indexed

Actually AB could be "people who take the anecdote seriously"

And of course, many lines coming from "A" could be grouped together as one big "B" labeled "data." At least, according to some of the social sciences...

Thank you for this one. Perfect timing indeed.

I think that it is create a good opportunity.

I'm so going to tell someone a long winded anecdote about this one!

Absolutely agree. I would fight with my sociology professor that anecdotes are not the same as hard numbers while we discussed the Opt-out revolution.

So you're trying to tell me that what I read in papers isn't fact:-)

Another huge disappointment in life...

of course, A->B could also be marked "propaganda". There are plenty of reporters who will use any anecdote to push their agenda. The moment a politician they don't like gets elected, they go out looking for stories of how that politician's new policies have hurt people, or (in some cases) even manufacture such anecdotes.

Note that the live ENDS with B.
So true...

Or line. Obviously...

Without a doubt!

Today in the New York Times: People are talking about the new craze of offering your friends' one-time events as typifying whole movements!

I hate it when people justify policy positions through anecdotes and ignore statistics. The thing is, statistics tell the entirety of what's going on, not just a single and possibly rare event. I'd give an example of a fight I had about this, but that'd be ironic.

Statistics do tell what's really going on, but it's in the interpretation of those stats where the subjectivity comes into play. That's why "objective" research (in the science fields anyway)is such a myth any more....whoever funds the research will publish the findings that support their agenda or products. It's all about the $$ anymore, and it's so wrong.