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Seriously, WTF? This is horrifying. I never knew any of this. How has the entire world become so misled on something so basic and important?
Here's Wikipedia on the "instinctive drowning response":
I mean... how many people have drowned because other people had no idea to rescue them because TV and Hollywood taught them that drowning is something completely different? I seriously can't believe a myth this extremely dangerous has been allowed to spread so far. How many deaths has it been responsible for, honestly? Parents have literally watched their children drown because of this myth.While distress and panic may sometimes take place beforehand, drowning itself is quick and often silent.[1][2][3] A person at, or close to, the point of drowning is unable to keep their mouth above water long enough to breathe properly and is unable to shout.[1] Lacking air, their body cannot perform the voluntary efforts involved in waving or seeking attention. Involuntary actions operated by the autonomic nervous system involve lateral flapping or paddling with the arms to press them down into the water in the effort to raise the mouth long enough to breathe, and tilting the head back.[1] As an instinctive reaction, this is not consciously mediated nor under conscious control.
Did any of you know this?