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Snopes is notorious for this. There are plenty of factually true/false things being dismissed as misleading because of some motivated reasoning. Or because of s

Snopes is notorious for this. There are plenty of factually true/false things being dismissed as misleading because of some motivated reasoning. Or because of some rhetorical tricks that change the definitions of terms or how something is being assessed. Even something as simple as trying to compare the cost of a Big Mac between the US and Denmark gets muddled because they bring in some indexing measure or other hand-wavy things. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/big-mac-cost-denmark/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/big-mac-cost-denmark/. I think a rough analogue is how theologians use scholarly and textual methods to twist the meaning of scripture into whatever they want it to say.

Erem 5y ago
In your link, Snopes brought a bunch of evidence to bear: price of the Big Mac on Uber Eats in the two places, actual Menu prices in Copenhagen vs Oklahoma, then the Big Mac index, which I think you were referring to. It ends with a few more quotes from others that have reported on this issue. As a fact checking org, what was missing here and what was muddied? I thought it was a pretty clear read.
- jdsully 5y ago
  Why would you adjust the price by the GDP? When people ask if a product costs more in a different country they don’t mean relative to the countries industrial output. Median income might be a better ratio for this but GDP makes little sense.
  - wizzwizz4 5y ago
    Because they mean price for normal people, not price for international traders. Money can be exchanged for goods and services; the value of your money is not how much rice it can buy in Uganda or how much paper it can buy in Kazakhstan if you live in Denmark.
    - jdsully 5y ago
      Again comparing with the median wage is more appropriate if that is your goal. GDP does not have a direct connection to what the average person earns - much of the GDP gains over the last 30 years have gone to the rich.
      - wizzwizz4 5y ago
        True. Really, it should be compared to a standard basket, or maybe equivalent meals?
depaya 5y ago
Looking at that Snopes article you linked, how can you possibly describe such a thing as simple? there isn't a single cost in the US to compare against a single cost in Denmark. It's impossible to give a absolute true/false answer since everything from currency conversion, relative costs of living, differences in prices between regions and individual locations, etc all needs to be taken into account to give a true comparison. They try to provide context in a bunch of different ways to see if, in general, that claim appears to be true. Do you disagree with the conclusion? What do you want them to do? Figure out the exact cost of a Big Mac at every location in the US and every Location in Denmark and average them? Ignoring the fact that this would be essentially impossible to do, what do you expect that number to actually tell you? Most things in life are not absolutely true/false. To me, expecting things to be signals a lack of intelligence and not being grounded in reality.
- mbrodersen 5y ago
  Yep agree. It’s the same when people claim that country A is “better” than country B. Your answer very much depends on what you value as “better”.

Erem 5y ago

In your link, Snopes brought a bunch of evidence to bear: price of the Big Mac on Uber Eats in the two places, actual Menu prices in Copenhagen vs Oklahoma, then the Big Mac index, which I think you were referring to. It ends with a few more quotes from others that have reported on this issue. As a fact checking org, what was missing here and what was muddied? I thought it was a pretty clear read.

jdsully 5y ago
Why would you adjust the price by the GDP? When people ask if a product costs more in a different country they don’t mean relative to the countries industrial output. Median income might be a better ratio for this but GDP makes little sense.
- wizzwizz4 5y ago
  Because they mean price for normal people, not price for international traders. Money can be exchanged for goods and services; the value of your money is not how much rice it can buy in Uganda or how much paper it can buy in Kazakhstan if you live in Denmark.
  - jdsully 5y ago
    Again comparing with the median wage is more appropriate if that is your goal. GDP does not have a direct connection to what the average person earns - much of the GDP gains over the last 30 years have gone to the rich.
    - wizzwizz4 5y ago
      True. Really, it should be compared to a standard basket, or maybe equivalent meals?

depaya 5y ago

Looking at that Snopes article you linked, how can you possibly describe such a thing as simple? there isn't a single cost in the US to compare against a single cost in Denmark. It's impossible to give a absolute true/false answer since everything from currency conversion, relative costs of living, differences in prices between regions and individual locations, etc all needs to be taken into account to give a true comparison. They try to provide context in a bunch of different ways to see if, in general, that claim appears to be true. Do you disagree with the conclusion? What do you want them to do? Figure out the exact cost of a Big Mac at every location in the US and every Location in Denmark and average them? Ignoring the fact that this would be essentially impossible to do, what do you expect that number to actually tell you? Most things in life are not absolutely true/false. To me, expecting things to be signals a lack of intelligence and not being grounded in reality.

mbrodersen 5y ago
Yep agree. It’s the same when people claim that country A is “better” than country B. Your answer very much depends on what you value as “better”.