Crazy Coincidences

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 01:46 PM

So yesterday I was watching the Office, as I do most days, and it was an episode where Dwight was wearing a Cornell Sweatshirt as he wanted to apply there. Later when i went to the store, I saw a kid with a Cornell Sweatshirt on. Then, the same day, I was watching another episode where Michael quits, and as he was telling the story I saw a meme on my phone from the Wolf of Wall Street where he says: "I'm not ******* leaving", which was pretty much what happened in the office episode. Then this morning I see an episode of Friends where Rachel quits. I've been noticing a lot of these coincidences lately too

Edited by Agatha:

Edited for rule 10. Please do not disguise swear words in your posts in the public sections of the forum. Type all swearwords out in full, correctly spelt and with no replacement characters. The autocensor will remove them if they are not permitted.

Myriad · 23rd November 2020, 01:50 PM

The universe is clearly telling you to leave Cornell.

theprestige · 23rd November 2020, 01:51 PM

Confirmation bias.

Also, what are we supposed to debunk, here? You're experiencing coincidences. It happens. Nobody here questions that.

Are we supposed to tell you that you didn't see two different Cornell sweatshirts on the same day? Are we supposed to tell you that it really is a coincidence, and not something else?

What else would it be? Aliens? A Russian troll farm? A Nigerian Prince?

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 02:35 PM

I forgot to add I live in Texas, not NY

theprestige · 23rd November 2020, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

I forgot to add I live in Texas, not NY

People come to Cornell from all over the world, and go all over the world after graduating from Cornell.

Are you seriously proposing that this is not a coincidence, but that you are experiencing some sort of paranormal event? What's your theory? Ghosts are messing with you for some reason?

Brainster · 23rd November 2020, 03:16 PM

You want to talk about crazy coincidences, back in the 1980s I was a Big Brother to a young man who had a biological younger brother who also had a Big Brother. So one day I'm flying home for Christmas and as I'm boarding the plane I see the other Big Brother. So we say hello and remark on the wild coincidence and he asks me where I was sitting. I look down at my boarding pass and realized with a start that I was assigned the seat next to him.

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 04:25 PM

I do not believe it's anything more than a coincidence, I was correcting the original comment that said it's time to move from Cornell

theprestige · 23rd November 2020, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

I do not believe it's anything more than a coincidence, I was correcting the original comment that said it's time to move from Cornell

It's symbolic. You're not supposed to move from the literal Cornell. You're supposed to move from the metaphorical Cornell state of mind.

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 05:34 PM

Ok my mistake, just misunderstood

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 07:38 PM

I know it's stupid, it just seems crazy that I had all these coincidences. The sweatshirt I can get around, but then today I saw BuckNELL, a kid at my high school had a HopewELL sweatshirt (which is another high school 3 hours away from us), then the Office episode I watched tonight Andy talked about rumors started at Cornell and how he wondered if it was more than a coincidence. He also did the same thing as me were he assured himself it was just chance but was still really scared by it

arthwollipot · 23rd November 2020, 07:53 PM

When you think about how many people there are in the world, it's not that hard to realise that weird coincidences happen all the time. Sometimes they happen in clusters, to one person. That is the nature of randomness. Me, I don't recall ever having experienced a noteworthy coincidence. That's not to say that they haven't happened, just that I have never paid them any attention beyond "huh - that's a coincidence".

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 08:00 PM

It just seems so crazy that it kinda makes me wonder, I don't know. Like just now, an account i follow was shouted out by really big account, which I've never seen happen before. It's also an account that I never see post that I saw a post of earlier today. I also found an eyeliner on the street, and then i see another account, an NBA one much less, talk about someone who looked like they were wearing eyeliner

Spektator · 23rd November 2020, 08:11 PM

My odd one: when I was teaching a night course at my university, one evening the chairman of a different department dropped by my office. He had been an undergraduate in the same college with me and taught in the same field that my roommate studied. The three of us went our separate ways in Grad school, and about ten years had passed.

That evening Ted, the chairman, asked, "Are you still in touch with Marc?"

"My former roommate? He's teaching at a New Jersey junior college and I have a phone number for him at home. I can get it for you tomrrow--"

My office phone rang. It was Marc, whom I hadn't spoken to in three or four years, calling because he'd seen a review of my first book. So I handed the phone to Ted.

