Stuff People Just Make Up

It isn't just Fox News and politics. People just make stuff up all of the time. Here are some examples of things I've actually heard friends and acquaintances say:

'The Beatles were all on drugs when they made their records'.

Okay, there is a smidgen of truth to that, but it's pretty much a myth. The Beatles rarely took drugs when they were in the studio making music. Ringo says so in the 'Anthology' documentary and everything I've read backs it up. Yes, drugs influenced their song writing. But so did a million other things.

'Ayn Rand named names at the McCarthy hearings':

I'm no fan of Ms. Rand's influence on the current economy. But I do find her fascinating and have read numerous books about her as well as her own writings. Regarding the McCarthy hearings, she did testify, but did not name names or inform on colleagues. She talked about a film, Song of Russia, that she felt was misleading in its cheerful portrayal of Russia.

'Stanley Kubrick was a misogynist':

I suppose people are misinterpreting Kubrick's messages because they have a predetermined idea of what a movie is supposed to be. That is, the main character is someone we like or identify with. But Kubrick's films are unique. They are pessimistic and unconventional. 'Good guys' are rare, and usually buffoons. Kubrick's world is pretty much all bad. And if anything, they show how much he actually hated men, not women.