• howrar
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    21 hours ago

    That’s the additional info you absolute brickbrain.

    The criticism was about the generality, not the implicit evidence.

      • howrar
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        20 hours ago

        How would you phrase it if you did want it to be a general statement?

        • DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          20 hours ago

          It’s a trap! :D Just because he can come up with a different way to make the same general statement does not mean the original in the post is not general. ;)

          • Madison420@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            edit-2
            20 hours ago

            It’s not general at all. If I say “someone like” and describe you head to toe? Is that general or is that specific and targeted?

            • howrar
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              19 hours ago

              Imagine a world where there’s exactly one person who was born was purple hair and they happen to like cookies. You say “People with purple hair like cookies”. It narrows down the pool of existing people to exactly one, but you’re still making a general statement about all people with purple hair. You’re saying that anyone in the past who may have had purple hair also likes cookies. Anyone in the future born with purple hair also likes cookies.

              • Madison420@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                19 hours ago

                That’s one feature, this is at the very least two features that describe one country at the moment and we all know which it is.

                You could read it generally but that would be generally stupid.

                And notably the statement is factual, the fact that some countries don’t have 4 year election cycle and 4 year campaign cycle proves both their point and mine not mr.always.

                • howrar
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  19 hours ago

                  I could change the example to purple hair and big feet. How does that change the fact that other people with purple hair and big feet could exist in the past/future?

                  Reiterating on what I said in the other branch of this thread, language exists as a means to convey information. There has to be a way to distinguish between making a general statement and a specific one.

                  • Madison420@lemmy.world
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    arrow-down
                    3
                    ·
                    19 hours ago

                    The thing that would change it is context, I’m looking at you and describing you but only with generalities.

                    Yes it is, and you’ve missed the point entirely but trying to swim through tedium.

        • Madison420@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          20 hours ago

          It’s written specifically in reference but with just enough obscurity to say it could be anyone, anyone with a brain knows it’s not. To answer your question I wouldn’t change it at all, it’s fine. The only one playing this dumb game is you and your alts.

          • howrar
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            19 hours ago

            How do you imagine language to work if you don’t have a way of communicating what you want to communicate? Both the general and specific statement are reasonable for someone to make in this context, so there should be a way to express both.

              • howrar
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                19 hours ago

                I agree that you can reasonably make this specific statement about the US. I don’t agree that this is what OP said, because the general statement is also valid, and they used the words to convey that it’s a general statement.