Editing 111: Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | The comic | + | The comic shows a chart between the number of members of the pagan religion {{w|Wicca}} and the number of times {{w|Firefox}} web browser was downloaded, the implication being that Firefox usage causes membership in Wicca or vice versa. In juxtaposing these almost certainly unrelated phenomena, Randall highlights the common issue of {{w|illusory correlation}}, "the phenomenon of perceiving a relationship between variables (typically people, events, or behaviors) even when no such relationship exists." |
− | Randall further illustrates one common | + | Randall further illustrates one common and perhaps destructive use of illusory correlation in the bottom half of the image. The appearance of the symbol for Internet Explorer, a rival web browser, and the cross, representing Christianity, on the bottom, imply that this graph is an attack ad promoted by Microsoft and Christianity to gain an advantage over their competitors. |
− | The title text is reminiscent of political commercials, which | + | The title text is reminiscent of political commercials, which tell you who paid for them, generally said very fast, hence why all the words are strung together. The last sentence is a play on the term of {{w|Closed source software}}, which Internet Explorer is, as opposed to Firefox, which is open source in development. Similar in that vein, the Bible can be considered "closed source" [http://kingjbible.com/revelation/22.htm due to God's prohibition on altering its contents.] |
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+ | This type of [https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/false-cause statistical ploy] is used again in a few other comics, like [[523: Decline]], [[552: Correlation]], and [[925: Cell Phones]]. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:[Y axis]: Membership in Wicca | :[Y axis]: Membership in Wicca | ||
:[X axis]: Total Firefox Downloads | :[X axis]: Total Firefox Downloads | ||
+ | :[Positive slope graph.] | ||
:[Internet Explorer icon.] | :[Internet Explorer icon.] | ||
− | : | + | :Keep the Faith |
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:[Outline of a cross.] | :[Outline of a cross.] | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |