Difference between revisions of "Talk:674: Natural Parenting"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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The title text includes the phrase "the mother of all sampling biases".  This is a riff on the phrase "the mother of all battles", which was originally used by Saddam Hussein, the late president of Iraq, to refer to the first Gulf War (1990-1991, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was later beaten back to its borders by a coalition of forces from other countries).  Since then, the phrase "the mother of all X" for various X has become something of a meme.  Here, it's more ironic than usual, because (a) parenting can sometimes be viewed as something of a battle and (b) as the explanation already suggests, the comic is literally about being a parent.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.61|173.245.54.61]] 04:26, 5 June 2014 (UTC)
 
The title text includes the phrase "the mother of all sampling biases".  This is a riff on the phrase "the mother of all battles", which was originally used by Saddam Hussein, the late president of Iraq, to refer to the first Gulf War (1990-1991, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was later beaten back to its borders by a coalition of forces from other countries).  Since then, the phrase "the mother of all X" for various X has become something of a meme.  Here, it's more ironic than usual, because (a) parenting can sometimes be viewed as something of a battle and (b) as the explanation already suggests, the comic is literally about being a parent.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.61|173.245.54.61]] 04:26, 5 June 2014 (UTC)
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"The Mother of all sampling biases" also refers to the fact that he's talking about his mother, and his mother's mother, and his mother's mother's mother, all the way back to Eve.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.62|108.162.221.62]] 21:17, 5 June 2014 (UTC)
 
"The Mother of all sampling biases" also refers to the fact that he's talking about his mother, and his mother's mother, and his mother's mother's mother, all the way back to Eve.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.62|108.162.221.62]] 21:17, 5 June 2014 (UTC)

Revision as of 21:18, 5 June 2014

The song "Doing What Comes Naturally" from Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun also explores this meaning: "Grandpa Bill is on the hill / with someone he just married. / There he is at ninety-three / doing what comes naturally." 108.162.216.38 19:41, 22 January 2014 (UTC)

The title text includes the phrase "the mother of all sampling biases". This is a riff on the phrase "the mother of all battles", which was originally used by Saddam Hussein, the late president of Iraq, to refer to the first Gulf War (1990-1991, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was later beaten back to its borders by a coalition of forces from other countries). Since then, the phrase "the mother of all X" for various X has become something of a meme. Here, it's more ironic than usual, because (a) parenting can sometimes be viewed as something of a battle and (b) as the explanation already suggests, the comic is literally about being a parent.173.245.54.61 04:26, 5 June 2014 (UTC)


"The Mother of all sampling biases" also refers to the fact that he's talking about his mother, and his mother's mother, and his mother's mother's mother, all the way back to Eve.108.162.221.62 21:17, 5 June 2014 (UTC)