The Truth about Pledgeship

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I would also dispute that.

People go based on personal experiences, what they see (and how they interpret it), and/or word of mouth (pillow talk and loose lips sink ships). Those doesn't mean much at the aggregate-level.

I like, "the plural of anecdote is not data," myself.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I like, "the plural of anecdote is not data," myself.

For the record, if this was a designed study on hazing, singular and plural anecdotes could be used as qualitative and quantitative data. That doesn't mean that what is found at the individual-level can instantly be aggregated and generalized, which is what I was saying.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

For the record, if this was a designed study on hazing, singular and plural anecdotes could be used as qualitative and quantitative data. That doesn't mean that what is found at the individual-level can instantly be aggregated and generalized, which is what I was saying.

Stop killing one of my favorite lines with your contrasting and your specificity! There is no place for that here.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Stop killing one of my favorite lines with your contrasting and your specificity! There is no place for that here.

My bad.

ETA: I never understood why some people liked that supposed quote. A Google search reminded me of why I never understood why some liked that supposed quote. LOL.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

My bad.

ETA: I never understood why some people liked that supposed quote. A Google search reminded me of why I never understood why some liked that supposed quote. LOL.

Eh, it's a quick way to shut down the "Buuuuuuuuuut in MYYYYYY experience..." where they continue to point out an extreme exception that though it did occur doesn't represent reality, or statistical probability. Sure, it can happen but it's an outlier even if it were part of qualitative narrative data. You can't just take things you've seen an extrapolate them to the whole. Or, you can, but you shouldn't expect valid results.

But you know that. I just like it because it's laconic.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Eh, it's a quick way to shut down the "Buuuuuuuuuut in MYYYYYY experience..." where they continue to point out an extreme exception that though it did occur doesn't represent reality, or statistical probability. Sure, it can happen but it's an outlier even if it were part of qualitative narrative data. You can't just take things you've seen an extrapolate them to the whole. Or, you can, but you shouldn't expect valid results.

But you know that. I just like it because it's laconic.

Yes, I know that.

However, "the plural of anecdote" isn't the same thing as saying "buuuuuut in myyyy experience." The real issue is not whether singular or plural experiences are data (they can be) but whether they are generalizeable (singular are not).

I'm more amused that people were debating over who said the original quote, what the original quote was (i.e. the claim that it really is "the plural of anecdote is data"), and yada yada yada.

This made me chuckle:
http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/04/...l-of-anecdote/

*back to eating my pineapple Chobani*

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by TGTKPinkWhalepq

I can agree that hazing exists widely throughout the the South but not necessarily in the most severe forms. For example, I can say that most of the chapters on my campus . . . .

The South is a very big and, popular imagery to the contrary notwithstanding, diverse area. Unless you're familiar with Greek life -- in all its manifestations, not just NIC -- throughout the South, you're better off doing what others have suggested and speaking just to your personal experience without assuming it applies throughout an entire region.