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Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by louwrentius on Thursday January 28, 2021 @07:57PM (#25952079)
I love this quote from Carlin:

It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by tclancy on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:07PM (#25952173)
"Think of how dumb the average American is. And then realize half of them are dumber than that."
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by syops on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:15PM (#25952261)
The interesting thing about this quote is that there's a decent chance it's wrong. Is there a reason to believe that half the people are below the average? (As opposed to the median.)

Carlin is exposing his own ignorance of statistics with this quote. It's akin to when people criticize the grammar of others whilst making a grammatical mistake.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by pundesigner on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:23PM (#25952347)
IQ distribution is symmetrical by design (it's a normal distribution), so he's still right. https://www.123test.com/interpretation-of-an-iq-score/

Also even if that weren't true, "average" isn't necessarily synonymous with "mean". The mean, median, and mode are all types of averages.

Maybe don't be so quick to criticize next time.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by syops on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:12PM (#25952761)
I don't know all the particulars of IQ distribution but I do know that it's controversial to say that it accurately measures intelligence. Carlin was talking in vernacular and so I think it's safe to assume he was not necessarily talking about IQ tests.

Even though IQ is designed to be normally distributed do you really think it actually is a normal distribution? It's a lofty goal and I'm sure it gets as close as one can but does this perfectly match up with reality? I have my doubts, hence my claim that there's a decent chance Carlin's comment is wrong.

Yes, median and mode are averages but few people mean those when they say "average". I doubt Carlin was statistically sophisticated enough to use average instead of median. Had he meant the median I think it reasonable to assume he would have said median. Do you commonly say "average" when talking about the mode or median? I doubt it.

Maybe don't be so quick to criticize next time.

Perhaps we could both benefit from this sage advice.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by cableshaft on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:30PM (#25952422)
He's making a joke, not supporting his dissertation. He's allowed to be fast and loose with ideas for a laugh, as a professional comedian.

Do you think when he says things like "Takes the cake. Ya know, say 'Boy he really takes the cake'...Where? Where do ya take a cake? to the movies?" That he's exposing his own ignorance of idioms?

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by syops on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:14PM (#25952784)
Yes, he's making a joke. It's funny and a pithy remark. The point is made. I find it an interesting point because when mocking other peoples' intelligence one ought to make certain they are correct. Sort of how when one criticizes another person's grammar they should make sure they didn't make a grammar mistake too.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by kube-system on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:16PM (#25952274)
Mode, median, and mean are all accurately described as averaging techniques. Mean is the most commonly used average, but they are not synonymous.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by edgyquant on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:46PM (#25952548)
Well except that outside of mathematics and statistics they quite literally are to the layman
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by kube-system on Friday January 29, 2021 @12:50PM (#25960145)
I think it's entirely reasonable to hold laypeople to the standards of what is taught in a typical middle school pre-algebra curriculum.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by smnrchrds on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:18PM (#25952297)
Median is a form of average. Here is the first definition for average from Merriam-Webster:

> a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/average

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by syops on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:17PM (#25952807)
Have you ever used "average" when you meant median? Carlin is speaking in the vernacular. I've never heard anyone use "average" when they meant median.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by smnrchrds on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:31PM (#25952949)
I have. When I talk about "the average person," I usually mean median or mode. Otherwise, you end up with hilarious statements like "the average family has 1.88 cars" which does not make logical sense.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by _jal on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:19PM (#25952305)
Because lord knows, nothing would George Carlin's act funnier than... a better grasp of statistics.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by syops on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:20PM (#25952835)
His joke is funny and the point is made. I find it funny that the joke about peoples' intelligence may contain a mistake. Hence my comment.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by DennisP on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:40PM (#25952504)
I made that point on reddit a month ago, and some wag pointed out that since I evidently didn't know IQ scores were a bell curve, it appeared I was in the lower half.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by syops on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:18PM (#25952821)
This is funny because a bell curve is a continuous function and the set of people is discrete. The bell curve is a model of the population at large but I have my doubts that it's a perfect model and that it perfectly matches up with reality. I think the commenter may be the lower half!
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by sa1 on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:39PM (#25952485)
In a normal distribution mean = median.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by syops on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:16PM (#25952803)
Do you believe intelligence is truly a normal distribution? It's commonly modeled as such but is it actually truly a normal distribution? A normal distribution is a continuous function and the set of people is discrete. It's a great model but...is actually correct?
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by jodrellblank on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:10PM (#25952204)
This is why I hate Carlin's stuff, it's so fitting for the internet tech sites because the main point of it is jeering and sneering at people who aren't you, who aren't woke. George Carlin was a Hollywood film star with a net worth in the millions if not tens of millions. He's on stage, not working a 9-5, getting you to laugh with him at all the "idiots".

It's a big club and he was in it.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by yters on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:15PM (#25952265)
Haha! Great point! Although, posting on this website odds are you are in the club compared to most of the world :)
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by chordalkeyboard on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:18PM (#25952289)
I e pathize with the sentiment but theres a categorical difference between comparisons. A first world technical professional compared to a third world subsistence farmer is perhaps similar in wealth disparity. I do not agree the difference in influence in similar.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by fencepost on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:47PM (#25952552)
It's a big club and he was in it.

When he died his net worth was estimated to be around 10 million, but that came pretty late in life. For a lot of his life he was probably comfortable but far from wealthy.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by boardwaalk on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:40PM (#25952497)
This is just an ad hominem attack.

We’re better off not living in world where no one can have an opinion unless it’s on a direct, currently lived experience. That’s some identity politics nonsense.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by jodrellblank on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:47PM (#25952553)
Which hominem do you think I am attacking?

You can have any opinion you like, but if your opinion consists of passing around second hand sneers, it's a crappy low-value opinion. "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it." - "haw haw look at all the dumb sleeping people being this new". That's not an opinion, not a valuable commentary, it's just sneering.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by boardwaalk on Friday February 05, 2021 @01:32PM (#26039608)
Carlin, obviously. You’re attacking him rather than his commentary.

If you think his commentary isn’t useful, insightful, whatever, that’s fine. But basing your critique on his social/financial position is not good form.

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by chordalkeyboard on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:15PM (#25952263)
I disagree, having a net worth of tens of millions doesn’t make you comparable to an oligarch.

Depending on where you live, if you don’t have 30-70 million in liquid assets, you are middle class (or below).

Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by apatters on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:25PM (#25952369)
Oh come on, there is no definition of middle class anywhere that includes someone with $29M in liquid assets.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by chordalkeyboard on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:33PM (#25952452)
I just defined it that way, go to Manhattan and you’ll see I am right.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by jodrellblank on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:49PM (#25952576)
I wasn't comparing Carlin to an Oligarch, I was complaining about the culture of quoting Carlin. If you posted "everyone except me is dumb" you'd get downvoted. If you post Carlin saying "everyone except us is dumb" you get upvoted.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by chordalkeyboard on Thursday January 28, 2021 @09:12PM (#25952763)
Thats a fair point. I’m mostly just pushing back on the idea that Carlin is a member of the club merely because he was famous and had a few tens of millions.
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by neolog on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:26PM (#25952373)
In what place can you have 15 million and be middle class?
Re:Robinhood Play Store listing went from 329K reviews to 18... by chordalkeyboard on Thursday January 28, 2021 @08:34PM (#25952453)
Manhattan, NY.