Us and Them Dept. (2)
=== Let Me Count the Ways, Dept. ===
1. When I say "There Is Zero Evidence" that (for instance) the moon landing was faked, I immediately declare my ignorance of the subject.
There is a lot of evidence that the moon landing was faked. That evidence -- which does exist, mind you -- is simply overpowered by the evidence that the moon landing did occur.
A person who claims that "No Evidence Exists" does not yet know the subject well enough to know that his education is less than infinite.
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2. If there were zero evidence for anything, and I can't imagine such a situation, how would you prove that there was zero evidence?
Have you even proven, yet, that no evidence exists in each of the 50 states in the U.S.? Much less in the Congo?
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3. There is a certain elitism implied, "Elitism" being the belief that only individuals from a wealthy (educated, etc) class get to talk.
We all know that a guy (elsewhere) who says "There Is No Sabermetric Evidence" means that there is no pseudo-scientific "study" on Hardball Times, Baseball Prospectus, or Fangraphs.*
Look, guys. The internet has destroyed elitism. If there's a guy in Hoboken with evidence, he gets to talk these days.
Just because I haven't seen it on Tango, or HBT, or any of the top ten saber sites, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist or doesn't count.
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4. As a completely separate issue (from elitism), the phrase betrays a self-view that is not in contact with reality.
Dr. Detecto's appropriate role, on SSI, is not to educate G-Moneyball. It is to exchange ideas with him. That's not humility on Dr. D's part. It's merely an accurate perception of reality.
"No evidence exists" is the language of a teacher to a student.
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5. It equates "evidence I don't like" with "no evidence," and this is closed-minded bigotry. It is precisely what is wrong with American politics in the 21st century: we believe that the other guys know nothing.
Bill James found, when he invented Win Shares, that if three team leaders had good years, then the other hitters tended to have good years along with them.
Is that evidence?
Or is it "evidence I, Jeff Clarke reject" and, therefore, evidence that does not exist?
That's breathtakingly arrogant, isn't it?
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There's evidence for almost everything, guys. And there's a lot of evidence that if things are going bad, then pro athletes quit on their seasons. You've been watching this evidence, in Safeco, for years now.
You'll never hear anything different from an actual athlete: when the season tanks, oftentimes they do too. Funny how "no evidence exists" for a syndrome that is presumed obvious among the people who actually do it.
If what you mean is, "I personally haven't yet seen any evidence that convinces me," then say it that way. That's free advice.
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Your friend,
Jeff