No, it wasn't a prank. Ted offered Marc a summer teaching job, but he didn't want to come all the way to Georgia for a ten-week gig.

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 08:14 PM

Plus I even forgot the whole I'm not ******* leaving along in sync with Michael quitting and watching a different show with the same quitting plot. It's not like this is a one time thing, I've been noticing tons of these coincidences. Like both on the same day? If it was one on the day I wouldve believed it wasn't too bad but on the same day? Two of them? Like just this minute someone on TV talked about anomalies which is what my other post was about

Edited by Agatha:

Edited for rule 10

Skeptic Ginger · 23rd November 2020, 08:17 PM

My first ex had my older brother's name, both first and middle names.
My second (last) ex had my younger brother's name both first and middle.

Here's a fun one:
Hitchhiked with a boyfriend from Eugene, OR to Canada, headed to Banff and back.

Trying to hitchhike back there were lots of people hitching out of Banff so we decided to start walking in hopes someone who passed on the group would pick us up. Not too far down the road one of my shoes fell completely apart. But right there (or close) to where it happened, there was a wonderful pair of Puma tennies, fit perfectly, could not have come at a better time. They were my favorite shoes for years.

We also found a baggie of weed on the side of the road someone probably tossed from their car. That was nice given we didn't take any across the border.

And we did eventually get a ride.

I have twice run into people I knew in places states away from where I knew them.

theprestige · 23rd November 2020, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

It just seems so crazy that it kinda makes me wonder, I don't know.

Makes you wonder what, exactly? Makes you wonder if they're not really coincidences?

Quote:

Like just now, an account i follow was shouted out by really big account, which I've never seen happen before. It's also an account that I never see post that I saw a post of earlier today.

What does this make you wonder? If someone is tracking your online activity, and coordinating really big social media accounts to feed you coincidences?

Because I agree that would be a pretty crazy thing to wonder.

Quote:

I also found an eyeliner on the street, and then i see another account, an NBA one much less, talk about someone who looked like they were wearing eyeliner

This one is easy: Eyeliner is commonplace. It's not strange at all to encounter multiple references to it.

Earlier I linked to the Wikipedia page on Confirmation Bias. Have you read that page? There's a non-crazy explanation for the coincidences you're noticing.

Skeptic Ginger · 23rd November 2020, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by Spektator

My odd one: when I was teaching a night course at my university, one evening the chairman of a different department dropped by my office. He had been an undergraduate in the same college with me and taught in the same field that my roommate studied. The three of us went our separate ways in Grad school, and about ten years had passed.

That evening Ted, the chairman, asked, "Are you still in touch with Marc?"

"My former roommate? He's teaching at a New Jersey junior college and I have a phone number for him at home. I can get it for you tomrrow--"

My office phone rang. It was Marc, whom I hadn't spoken to in three or four years, calling because he'd seen a review of my first book. So I handed the phone to Ted.

No, it wasn't a prank. Ted offered Marc a summer teaching job, but he didn't want to come all the way to Georgia for a ten-week gig.

That one is so cool, I think it wins the prize!

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 08:21 PM

That's crazy, but you do believe it's just a coincidence right?

theprestige · 23rd November 2020, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

Plus I even forgot the whole I'm not ******* leaving along in sync with Michael quitting and watching a different show with the same quitting plot. It's not like this is a one time thing, I've been noticing tons of these coincidences. Like both on the same day? If it was one on the day I wouldve believed it wasn't too bad but on the same day? Two of them? Like just this minute someone on TV talked about anomalies which is what my other post was about

So what do you think is really happening? Someone is scheduling job-quitting episodes across Netflix and HBO Max, and also tracking your viewing choices and sending you memes to match?

Who sent you the meme? Was it a friend of yours? Some rando in your Facebook feed? Are they in on it? Is Facebook in on it? Why on earth would a conspiracy that encompasses both HBO and Facebook be wasting time feeding you mundane coincidences?

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 08:26 PM

I know all about confirmation bias. Basically the last probably 8 or 9 months of my life have been hell because of simulation theory and once I got off of what was making me seriously depressed I started noticing all these crazy coincidences. I also had an experience where my mom asked me to pick something up off the printer and i noticed that there was one piece that didn't print all the way. So I remember waiting for it but when it didn't go out all the way I kinda forgot what happened next. My first instinct would normally be I went back and picked it up but I had NO memory of this, none, and I also wouldve had to walk from the kitchen back to my room, which I also have no memory of. It's creepy and it scares me and i kinda hate life right now. I'm sorry I'm wasting your time, I am this is just why I do this crap

theprestige · 23rd November 2020, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

That's crazy, but you do believe it's just a coincidence right?

What other explanation are you considering?

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 08:27 PM

Those are also insane, what are your thoughts on how they happened?

CORed · 23rd November 2020, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by theprestige

Confirmation bias.

Also, what are we supposed to debunk, here? You're experiencing coincidences. It happens. Nobody here questions that.

Are we supposed to tell you that you didn't see two different Cornell sweatshirts on the same day? Are we supposed to tell you that it really is a coincidence, and not something else?

What else would it be? Aliens? A Russian troll farm? A Nigerian Prince?

I'm sure it is confirmation bias. I know whenever I buy a car that is a different make and model than my previous car, I will start noticing other cars of the same make and model while driving around. They were there all along, but I never paid attention until I owned that make and model.

theprestige · 23rd November 2020, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

I know all about confirmation bias. Basically the last probably 8 or 9 months of my life have been hell because of simulation theory and once I got off of what was making me seriously depressed I started noticing all these crazy coincidences. I also had an experience where my mom asked me to pick something up off the printer and i noticed that there was one piece that didn't print all the way. So I remember waiting for it but when it didn't go out all the way I kinda forgot what happened next. My first instinct would normally be I went back and picked it up but I had NO memory of this, none, and I also wouldve had to walk from the kitchen back to my room, which I also have no memory of. It's creepy and it scares me and i kinda hate life right now. I'm sorry I'm wasting your time, I am this is just why I do this crap

No apology necessary; you're not wasting my time. But these kinds of coincidences should be mildly interesting. Maybe amusing or startling, like spektator's anecdote. If they are causing you mental anguish or emotional distress, and if you're also worrying about memory loss and lost time, then this is probably not the right place for your concerns.

I'm very sorry that you're going through such a difficult time. It sounds frightening. I hope you get the help you need. The best I can do is strongly urge you to leave this forum and find a professional to help you.

Lithrael · 23rd November 2020, 08:48 PM

There are a number of stress exacerbated problems that can leave short term memory a little haywire, but it’s always worth checking for carbon monoxide exposure.

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 08:52 PM

It's not like I just completely forgot, I remember small parts but not my main concern which was the paper on the printer I forgot. I was very heavily focused mentally on something else so I do believe that is probably it, it's just kinda creepy when it happens in person

Norman Alexander · 23rd November 2020, 08:53 PM

Here's a thought experiment.

Every lotto has millions of players. So for any one player, the odds of winning are millions to one. That is, close to zero. And yet for EVERY GAME, someone always wins... Almost every time. How on Earth does that almost impossible event even happen?

Robin · 23rd November 2020, 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

I know all about confirmation bias. Basically the last probably 8 or 9 months of my life have been hell because of simulation theory and once I got off of what was making me seriously depressed I started noticing all these crazy coincidences. I also had an experience where my mom asked me to pick something up off the printer and i noticed that there was one piece that didn't print all the way. So I remember waiting for it but when it didn't go out all the way I kinda forgot what happened next. My first instinct would normally be I went back and picked it up but I had NO memory of this, none, and I also wouldve had to walk from the kitchen back to my room, which I also have no memory of. It's creepy and it scares me and i kinda hate life right now. I'm sorry I'm wasting your time, I am this is just why I do this crap

It doesn't sound like it is anything you need to get freaked out about.

As theprestige says, if it is causing you anguish go and see a professional about it.

alfaniner · 23rd November 2020, 09:02 PM

I know we recently had a newly-started thread on coincidences (i.e. not a zombie thread), but coincidentally I couldn't find it.

Thermal · 23rd November 2020, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

Those are also insane, what are your thoughts on how they happened?

Mind throwing a little clarification on this puppy?

