Six Degrees of Separation

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I'm not sure I buy it. I don't have any proof either way, and I know Facebook is running an experiment to prove that everyone is connected to Kevin Bacon or something, but have you ever considered the obnoxious email forwards that are supposed to replicate signing a petition?

I get more than my fair share, since many people I have responded to at work add my email address to their list of contacts. And more than once, I have received an impassioned plea for my signature at the end of a list of several hundred. I sometimes, because I have an over-developed sense of curiosity, will read through the list looking for names I recognize. I have never found one. Wouldn't you think that with only six degrees of separation, once the petition had been passed around to several hundred people, I would know at least one or two?

And while we are on the topic of statistics, I would like someone well experienced in such matters to give me the probability of a handful of co-workers all showing up with the same general color scheme on any particular day. After the topic of weather, it seems quite popular to comment on how so-and-so and what's-her-name and the person at the coffee pot are all wearing red or black or whatever.

I think I am inclined to think that the theory of unplanned office coordination is much likelier than the theory of six degrees of separation. But if you think I'm wrong, don't start a petition to get me to change my mind.

Comments

Capri said…
Exactly. You know what I think, the six degrees thing is bunk. The so-called "experiment" is nothing more than a bogus viral chain letter ploy to collect as many names/members/whatever as possible. I never had and never will join the six degrees of separation groups, because they are chain letters using a clever form of manipulation to get people joining.
9:58 AM
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