Anecdotal Evidence

[The Grand Nudger]

You ask the question, How might you best check that? but then give no answer yourself. How do you know that people ion a neighborhood are friendly or not? How do you know that you'll be happy with a particular person as your spouse, or that you'll be happier with or without children, or how many you should have?

I would hope that you spent time with your spouse, and around children, long before you got married or had any.  More examples where no amount of anecdotes will be useful
"Yeah, you should get married, it's great" -say's Joe
"She's really sweet, I;ve known her forever"- say's Sally

Well, fuck it, since you two say so; I do.  


Just stop, lol.

I did - deciding to buy a home in a certain neighborhood - but I put it in general terms rather than specifically applying it to myself. At the time I was deciding, my assistant at work lived less than a block from the home I was looking at. She told me that the neighborhood was safe and the residents were mostly friendly but many were somewhat nosy, and there wasn't any problem with noise at night. That influenced the decision. Why shouldn't it? It's hardly foolish and irresponsible.

So, we're not basing our decisions on anecdote anymore, as claimed, just letting them "influence" our decisions.  You took her word for it, did you?  Didn't check to see if it actually was safe, spend some time in the neighborhood to check the noise level, meet her neighbors? Knew nothing about the place?  Foolish.  Either that, or you're omitting all of the things you did that "influenced" your decision.  Like checking the mortgage, resale, and equity.

I love how the bold claim made has shriveled and changed with time, as each supporting example contradicts it. By next post you wont be basing decision on anecdote, and they won't be influencing decisions...you'll just have heard some stories.