DebunkThisPls · 23rd November 2020, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by Brainster

You want to talk about crazy coincidences, back in the 1980s I was a Big Brother to a young man who had a biological younger brother who also had a Big Brother. So one day I'm flying home for Christmas and as I'm boarding the plane I see the other Big Brother. So we say hello and remark on the wild coincidence and he asks me where I was sitting. I look down at my boarding pass and realized with a start that I was assigned the seat next to him.

That's crazy. I was just watching TV again for a second because i had to cut it off and the show the TV was on had a fundraiser for the Big Brothers

SusanB-M1 · 23rd November 2020, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

I know it's stupid, it just seems crazy that I had all these coincidences. The sweatshirt I can get around, but then today I saw BuckNELL, a kid at my high school had a HopewELL sweatshirt (which is another high school 3 hours away from us), then the Office episode I watched tonight Andy talked about rumors started at Cornell and how he wondered if it was more than a coincidence. He also did the same thing as me were he assured himself it was just chance but was still really scared by it

I'd just like to come in here to say that it is very sensible of you to join this forum where you will find out the rational answers to such questions. If you particularly want one, I can give you the name of a forum where your coincidences would be accepted as spooky .. ... and I'd be along straight away to point out that they were coincidences!

Spektator · 24th November 2020, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls

That's crazy, but you do believe it's just a coincidence right?

Abolutely. Ted said a mysterious force caused it, but I said if that were true, Marc would have taken the job.

theprestige · 24th November 2020, 09:01 AM

Last night I started bingeing The Queen's Gambit. Right away in the first episode, the premise of the story reminded me of "Dogfight", a short story by William Gibson. Then, in the second episode, the characters stay in the Gibson Hotel, and one of them drinks a Gibson martini. The really insane part is that I am a huge William Gibson fan. What are the odds?

Checkmite · 24th November 2020, 11:06 AM

Also, John F. Kennedy was shot by a guy in a warehouse who then fled and tried to hide in a theater, while Abraham Lincoln was shot by a guy in a theater who then fled and tried to hide in a warehouse. Or well, Booth actually was found hiding in a barn, but like everyone has decided that's close enough to "a warehouse" that it's okay to call it one to make the coincidence work.

theprestige · 24th November 2020, 11:43 AM

It's crazy how many coincidences involve famous people from history.

Carrot Flower King · 24th November 2020, 11:44 AM

Out of all the millions and millions of combinations of things one can see or hear or whatever every single day of one's life it would be odder if there were not a few coincidences...

Think of the birthday thing, in which everyone seems to under-estimate the probability of folk having the same birthday.

That and them not understanding "random" - my late mother-in-law refused to believe that an ordered sequence of numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) could ever happen randomly...

DebunkThisPls · 24th November 2020, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by theprestige

Last night I started bingeing The Queen's Gambit. Right away in the first episode, the premise of the story reminded me of "Dogfight", a short story by William Gibson. Then, in the second episode, the characters stay in the Gibson Hotel, and one of them drinks a Gibson martini. The really insane part is that I am a huge William Gibson fan. What are the odds?

That is crazy. I had never even heard of this show until today when you mentioned it and now I just saw 2 reviews for it online

DebunkThisPls · 24th November 2020, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by Checkmite

Also, John F. Kennedy was shot by a guy in a warehouse who then fled and tried to hide in a theater, while Abraham Lincoln was shot by a guy in a theater who then fled and tried to hide in a warehouse. Or well, Booth actually was found hiding in a barn, but like everyone has decided that's close enough to "a warehouse" that it's okay to call it one to make the coincidence work.

Also crazy, I just saw someone talk about this yesterday

theprestige · 24th November 2020, 12:19 PM

Working remotely means I have to do a lot more multi-factor authentication (MFA) to get into work applications. So I end up receiving a *lot* of six-digit codes via text message. At first I was kind of excited every time there was an "unusual" number sequence, like double doubles or a three-digit straight or a double-increment (like 6364, 9897, etc.). Then I realized that with only 10 digits to choose from, and the volume of events, these kinds of coincidental number sequences were going to be entirely commonplace. I assume that with 7 billion people on the planet, everyone is having crazy coincidences all the time.

---

Many years ago, I pointed out to my buddy that if he's "one in a million", that means there are five people in New York just like him. His response: "So somone in New York right now is wondering if Soundwave is the coolest Decepticon."

