Althouse: "Not many people get bitten by a shark twice, so that’s good."

May 6, 2013

"Not many people get bitten by a shark twice, so that’s good."

"It lowers my chances."

I'm starting a new tag: Charming bad logic.

12 comments:

Bob_R said...: I would like to think he was making a joke, but I know better.; 5/6/13, 5:27 AM
AF said...: The truly bad logic would have been quitting surfing. If he was willing to take the risk of getting bitten once, there's no reason not to take the identical risk of getting bitten again.; 5/6/13, 5:53 AM
edutcher said...: This is like what one Vietnam vet called the Purple Heart rule:

With one, people say, "Bad luck, man".

With two, "You need to be more careful".

With three (or more), "You wanna stand over there?" (and there gets father away with each one).

How long has it been since the last time?

This kid doing something that's gonna get him a Darwin Award.; 5/6/13, 5:55 AM
kentuckyliz said...: It's not like a pack of cards.

He's doing his stats & gaming theory wrong.; 5/6/13, 6:14 AM
Anonymous said...: The World According to Garp: "We'll be safe here!" (after plane flies into house they are considering buying); 5/6/13, 6:23 AM
Anonymous said...: George Burns once said something to the effect that if you can make it to 100 you've got it made, since very few people die after that age.; 5/6/13, 6:33 AM
Michael said...: I read of a man who survived a commercial airline crash which killed the rest of his family. Years later he died in a commercial airline crash. Long long odds.; 5/6/13, 6:54 AM
Steve said...: He's pre-disastered like Garps house: "Honey, the chances of another plane hitting this house are astronomical. It's been pre-disastered. We're going to be safe here."; 5/6/13, 7:17 AM
SJ said...: The sentence Not many people get bitten by a shark twice, so that's good. is incomplete.

It should be Not many people get bitten by a shark twice and survive...

Of course, the odds of a person getting bitten once by a shark and surviving are also a good subject to explore. As are the odds of a surfer getting bitten by a shark.; 5/6/13, 7:50 AM
chuck said...: George Pollard lost first the Essex and then the Two Brothers and captained no more ships. Plagued by bad luck, he was. I'd think twice before swimming with this guy.; 5/6/13, 9:16 AM
Sam L. said...: That's why I always fly with a bomb in my checked luggage.; 5/6/13, 11:56 AM
Æthelflæd said...: I like that kid. Courage of any sort is a rare commodity, so I'm not gonna mock him.; 5/6/13, 12:06 PM