Editing 1368: One Of The

{{comic
| number    = 1368
| date      = May 14, 2014
| title     = One Of The
| image     = one_of_the.png
| titletext = 'The world's greatest [whatever]' is subjective, but 'One of the world's greatest [whatever]s' is clearly objective. Anyway, that's why I got you this 'one of the world's greatest moms' mug!
}}

==Explanation==
Another of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[238: Pet Peeve 114|many]] [[:Category:Pet Peeves|Pet Peeves]], this time on reporters.

[[Cueball]] is a [[:Category:News anchor|news anchor]] describing the {{w|Gateway Arch}} as one of the most recognizable arches in {{w|St. Louis}}. In this case the designer the reporter is likely referring to is {{w|Eero Saarinen}}.

When describing things, reporters try to make only factual statements. If reporters use absolutes (that something is the largest or the smallest thing of its class, or that it is unprecedented, to give several examples) they risk making errors: it is possible that some other example of the thing exists that is even larger or even smaller or that there was some similar incident in the past, and they were not aware of it. If a reader or viewer points out the existence of that thing, even if obscure or trivial, the reporter must issue a correction. As a result, reporters learn to hedge by using formulations such as "one of the biggest" or "a rare example of."

[[Randall]] states that it is his {{W|pet peeve}} when reporters avoid absolutes unnecessarily — that is, in cases where there's vanishingly little risk of error. As an absurd example, Randall depicts one such reporter using this language about the Gateway Arch. As one of the most well-known monuments in Missouri and one of the largest free-standing arches in the world, it's indisputable that this would be one of the most recognizable arches in St. Louis; in fact, the reporter should be confident enough to say that the Gateway Arch is '''the''' most recognizable arch in St. Louis.

In the title text, Randall jokes about what could happen if you misunderstand the practice of avoiding absolutes; he thus appears to think it is an ostentatious display of faux objectivity, as opposed to a correction-avoiding strategy. The title text refers to novelty mugs (and T-shirts, and other printed items) that use superlative descriptions such as "World's Greatest Mom" or "World's Greatest Dad." Obviously, such a statement is an expression of personal affection on the part of the family member who gave such a gift and is not meant to be understood as a literally true fact about the world. Using a parody of reporter-speak (like giving a mug to your mother that says "one of the world's greatest moms") would ruin the compliment by suggesting to her that you thought some other people's moms were as good or better.

Curiously, the title text also refers to {{w|Mother's Day}}, which in the US was three days before this comic was published.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is a news anchor sitting in front of a screen showing the Gateway Arch with some landscape features around it.]
:Cueball: ...And he went on to design the Gateway Arch, one of the most recognizable arches in St. Louis.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Pet peeve: 
:Reporters unnecessarily hedging with "one of the"

==Trivia==
*This comic is referenced in the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|89|Tungsten Countertop}}'', with the quote "the sun is one of the meltiest things in the solar system."
*[[1261: Shake That]] features a gift mug with the absolute statement of "world's greatest daughter".
* This comic is very similar to [[2901: Geographic Qualifiers]], which deals with another case of strangely specified precision.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:News anchor]]
[[Category:Pet Peeves]]