23rd November 2020, 01:50 PM	#2
Myriad The Clarity Is Devastating Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Betwixt Posts: 17,472	The universe is clearly telling you to leave Cornell.
	__________________ A zømbie once bit my sister...

23rd November 2020, 01:51 PM	#3
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	Confirmation bias. Also, what are we supposed to debunk, here? You're experiencing coincidences. It happens. Nobody here questions that. Are we supposed to tell you that you didn't see two different Cornell sweatshirts on the same day? Are we supposed to tell you that it really is a coincidence, and not something else? What else would it be? Aliens? A Russian troll farm? A Nigerian Prince?
	Last edited by theprestige; 23rd November 2020 at 01:55 PM.

23rd November 2020, 02:35 PM	#4
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	I forgot to add I live in Texas, not NY
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 03:16 PM	#6
Brainster Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 18,296	You want to talk about crazy coincidences, back in the 1980s I was a Big Brother to a young man who had a biological younger brother who also had a Big Brother. So one day I'm flying home for Christmas and as I'm boarding the plane I see the other Big Brother. So we say hello and remark on the wild coincidence and he asks me where I was sitting. I look down at my boarding pass and realized with a start that I was assigned the seat next to him.
	__________________ My new blog: Recent Reads. 1960s Comic Book Nostalgia Visit the Screw Loose Change blog.

23rd November 2020, 04:25 PM	#7
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	I do not believe it's anything more than a coincidence, I was correcting the original comment that said it's time to move from Cornell
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 02:47 PM	#5
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls I forgot to add I live in Texas, not NY People come to Cornell from all over the world, and go all over the world after graduating from Cornell. Are you seriously proposing that this is not a coincidence, but that you are experiencing some sort of paranormal event? What's your theory? Ghosts are messing with you for some reason?

23rd November 2020, 04:30 PM	#8
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls I do not believe it's anything more than a coincidence, I was correcting the original comment that said it's time to move from Cornell It's symbolic. You're not supposed to move from the literal Cornell. You're supposed to move from the metaphorical Cornell state of mind.

23rd November 2020, 05:34 PM	#9
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	Ok my mistake, just misunderstood
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 07:38 PM	#10
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	I know it's stupid, it just seems crazy that I had all these coincidences. The sweatshirt I can get around, but then today I saw BuckNELL, a kid at my high school had a HopewELL sweatshirt (which is another high school 3 hours away from us), then the Office episode I watched tonight Andy talked about rumors started at Cornell and how he wondered if it was more than a coincidence. He also did the same thing as me were he assured himself it was just chance but was still really scared by it
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 07:53 PM	#11
arthwollipot Observer of Phenomena Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ngunnawal Country Posts: 70,272	When you think about how many people there are in the world, it's not that hard to realise that weird coincidences happen all the time. Sometimes they happen in clusters, to one person. That is the nature of randomness. Me, I don't recall ever having experienced a noteworthy coincidence. That's not to say that they haven't happened, just that I have never paid them any attention beyond "huh - that's a coincidence".
	__________________ Please scream inside your heart.

23rd November 2020, 08:00 PM	#12
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	It just seems so crazy that it kinda makes me wonder, I don't know. Like just now, an account i follow was shouted out by really big account, which I've never seen happen before. It's also an account that I never see post that I saw a post of earlier today. I also found an eyeliner on the street, and then i see another account, an NBA one much less, talk about someone who looked like they were wearing eyeliner
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	Last edited by DebunkThisPls; 23rd November 2020 at 08:01 PM.

23rd November 2020, 08:11 PM	#13
Spektator Watching . . . always watching. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Southeastern USA Posts: 1,937	My odd one: when I was teaching a night course at my university, one evening the chairman of a different department dropped by my office. He had been an undergraduate in the same college with me and taught in the same field that my roommate studied. The three of us went our separate ways in Grad school, and about ten years had passed. That evening Ted, the chairman, asked, "Are you still in touch with Marc?" "My former roommate? He's teaching at a New Jersey junior college and I have a phone number for him at home. I can get it for you tomrrow--" My office phone rang. It was Marc, whom I hadn't spoken to in three or four years, calling because he'd seen a review of my first book. So I handed the phone to Ted. No, it wasn't a prank. Ted offered Marc a summer teaching job, but he didn't want to come all the way to Georgia for a ten-week gig.
	Last edited by Spektator; 23rd November 2020 at 08:13 PM.

