hiding under cars, waiting to slash their Achilles tendons. And although we can laugh now that those fears have faded into obscurity, many of these pernicious beliefs still persist around the world.


"The Virgin Cure": Having Sex With a Virgin (or Child) Can Cure You of AIDS

In his fascinating travelogue "Dark Star Safari," Paul Theroux runs into people in southern Africa who tell him they believe that having sex with a virgin, even an infant, will cure them of AIDS. In fact, this appalling belief is well documented in South Africa, where roughly one in nine people has HIV or AIDS, and an average of five children are raped every hour, making it the worst place on Earth in terms of sexual violence against the young. Although experts disagree on how much the so-called Virgin Cure is actually responsible for these numbers, many agree that it has some role.

Although belief in the Virgin Cure is by no means universal in any part of the world it is fairly widespread, appearing in India and Thailand, as well as parts of southern Africa. The roots of this anti-scientific idea have been traced back into Europe at least as far as the 16th century, and it was prominently on display in repressed Victorian England, where many people thought sex with a virgin could cure one of STDs.

Back in South Africa, a 2002 survey conducted by the Women's Health Project in Galeshewe found that although many people fortunately did not believe in the Virgin Cure, some others still harbored other pernicious beliefs: nearly two out of 10 respondents said they did not consider sex with someone under 10 to be rape and nearly 13 percent said they believed their communities thought women asked to be raped. Further, while Paul Theroux met many Africans with wholly contemporary mainstream beliefs, he also met some who were convinced that condoms did nothing to decrease risk of infection, as well as those who denied that HIV causes AIDS or even that the disease really exists.


HIV-Infected Needles Are Being Planted on Gas Pumps/Movie Seats/Pay phones/Etc.

Not unlike the fear that Halloween candy is loaded with razor blades/broken glass/drugs, the urban legend over crazed AIDS patients maliciously spreading their disease plays on our worst fears of our fellow man. False HIV-needle scares reached a fever pitch in the late '80s and early '90s, when AIDS was breaking out big time, and there was still a great deal of misinformation. Stoking the flames were a few pranksters and one case of a prisoner in Australia attacking a guard with an infected needle.

Now that many people have had more exposure to those living with HIV and have learned more about the terrible disease, some of these fears have subsided. But old beliefs can die hard, sometimes still driving a wedge between those who are sick and those who are afraid.


Cats Are Evil, Vile Creatures That Can Kill You (or at Least Mess Up Your Knee)

Part way through an international wildlife conference a few years ago, an enraged attendee interrupted, screaming that cats are vile, filthy animals that don't deserve any protections, according to Doug Moss, who was there and who published Animals Agenda magazine.

For some reason, cats are associated with an endless number of negative myths around the world, perhaps the worst and most bizarre of which is that cats can suck the breath from a baby's mouth; sometimes killing them.

According to Nancy Peterson, the cat programs manager for the Humane Society of the U.S., "It's not unusual for some people not to like cats. Some people don't understand cats, or they may have had a negative experience with them. In places where cats roam the streets they can be seen as disposable, and where they are fending for themselves they may be getting into garbage and might not look so good."

What's wrong with cat superstitions? It can lead to abuse and neglect of animals. The Caspian Tiger and Tasmanian Tiger may have been driven to extinction by people with exaggerated fears of them.

Having Sex in the Shower (or Just Standing Up) Can Prevent Pregnancy

To anyone who has passed basic sex ed, the idea that any particular orientation of bodies might effectively prevent pregnancy should sound absurd. It's understandable that young people would wonder if the presence of water might make a difference, but Mother Nature finds a way, and getting hot in a tub is no protection.

Why is this harmful? Do you want an unplanned baby? Yeah, we didn't think so.



Registering to Vote Enters You Into the Draft System

To be clear, America currently has no draft for military service, since we have volunteer armed forces. However, there are people who refuse to register to vote, or cast ballots, in the belief that Uncle Sam won't come knocking should the national need arise. True, there is still something called the Selective Service System, which exists to keep track of eligible men should a draft be instituted. Under current law, all male U.S. citizens are required to register with Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday (or else face steep penalties, although enforcement has been essentially nonexistent in recent years).

Federal laws do require registration with Selective Service in order to receive financial aid, federal grants and loans, certain government benefits, eligibility for most federal employment, and (if the person is an immigrant) eligibility for citizenship. In addition, many states have laws that compel men to register before they can obtain state benefits, jobs or even driver's licenses. However, rolls of registered voters are not connected to the Selective Service.

Unless you live in a cabin in the woods, completely off the grid, it's not likely that you will be able to escape any mandatory service simply because you opted out of voting. But the belief is damaging because it compels people, or at least gives them another excuse, to eschew their responsibility as citizens and to avoid participating in vital debates about our society.