How much the mid east loves us

[gloombunny]

I dunno about "retarded", exactly, but statistics can most certainly be pointless, irrelevant, or deceitful.

And that's even assuming that they're true.

[tessa]

I dunno about "retarded", exactly, but statistics can most certainly be pointless, irrelevant, or deceitful.

And that's even assuming that they're true.

Even truth, whatever that is, can be pointless or irrelevent, depending on how one chooses to view it.

I just think it's important to respect that we all have the option to have our own personal opinions, whether one agrees with them or not.

[TomOfSweden]

Even truth, whatever that is, can be pointless or irrelevent, depending on how one chooses to view it.

I just think it's important to respect that we all have the option to have our own personal opinions, whether one agrees with them or not.

It's not a question of respecting someones opinion, is a question of causality. MasterStone drew some remarkable conclusions from statistics that in my opinion are just plain false. I'd very much like to know if, in light of my revalation of the democratic process, he now feels that he can still draw the same conclusions he did. There's more issues I've got, but this is a start.

I'm sure I'm not hurting MasterStones feelings. I'm assuming that he posted this in order for there to be a discussion. Which is what I'm doing.

[tessa]

MasterStone drew some remarkable conclusions from statistics that in my opinion are just plain false.

Ok, to you they are false. To Master Stone, maybe not. The only "truth" to be had here, or most anywhere for that matter, is one's own perspective. That's the only "truth" one can ultimately believe.

I'm sure I'm not hurting MasterStones feelings. I'm assuming that he posted this in order for there to be a discussion. Which is what I'm doing.

I'm sure you aren't hurting his feelings either, Tom. And discussion is great! You contribute quite a lot to the Forums by way of discussion. Discussion is what this place is all about. Qualifying someone's posted information as "retarded" and "meaningless", however, is not. Just a thought.

[TomOfSweden]

Ok, to you they are false. To Master Stone, maybe not. The only "truth" to be had here, or most anywhere for that matter, is one's own perspective. That's the only "truth" one can ultimately believe.

In this case I see it more like a maths class. You sit around trying to solve a puzzle and somebody comes up with a solution and everybody is really happy and there seems to be a correlation between all the variables. And then some kill-joy comes along and points out a flaw that messes up the whole equasion. And no way with this new information can you go back to the original solution because now you know in your head why it doesn't work.

Here's what we got. We've got a theory that most people in the mid-east hates USA. Not very surprising since the US administration aren't very clever at foreign policy. It may or may not be true, since all we know of it is filtered through sensationalist media. As are the muslims view of the west.

Master Stone presents evidence of this but which at closer inspection didn't hold water. I'm not saying the middle-easterns loves USA. I'm just saying that the evidence produced by Master Stone doesn't suport his hypothesis. Sure, it's down to perspective in the sense that that it's about understanding how representative democracy works.

I'm sure you aren't hurting his feelings either, Tom. And discussion is great! You contribute quite a lot to the Forums by way of discussion. Discussion is what this place is all about. Qualifying someone's posted information as "retarded" and "meaningless", however, is not. Just a thought.

ok. You got me. Sorry for not being nice here on the forum. I get carried away sometimes. Sorry Master Stone. You didn't deserve that.

[tessa]

In this case I see it more like a maths class. You sit around trying to solve a puzzle and somebody comes up with a solution and everybody is really happy and there seems to be a correlation between all the variables. And then some kill-joy comes along and points out a flaw that messes up the whole equasion. And no way with this new information can you go back to the original solution because now you know in your head why it doesn't work.

Even to a math-challenged person such as myself, I completely understand what you mean here, Tom. It gives me a new perspective. Excellent point.

Safer in a warzone than at home. We need to fix our problems here...

Another valid point. In my opinion.

[anonymouse]

It may or may not be true, since all we know of it is filtered through sensationalist media.

That's the one 'truth' in all of this. There's a perfect metaphor to be found for the media in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky poem. After reading it, Alice says, “…it’s rather hard to understand!” (You see she didn’t like to confess, ever to herself, that she couldn’t make it out at all.) “Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don’t know exactly what they are! However, somebody killed something: that’s clear, at any rate…”

anonymouse