figured this article would be worth reading on a site that involving arguing and what not http://www.cracked.com/article_19468_5-logical-fallacies-that-make-you-wrong-more-than-you-think.html
Logical and precise 　 #5. We're Not Programmed to Seek "Truth," We're Programmed to "Win" #4. Our Brains Don't Understand Probability #3. We Think Everyone's Out to Get Us #2. We're Hard-Wired to Have a Double Standard #1. Facts Don't Change Our Minds 　 Well that explains a lot!
My sister fell for the probability one. She lived in the US for 7 years and she hates Australian car seat laws. Why? Because they're better in the US she says, higher standards, etc. However, she thinks this makes her children less safe in an Australian car compared to being in a car in the US even though I found statistics that say an American child is about twice as likely to die in a car accident than an Australian child. All she can think about is that our car seats standards aren't as high and no amount of telling her that it's better to not be in an accident (Australia) than be safer in an accident (US) will convince her otherwise.
Cars are a way of life here. We accept the possibility of an auto accident as one of the little everyday risks. Its better not to get fat and get diabetes or heart disease rather than expect medical science to keep you alive once you get them, but thats how we think in America. A pound of cure is always more fun than an ounce of prevention.
For some opinions are all that matter anyway, facts simply cloud the issues, and in most cases screw up a perfectly good story, people want to believe.