23rd November 2020, 08:17 PM	#15
Skeptic Ginger Nasty Woman Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 86,887	My first ex had my older brother's name, both first and middle names. My second (last) ex had my younger brother's name both first and middle. Here's a fun one: Hitchhiked with a boyfriend from Eugene, OR to Canada, headed to Banff and back. Trying to hitchhike back there were lots of people hitching out of Banff so we decided to start walking in hopes someone who passed on the group would pick us up. Not too far down the road one of my shoes fell completely apart. But right there (or close) to where it happened, there was a wonderful pair of Puma tennies, fit perfectly, could not have come at a better time. They were my favorite shoes for years. We also found a baggie of weed on the side of the road someone probably tossed from their car. That was nice given we didn't take any across the border. And we did eventually get a ride. I have twice run into people I knew in places states away from where I knew them.
	Last edited by Skeptic Ginger; 23rd November 2020 at 08:19 PM.

23rd November 2020, 08:21 PM	#17
Skeptic Ginger Nasty Woman Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 86,887	Originally Posted by Spektator My odd one: when I was teaching a night course at my university, one evening the chairman of a different department dropped by my office. He had been an undergraduate in the same college with me and taught in the same field that my roommate studied. The three of us went our separate ways in Grad school, and about ten years had passed. That evening Ted, the chairman, asked, "Are you still in touch with Marc?" "My former roommate? He's teaching at a New Jersey junior college and I have a phone number for him at home. I can get it for you tomrrow--" My office phone rang. It was Marc, whom I hadn't spoken to in three or four years, calling because he'd seen a review of my first book. So I handed the phone to Ted. No, it wasn't a prank. Ted offered Marc a summer teaching job, but he didn't want to come all the way to Georgia for a ten-week gig. That one is so cool, I think it wins the prize!

23rd November 2020, 08:25 PM	#19
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls Plus I even forgot the whole I'm not ******* leaving along in sync with Michael quitting and watching a different show with the same quitting plot. It's not like this is a one time thing, I've been noticing tons of these coincidences. Like both on the same day? If it was one on the day I wouldve believed it wasn't too bad but on the same day? Two of them? Like just this minute someone on TV talked about anomalies which is what my other post was about So what do you think is really happening? Someone is scheduling job-quitting episodes across Netflix and HBO Max, and also tracking your viewing choices and sending you memes to match? Who sent you the meme? Was it a friend of yours? Some rando in your Facebook feed? Are they in on it? Is Facebook in on it? Why on earth would a conspiracy that encompasses both HBO and Facebook be wasting time feeding you mundane coincidences?
	Last edited by Agatha; 24th November 2020 at 06:56 AM. Reason: rule 10 in quote

23rd November 2020, 08:26 PM	#20
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	I know all about confirmation bias. Basically the last probably 8 or 9 months of my life have been hell because of simulation theory and once I got off of what was making me seriously depressed I started noticing all these crazy coincidences. I also had an experience where my mom asked me to pick something up off the printer and i noticed that there was one piece that didn't print all the way. So I remember waiting for it but when it didn't go out all the way I kinda forgot what happened next. My first instinct would normally be I went back and picked it up but I had NO memory of this, none, and I also wouldve had to walk from the kitchen back to my room, which I also have no memory of. It's creepy and it scares me and i kinda hate life right now. I'm sorry I'm wasting your time, I am this is just why I do this crap
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 08:27 PM	#22
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	Those are also insane, what are your thoughts on how they happened?
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 08:32 PM	#23
CORed Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central City, Colorado, USA Posts: 10,082	Originally Posted by theprestige Confirmation bias. Also, what are we supposed to debunk, here? You're experiencing coincidences. It happens. Nobody here questions that. Are we supposed to tell you that you didn't see two different Cornell sweatshirts on the same day? Are we supposed to tell you that it really is a coincidence, and not something else? What else would it be? Aliens? A Russian troll farm? A Nigerian Prince? I'm sure it is confirmation bias. I know whenever I buy a car that is a different make and model than my previous car, I will start noticing other cars of the same make and model while driving around. They were there all along, but I never paid attention until I owned that make and model.

