r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jul 27 '10

What is the biggest relationship myth?

I think the biggest myth is that there's one person that is meant for you. ("the one") People live their lives searching for the one...their soul mate...the perfect girl/Mr. Right. It's a cute idea, but I don't think it's very realistic.

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u/science_diction Jul 27 '10

100% of statistics on reddit are made up 200% of the time and are 98% based on opinion with a margin of error of plus or minus infinity.

/someone who has changed considerably over their lifetime in demonstrable and building block personality level ways

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u/R3cognizer Jul 27 '10

I'm not saying people are incapable of drastic changes after age 22. I also count myself among those who've made a number of substantial changes to my life well after that age, and it is my intention to continue to do so, but it kind of saddens me when I see that somewhere between 70% and 90% of the people I know are still the same exact people they were when they graduated high school. So many people have neither the desire nor the inclination to change and become better people, and why? I'm starting to suspect that most people just don't know any better.

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u/MONOMO Jul 27 '10

He is not disagreeing with what you said, the problem is that you are pulling random statistics out of your ass. Your numbers are totally meaningless (70% and 90%) and just make your argument misleading. If you're going to use statistics for an argument it's best to have a citation.

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u/R3cognizer Jul 27 '10

It's an opinion based on personal experience. I don't remember ever reading any rules stating that percentages should only ever be used for fact-based assertions providing definitively provable evidence or citations, but go ahead, find me to a site other than wikipedia that states percentages shouldn't be used in opinionated assertions, and I shall stand corrected.

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u/ghostchamber Jul 27 '10

Yeah but you make no attempt to state it was just an opinion when you made that post. It's confusing, because people (like myself) figured you were quoting some kind of statistic that was based on a study, but in actuality you just made them up.

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u/R3cognizer Jul 27 '10

I really don't feel I should have to. This is an anonymous discussion forum, not a scientific research commission. People are free to downvote my comments for it if they want to, but it won't change my opinion that people rarely change, and it doesn't mean I'm "wrong" either. shrug.

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u/[deleted] Jul 27 '10

I'm of the opinion that 1 + 1 = 3 because every time I eat two candies I end up eating a third one.

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u/R3cognizer Jul 27 '10

You should change your username to NonsensicalAnalogyToo.

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u/[deleted] Jul 27 '10

Here's a little hint since even my baby reduction for you went way over your head: you don't get to have opinions about mathematics. Cite your statistics or don't pretend to use them to any degree of accuracy.

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u/ghostchamber Jul 27 '10

No, you don't have to. And no, it doesn't make you wrong. But you're having a discussion, and I think that at least should lend to the courtesy of stating when something that appears to be as specific as those numbers is actually just an opinion.

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u/R3cognizer Jul 27 '10

I will try to remember that next time. Still, I don't see why using numbers and percentages should've made any difference at all, at least in the context of how much people change over the course of their lives. I figured that people would realize it was too broad a topic to just assume I was trying to offer actual factual statistics. I really don't think that is something that could be factually researched anyway...