You know that feeling when something gets said so many times that people just start treating it as fact, no matter how shaky it was in the first place?
Like, Santa didn’t make the cut, but God sure did.
What are other examples of things that basically became true through repetition alone?
Sugar is bad for you.
Drinking sodas and energy drinks is bad for you.
Ultra-processed foods is bad for you.
Smoking is bad for you.
Alcohol is bad for you.
so on and so on.
I think i may be missing the point of your comment? People don’t think smoking is bad for you because of rumors being spread. They think it’s bad because of increased risk of cancer and disease.
All of those are true, and well-researched using the scientific method.