23rd November 2020, 08:34 PM	#24
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls I know all about confirmation bias. Basically the last probably 8 or 9 months of my life have been hell because of simulation theory and once I got off of what was making me seriously depressed I started noticing all these crazy coincidences. I also had an experience where my mom asked me to pick something up off the printer and i noticed that there was one piece that didn't print all the way. So I remember waiting for it but when it didn't go out all the way I kinda forgot what happened next. My first instinct would normally be I went back and picked it up but I had NO memory of this, none, and I also wouldve had to walk from the kitchen back to my room, which I also have no memory of. It's creepy and it scares me and i kinda hate life right now. I'm sorry I'm wasting your time, I am this is just why I do this crap No apology necessary; you're not wasting my time. But these kinds of coincidences should be mildly interesting. Maybe amusing or startling, like spektator's anecdote. If they are causing you mental anguish or emotional distress, and if you're also worrying about memory loss and lost time, then this is probably not the right place for your concerns. I'm very sorry that you're going through such a difficult time. It sounds frightening. I hope you get the help you need. The best I can do is strongly urge you to leave this forum and find a professional to help you.

23rd November 2020, 08:48 PM	#25
Lithrael Master Poster Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,035	There are a number of stress exacerbated problems that can leave short term memory a little haywire, but it’s always worth checking for carbon monoxide exposure.
Lithrael Master Poster Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,035

23rd November 2020, 08:52 PM	#26
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	It's not like I just completely forgot, I remember small parts but not my main concern which was the paper on the printer I forgot. I was very heavily focused mentally on something else so I do believe that is probably it, it's just kinda creepy when it happens in person
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 08:53 PM	#27
Norman Alexander Philosopher Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Gundungurra Posts: 8,773	Here's a thought experiment. Every lotto has millions of players. So for any one player, the odds of winning are millions to one. That is, close to zero. And yet for EVERY GAME, someone always wins... Almost every time. How on Earth does that almost impossible event even happen?
	__________________ _{...our governments are just trying to protect us from terror. In the same way that someone banging a hornets’ nest with a stick is trying to protect us from hornets. Frankie Boyle, Guardian, July 2015}

23rd November 2020, 08:53 PM	#28
Robin Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 12,881	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls I know all about confirmation bias. Basically the last probably 8 or 9 months of my life have been hell because of simulation theory and once I got off of what was making me seriously depressed I started noticing all these crazy coincidences. I also had an experience where my mom asked me to pick something up off the printer and i noticed that there was one piece that didn't print all the way. So I remember waiting for it but when it didn't go out all the way I kinda forgot what happened next. My first instinct would normally be I went back and picked it up but I had NO memory of this, none, and I also wouldve had to walk from the kitchen back to my room, which I also have no memory of. It's creepy and it scares me and i kinda hate life right now. I'm sorry I'm wasting your time, I am this is just why I do this crap It doesn't sound like it is anything you need to get freaked out about. As theprestige says, if it is causing you anguish go and see a professional about it.
	__________________ The non-theoretical character of metaphysics would not be in itself a defect; all arts have this non-theoretical character without thereby losing their high value for personal as well as for social life. The danger lies in the deceptive character of metaphysics; it gives the illusion of knowledge without actually giving any knowledge. This is the reason why we reject it. - Rudolf Carnap "Philosophy and Logical Syntax"

23rd November 2020, 09:02 PM	#29
alfaniner Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 24,876	I know we recently had a newly-started thread on coincidences (i.e. not a zombie thread), but coincidentally I couldn't find it.
	__________________ Science is self-correcting. Woo is self-contradicting.

