Me: Fact
Them: Anecdote
Me: Statistics
Them: anecdote
Me: That is an anecdote and is not representative of the whole US
Them: Don't care, anecdote.
*RAGE*
Note: This is a coworker and not someone here.
well
you don't really.
i mean, if someone's experience in life has been repeatedly X, the best you can really do is beg their indulgence for an alternative interpretation of "how things are" Y
I even tried to think of a way of re-framing the discussion as suggested by Fartacus in some of the politics thread but I couldn't come up with anything.
I'm sure I would be a much angrier person if I still lived in the south.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
First you get the money. Then you get the women. Then who cares; you have money and women.
but I am the woman
THIS JOKE DOES NOT APPLY BLEEP BLOOP
First you get the money. Then you hire buff male strippers to dance at one of your girlfriend's birthday party. Then who cares; you have money and buff strippers.
emnmnme on
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AriviaI Like A ChallengeEarth-1Registered Userregular
He's all "I saw this finch with a long beak picking bugs out a tree!" and Arch is all "Pfft, get back to me after you see a thousand finches with long beaks picking bugs out of trees."
Feral on
every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.
Me: Fact
Them: Anecdote
Me: Statistics
Them: anecdote
Me: That is an anecdote and is not representative of the whole US
Them: Don't care, anecdote.
*RAGE*
Note: This is a coworker and not someone here.
I usually just tell them that their evidence is anecdotal, and isn't representative of the facts and statistics that I am aware of. I tell them I've just given them some facts and things that they can check out on their own to see if I'm telling the truth, or to see how relevant they are, whereas I can't check up on their anecdotes at all. Those situations could have come about by chance and are an outlier or the person could just be straight up lying to me to try to make their point. I put it on them to convince me.
I basically insinuate that they're lying in the most gentle way possible, like I'm breaking bad news to them. It will make almost anyone angry and feel like they're losing.
I usually just tell them that their evidence is anecdotal, and isn't representative of the facts and statistics that I am aware of. I tell them I've just given them some facts and things that they can check out on their own to see if I'm telling the truth, or to see how relevant they are, whereas I can't check up on their anecdotes at all. Those situations could have come about by chance and are an outlier or the person could just be straight up lying to me to try to make their point. I put it on them to convince me.
I basically insinuate that they're lying in the most gentle way possible, like I'm breaking bad news to them. It will make almost anyone angry and feel like they're losing.
i don't think this is the best way to go about things.
people's personal experiences and what they take away from them are far more real than what they're going to read on wikipedia.
it makes more sense to allow people to keep their experiences and impressions (as you should) while suggesting that these fit within a part of a larger truth.
Posts
I even tried to think of a way of re-framing the discussion as suggested by Fartacus in some of the politics thread but I couldn't come up with anything.
I'm sure I would be a much angrier person if I still lived in the south.
i have no i dea what is going on here but i want to learn
Anemically my anecdotes are totally worthwhile.
maybe if you are a doctor or something
or like
a psychologist
He said in a jolly fashion.
There are proponents of feminism who make me a sad, sad scientist.
This is along with the "women's ways of knowing" feminists.
I just set up a Ruby environment (and XCode as API, I'll be doing some Obj-C later anyway), and now I'm all
Rails is pretty fun.
Lets do a case study of what my roomate's friend thinks about the Higgs Boson.
First you get the money. Then you hire buff male strippers to dance at one of your girlfriend's birthday party. Then who cares; you have money and buff strippers.
what
that is the best thing
I love that theory
All I have to say is that I'm craving the use of a telephone pole as a weapon.
really really bad
nate silver talked about this last month pretty well along with other subjects linked to polling information, starting with http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/the-uncanny-accuracy-of-polling-averages-part-i-why-you-cant-trust-your-gut/
or this guy
He's all "I saw this finch with a long beak picking bugs out a tree!" and Arch is all "Pfft, get back to me after you see a thousand finches with long beaks picking bugs out of trees."
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Neuroscientists do case studies, too.
Though I seriously question the value of case studies next to pretty much any other form of data.
Maybe if you have so many case studies that it becomes a statistic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpsN14TFy90
or a "use case"
or a "scenario"
they're useful in describing a chain of events, or illustrating unforseen complications, etc.
and of course, assuming they are sufficiently documented, they also can represent a single data point for purposes of disproving a thing.
I usually just tell them that their evidence is anecdotal, and isn't representative of the facts and statistics that I am aware of. I tell them I've just given them some facts and things that they can check out on their own to see if I'm telling the truth, or to see how relevant they are, whereas I can't check up on their anecdotes at all. Those situations could have come about by chance and are an outlier or the person could just be straight up lying to me to try to make their point. I put it on them to convince me.
I basically insinuate that they're lying in the most gentle way possible, like I'm breaking bad news to them. It will make almost anyone angry and feel like they're losing.
PSN/XBL: Zampanov -- Steam: Zampanov
I learned a new word!
Experiment
Cross-sectional study
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Case study
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Some dude's anecdote
that is a misrepresentation and you know it :P
I know but one would hope that they would maybe think differently when their anecdote is challenged with some statistics.
You forgot 'stuff I come up with while learning Thermodynamics'.
... you didn't know the word arpeggio?
I thought it was some kind of machine that impregnates women to be honest.
So...no.
Woo! That sounds delicious! Did I like it?
I see that you are trying to make a burn.
But I am talking about scientific data, not random completely speculative hypotheses (which I make constantly).
Nope, their experience trumps reality
i don't think this is the best way to go about things.
people's personal experiences and what they take away from them are far more real than what they're going to read on wikipedia.
it makes more sense to allow people to keep their experiences and impressions (as you should) while suggesting that these fit within a part of a larger truth.