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Agree 100% that it is a trendy buzzword with an instilled connotation. But, it is also a real thing. It’s all too common to see people say online “the statisti
by leesalminen 6y ago
Agree 100% that it is a trendy buzzword with an instilled connotation.
But, it is also a real thing. It’s all too common to see people say online “the statistics say you’re wrong, so it must’ve not happened”.
One’s life isn’t a collection of statistics, but of anecdotes.
With that being said, I enjoy using this phrase as a buzzword with my wife when she tries to tell me I’m wrong about an opinion I hold based off my lived experience. She finds it infuriating ;).
- sir_bearington 6y agoWhen people point to statistics in response to "lived experiences" they're not denying that it ever happened. They're refuting the claim (implicit or explicit) that this experience is representative of some broader whole. The plural of anecdote is not "data". For instance if someone says they experienced X event, but statistics say that X only happens to 1% of people it's entirely fair to bring up the fact that empirical evidence suggests it's a rare occurrence.
- leesalminen 6y agoSometimes, usually so on HN. Sometimes I’ve seen “well, the statistics say that this only happens 1% of the time so you’re probably lying”. That’s usually on Reddit.