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From: karl@osu-eddie.UUCP (Karl Kleinpaste)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.singles
Subject: Re: Ann Landers Survey
Message-ID: <55@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 19-Jan-85 17:07:54 EST
Article-I.D.: osu-eddi.55
Posted: Sat Jan 19 17:07:54 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 21-Jan-85 00:44:14 EST
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Xref: watmath net.women:4156 net.singles:5484

----------
> How about it, netters (male and female)? - Which do you prefer:
> 1) Sex, 2) a hug, 3) reading Ann Landers, 4) none of the above (for Jeff :-)
----------
My wife and I talked about this one  for a while. Our conclusion is that Ann
Landers is off her rocker in at least 2 ways.

(a) My wife argues against the  72%  conclusion,  saying that sex is better,
but  were  I to develop permanent impotence for whatever reason,  she  would
have little problem giving it up. I  argue  against the 72% conclusion, too.
Count 2 votes for option [1] above.

(2) AL's sampling technique is  completely  bogus. The only people who would
respond  to such a survey are those who have a *really strong  feeling*  one
way or the other. That survey is  unlike this network, where responding to a
survey requires nothing more than the same medium used to see the  question,
that is, a terminal. No; to respond to AL, you have to get a postcard, write
words  on  it, find a stamp (now let's be honest, netters: how many  of  you
know where there's a 20c stamp in  your  house right now? :-), get to a post
office, and mail it.

That means that only those who are really motivated to one side or the other
of the question will answer. Now, of those for whom the response would  have
been "sex over hugs"  (i.e.,  the  28%  conclusion),  how  many  would be so
motivated as to write AL a postcard? *My* wife certainly wasn't. (Maybe  you
or your wife was, of course...) Considering also the number of women whom AL
quoted with complaints such as being raped 5 times a week by their husbands,
it seems to me that those  for  whom  the  response  is  "hugs over sex" are
considerably more motivated to their side of the question than are those  of
the "sex over hugs" persuasion.

It was a pretty stupid way to  conduct a  survey. But then she never claimed
it was scientific, did she?
-- 
Karl Kleinpaste @ Bell Labs, Columbus   614/860-5107  +==-> cbrma!kk
                @ Ohio State University 614/422-0915  osu-eddie!karl