Comments on: The Abilene Paradox

By: Jenn

Jenn — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:33:30 +0000

Two words: Putney Swope.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:52:52 +0000

This sort of thing is actually pretty commonplace. For example, vanilla is the best selling flavor of ice cream. However, very few people list it as their favorite flavor. Then why is it the best seller? Simple. Most people will eat it, even though it’s not their favorite. Same thing with cars. For years, Accords, Camrys, and Tauruses (Tauri?) were the best selling cars, despite being on almost no ones list of favorite cars. Why did they sell so well? They were the vehicular equivalent of vanilla ice cream.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:59:01 +0000

Gerald, are you secretly one of my friends? >.> We do the Chili’s thing CONSTANTLY.

Most recently, this happened when a friend of mine that moved away last summer came to town unexpectedly. Because he was here, we felt compelled to do SOMETHING. So we all went to B-dubs. Where two people ordered food and the rest of us ordered drinks because we weren’t hungry and one of my friends practically fell asleep at the table, and my out-of-town friend was mooshed into a corner and could basically only interact with me and about three other people in the group of 9+. ^^; oops.

By: Toni

Toni — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:38:48 +0000

Well if I ever decide to give a title to my marriage you have found it for me….

By: kevin

kevin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:09:38 +0000

Hmm that sounds like something that happens to stoners a lot…

By: adrienne

adrienne — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:29:05 +0000

This is how just about every day is at work for me, lol. We all pretend to busy and are really polite and (fairly) productive, but not a single one of us wants to be there.

By: Gerald

Gerald — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:15:34 +0000

The closest thing to an Abilene Paradox that I have experienced on a regular basis is an entire group of people ending up going to Chili’s because they are unable to decide on a restaurant, but it’s not exactly the same thing, I admit. Still, it is a group of people going along with an activity in which they would rather not participate; specifically, eating at Chili’s.

Okay, this was pretty thin, I admit. I will be stepping off my soapbox now (seriously though, it’s not a good restaurant).

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Goes along with the (at least to me) unnamed theorem “The quality of movie rented is inversely proportional to the number of people in the group picking out the movie”

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:12:34 +0000

Wow, it’s great to know there’s a name for it.

One time, at a sleepover thing with my friends, all four of us ended up watching “A Cinderella Story” – and none of us had any idea why, or who had even suggested it, by the time it was over. Everyone seemed to think someone else had wanted to watch it. *cough* I don’t think I have anything against Hilary Duff, but it’s just not my kind of movie, really. None of ours, in fact.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:47:26 +0000

When you make decisions with your significant other, try rolling a dice and let the numbers make your decisions…you’ll find out what you really want.