In my career, and maybe this is just the kinds of problems I've been presented with, I've found that assuming normality is, by and large, like drinking tequila.

In my career, and maybe this is just the kinds of problems I've been presented with, I've found that assuming normality is, by and large, like drinking tequila. It's fun at the time, but I end up regretting it in the morning. EDIT: its this kind of experience that make me reach for things like nonparametric tests and the bootstrap.