THIS is why the world laughs at us (or thinks we're batshit crazy)

[truedelphi]

56. Anecdotal is a word that used to mean

"A recounting of a happy and pleasant experience."

then the activists in Calif. were able to stymie the Big Pesticide Interests by making sure that Prop 65 was put on the ballot. When the voters passed that measure, the citizens were able to have some people friendly to their cause draw up a list of some of the more toxic chemicals (I am forgetting how many chems are now in the registry) and it force d the various places where people worked or bought things to have up signs announcing that "MTBE (Or benzene, or formaldehyde) is in use at this facility and is a Prop 65 chemical."

Since The Big Pesticide Industry knew it had to start undermining activists, it created a new meaning for "anecdotal." And they have succeeded. The word has been so destroyed by the involvement of Big Industry that no one anywhere can report on any of their personal observations without then being taken to task for not having a newspaper citation or science lab to back up their statement.

All of which is bass ackwards, as you cannot even have scientific findings without first having observation as your starting point.