Your favorite outrageous statistic

[Alkatran]

Have you guys seen those "What's really stupid?" cigarette commercials?

I don't like them. They use faulty statistics. "Well if I stand here in this field with a big metal pole, I won't die because it's statisticly rare for people to die by lightning strike!"

Well DUH! That's because people don't stand in the middle of a field with a big metal pole!

 

[Atomos]

Have you guys seen those "What's really stupid?" cigarette commercials?

I don't like them. They use faulty statistics. "Well if I stand here in this field with a big metal pole, I won't die because it's statisticly rare for people to die by lightning strike!"

Well DUH! That's because people don't stand in the middle of a field with a big metal pole!

I absolutely hate those commercials as well. One of them went something like:
"you are more likely to die from smoking cigarettes than you are of being electrocuted in the bathtub by an electrical appliance" and they show a guy with in a bathtub with a toaster on the side.

I do not know how they can misrepresent statistics like that and take themselves seriously.

If someone takes a bath with a toaster sitting precariously close to the edge every day, their life expectancy is going to be much lower than someone who smokes everyday

 

[motai]

I just bought my first electric toothbrush. While checking into this I found that one brand is most preferred by dentists, and the other is the most preferred by dental professionals.

Or those commercials that say "4 out of 5 dentists recommend x product."

They were probably talking about a specific group of 4 out of 5 dentists and not the overall majority of dentists out there.

"Well yeah, we interviewed 5 dentists. 4 of them recommended our product."

(and even then, perhaps they were influenced by that bag of money that the company was handing to them )

 

[Smurf]

Have you guys seen those "What's really stupid?" cigarette commercials?

I don't like them. They use faulty statistics. "Well if I stand here in this field with a big metal pole, I won't die because it's statisticly rare for people to die by lightning strike!"

Well DUH! That's because people don't stand in the middle of a field with a big metal pole!

Yeah.. That's they're point isn't it? But if they weren't doing that it wouldn't be 'stupid', so they couldn't use the 'you think this is stupid' line.

 

[Pengwuino]

4 out of 5 smurfs are gay.

Outrageous, when has anyone seen a straight smurf.

 

[Pengwuino]

I absolutely hate those commercials as well. One of them went something like:
"you are more likely to die from smoking cigarettes than you are of being electrocuted in the bathtub by an electrical appliance" and they show a guy with in a bathtub with a toaster on the side.

Wait, what point are they tryen to make? It can't be an pro-tobacco line because they say you're "more likely to die from smoking..." but I don't see how it can be anti-tobacco because its such a bad comparison. If they wanted to be anti-tobacco, they should have been like "You're more likely to die from smoking then you are from a car accident" or something else where a lot of people die. I'm confused.

 

[Smurf]

4 out of 5 smurfs are gay.

Outrageous, when has anyone seen a straight smurf.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1284769.html

 

[Pengwuino]

Oh god, a gay rights group has sticken up for a penguin pair? My god... our species must be exterminated.

 

[Smurf]

Oh god, a gay rights group has sticken up for a penguin pair? My god... our species must be exterminated.

http://www.gaypenguinforamerica.com/

 

[Smurf]

Link3

The males have been observed trying to mate with each other and trying to hatch offspring out of stones.

http://www.michaelhanscom.com/eclecticism/2004/03/gay_penguin_lov.html

But the partnership of Wendell and Cass adds drama in another way. They're both male. That is to say, they're gay penguins.

(okay, I'll stop hijacking now)

 

[Pengwuino]

He lost the election, he shoudl take his site down.

 

[russ_watters]

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1284769.html

OMG, that's hilarious. I have a friend who takes care of penguins at the Camden Aquarium - he'll love it.

 

[Evo]

Have you guys seen those "What's really stupid?" cigarette commercials?

I don't like them. They use faulty statistics. "Well if I stand here in this field with a big metal pole, I won't die because it's statisticly rare for people to die by lightning strike!"

Well DUH! That's because people don't stand in the middle of a field with a big metal pole!

I haven't seen those but I think they were probably saying that someone smoking and thinking that the statistics don't apply to them is as stupid as someone standing in a field holding a big metal pole saying they won't die because it's statistically rare for people to die by lightning strike. But if the message wasn't clear enough for people to get it, perhaps it was poorly done.

 

[Garth]

Most outrageous statistic?
"The average person has more than the average number of legs." because its 'true'!
Garth

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Most outrageous statistic?
"The average person has more than the average number of legs." because its 'true'!
Garth

...never thought about it that way. That's hilarious!

 

[EnumaElish]

"Weekend weather forecast indicates a 50% chance of rain on Saturday and another 50% chance of rain on Sunday, bringing the odds for a weekend rain to an undeniable 100%."

Didn't Yogi Berra produce (or was attributed) a wealth of funny one-liners like "I am watching TV 80% of the time and I am asleep during the other half"? (I probably made this one up myself.)

 

[Pengwuino]

"Weekend weather forecast indicates a 50% chance of rain on Saturday and another 50% chance of rain on Sunday, bringing the odds for a weekend rain to an undeniable 100%."