Bsphil wrote:
That would be every poll ever.
False.. If every poll for a particular subject weighs heavily in one direction, then it tells me exactly what I what I want to know, what the majority believes in.
Bsphil wrote:
Then you have a stupid motive, which isn't at all surprising to me. Suddenly going from 50% - 1 to 50% + 1 isn't an important change in public opinion, it's a nigh meaningless one, actually.
As a stand alone, you're absolutely correct, it doesn't matter. The second you start using polls to claim that the U.S. feels one way over the other (what Belkira did), then yes, it makes a big difference. In that situation, you're ignoring the fact that it could be either or and simply using your favorite poll to justify your claim when it could very well be the complete opposite.
Bsphil wrote:
I don't know EXACTLY, but then again, I nor anyone else seems to have the same massive problem with it that you do. I just know the polls, where they're trending, and where they stand now. Not much has changed in the last year, anyway.
I don't have a problem with it as long as you don't try to use a poll which you know may be the exact opposite in percentages as support for your claim that the U.S. feels mostly a certain way.
Bsphil wrote:
You're STILL continuing to misunderstand statistical sampling. You really ought to go back and read that wiki page on WLLN. Sure, there's 1 million people that you could find that don't support SSM, but using random sampling, you'd end up finding slightly more people of those 1 million that do support SSM. Glad to know you'd like to go out of your way to find people who don't support SSM for your hypothetical poll though, pretty clear where you stand on bias and perpetuating misinformation.
You STILL continuing to misunderstand what I'm looking for. I understand statistical sampling and I have nothing against it. I only have a problem when people like you take a poll which YOU KNOW can sway either way and claim that 1000 random people accurately and fairly represents the U.S, when it doesn't. I didn't look at your wiki page, but I did look up several pages of statistical sampling and maybe you should do some research yourself to educate yourself.
Bsphil wrote:
Don't need to explain it, I already know you wouldn't. You're still wrong in your assumptions though, based on a misunderstanding of statistical theory. You still should read it.
How can I be wrong on something that I already proven to you? I presented two polls done in the same month on the same topic and they contradicted each other on the majority. Once again, I'm not arguing against statistics, but merely how you people are applying them to support their motive. You can't just pick a poll because it supports your claim.
You just can't seem to grasp that concept. It's not the laws or theories, its the practices that people are doing. So, no. There isn't any misunderstanding on my part. I don't have to know how taxes are done to know that people cheat on their taxes. I'm focusing on the latter and you're focusing on the former.