Anecdotal Evidence

[The Grand Nudger]

"She seems high maintenance. I married, and divorced, a woman a lot like her."
"I married too young. Looking back I think I should have waited."
"With your third child, it's a different ballgame, because it's never one-on-one again."

These are useful, or at least can be if you're not so arrogant that you ignore it. Regarding children, what we gathered was that couples where both worked were more stressed, so she quit her job with the first child.

It's not an issue of arrogance numbskull.  All of those anecdotes are useless to me for the same reason that any anecdote is useless and for the same reason that "anecdotal evidence" isn't evidence.  You gathered a data set regarding perceived stress...which is empirical, not anecdotal.  Try again.

This is your tell for when you know you're losing.

Are we playing checkers or something?  Maybe it's just what I think of your posts?

Yes. People type quickly on forums. I omitted the single word "partially," and now you're hanging your hat on that since I'm showing examples that most people can relate to. Believe it or not, a lot of people actually talk to other people who have experienced things and try to learn from the others' experiences.

It doesn't seem like you base your decisions, even partially, upon anecdotal evidence. 

Yes, and it was accurate.

At least it worked out well, but I don't believe that you did.  / shrugs

She had no reason to lie.

Who said anything about her being a liar?  I used to live by a railroad track....didn't hear it.  This is -why- anecdotal accounts...and in this instance of something entirely subjective and relative -noise level-, are useless as evidence.  

I love how you keep hounding a point I've conceded because you're losing the overall argument.

I base...oops, partially base...buying decisions on reviews posted online. Anecdotal evidence. Lots of people do.

If by "partially base" you mean allow anecdotes that both concur with empirical data and also have a reams of empirical data regarding the anecdote teller behind them...to -influence- your decisions..sure.

 All you've done is describe how little value anecdotal evidence brings..even as you attempted to make it seem like something it wasn't...while, frankly, fudging the truth about decisions you've made more than a little bit.  Your friend telling you that the neighborhood was quiet was abysmally low on the list, if it was on the list at all - and you didn't take her word for it...you went and saw and heard the place before you bought it (or you're a complete and utter idiot..take your pick).  Further, by your very own metrics, anecdotal evidence isn't particularly worthwhile in this example (..if it;s worthwhile anywhere) because there's no end of other, -actual- evidence.

There's no point in bullshitting me to bolster bullshit that you've since conceded, while simultaneously claiming some sort of victory for the very same bullshit.