Ever since childhood I've had one rule to guide me: The more you hear something repeated without any reference to a solid source, the more likely it is bullshit.
"Signatures have to be in cursive"? Bullshit. "The health department cares deeply if you wear shoes in stores"? Bullshit. "Definitely I know what jaywalking is, and I can prove it"? Total bullshit, surprisingly. "This famous person said this inspiring thing"? Almost always bullshit.
Weirdly, this does not seem to be a widely known rule. If it was, it wouldn't have to be. People would check things!
It, therefore, came as no surprise when I read this article and realized that the CDC had been relying on a totally unsourced number that nobody bothered to check for several decades. They all did the same thing all the people in my life have done, which caused me to formulate the rule in the first place - they believed the large number of people and Authorities who told them.
(no subject)
"Signatures have to be in cursive"? Bullshit. "The health department cares deeply if you wear shoes in stores"? Bullshit. "Definitely I know what jaywalking is, and I can prove it"? Total bullshit, surprisingly. "This famous person said this inspiring thing"? Almost always bullshit.
Weirdly, this does not seem to be a widely known rule. If it was, it wouldn't have to be. People would check things!
It, therefore, came as no surprise when I read this article and realized that the CDC had been relying on a totally unsourced number that nobody bothered to check for several decades. They all did the same thing all the people in my life have done, which caused me to formulate the rule in the first place - they believed the large number of people and Authorities who told them.