23rd November 2020, 09:18 PM	#30
Thermal Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 13,490	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls Those are also insane, what are your thoughts on how they happened? Mind throwing a little clarification on this puppy?
	__________________ We find comfort among those who agree with us, growth among those who don't -Frank A. Clark Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect -Mark Twain

23rd November 2020, 09:52 PM	#31
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	Originally Posted by Brainster You want to talk about crazy coincidences, back in the 1980s I was a Big Brother to a young man who had a biological younger brother who also had a Big Brother. So one day I'm flying home for Christmas and as I'm boarding the plane I see the other Big Brother. So we say hello and remark on the wild coincidence and he asks me where I was sitting. I look down at my boarding pass and realized with a start that I was assigned the seat next to him. That's crazy. I was just watching TV again for a second because i had to cut it off and the show the TV was on had a fundraiser for the Big Brothers
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

23rd November 2020, 11:28 PM	#32
SusanB-M1 Incurable Optimist Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,748	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls I know it's stupid, it just seems crazy that I had all these coincidences. The sweatshirt I can get around, but then today I saw BuckNELL, a kid at my high school had a HopewELL sweatshirt (which is another high school 3 hours away from us), then the Office episode I watched tonight Andy talked about rumors started at Cornell and how he wondered if it was more than a coincidence. He also did the same thing as me were he assured himself it was just chance but was still really scared by it I'd just like to come in here to say that it is very sensible of you to join this forum where you will find out the rational answers to such questions. If you particularly want one, I can give you the name of a forum where your coincidences would be accepted as spooky .. ... and I'd be along straight away to point out that they were coincidences!

24th November 2020, 05:04 AM	#33
Spektator Watching . . . always watching. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Southeastern USA Posts: 1,937	Originally Posted by DebunkThisPls That's crazy, but you do believe it's just a coincidence right? Abolutely. Ted said a mysterious force caused it, but I said if that were true, Marc would have taken the job.

24th November 2020, 09:01 AM	#34
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	Last night I started bingeing The Queen's Gambit. Right away in the first episode, the premise of the story reminded me of "Dogfight", a short story by William Gibson. Then, in the second episode, the characters stay in the Gibson Hotel, and one of them drinks a Gibson martini. The really insane part is that I am a huge William Gibson fan. What are the odds?

24th November 2020, 11:06 AM	#35
Checkmite Skepticifimisticalationist Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Gulf Coast Posts: 26,391	Also, John F. Kennedy was shot by a guy in a warehouse who then fled and tried to hide in a theater, while Abraham Lincoln was shot by a guy in a theater who then fled and tried to hide in a warehouse. Or well, Booth actually was found hiding in a barn, but like everyone has decided that's close enough to "a warehouse" that it's okay to call it one to make the coincidence work.
	__________________ "¿WHAT KIND OF BIRD? ¿A PARANORMAL BIRD?" --- Carlos S., 2002

24th November 2020, 11:43 AM	#36
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	It's crazy how many coincidences involve famous people from history.

24th November 2020, 11:44 AM	#37
Carrot Flower King Muse Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Northumberland, UK Posts: 736	Out of all the millions and millions of combinations of things one can see or hear or whatever every single day of one's life it would be odder if there were not a few coincidences... Think of the birthday thing, in which everyone seems to under-estimate the probability of folk having the same birthday. That and them not understanding "random" - my late mother-in-law refused to believe that an ordered sequence of numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) could ever happen randomly...

24th November 2020, 12:10 PM	#38
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	Originally Posted by theprestige Last night I started bingeing The Queen's Gambit. Right away in the first episode, the premise of the story reminded me of "Dogfight", a short story by William Gibson. Then, in the second episode, the characters stay in the Gibson Hotel, and one of them drinks a Gibson martini. The really insane part is that I am a huge William Gibson fan. What are the odds? That is crazy. I had never even heard of this show until today when you mentioned it and now I just saw 2 reviews for it online
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

24th November 2020, 12:10 PM	#39
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161	Originally Posted by Checkmite Also, John F. Kennedy was shot by a guy in a warehouse who then fled and tried to hide in a theater, while Abraham Lincoln was shot by a guy in a theater who then fled and tried to hide in a warehouse. Or well, Booth actually was found hiding in a barn, but like everyone has decided that's close enough to "a warehouse" that it's okay to call it one to make the coincidence work. Also crazy, I just saw someone talk about this yesterday
DebunkThisPls Thinker Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 161

24th November 2020, 12:19 PM	#40
theprestige Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 49,601	Working remotely means I have to do a lot more multi-factor authentication (MFA) to get into work applications. So I end up receiving a lot of six-digit codes via text message. At first I was kind of excited every time there was an "unusual" number sequence, like double doubles or a three-digit straight or a double-increment (like 6364, 9897, etc.). Then I realized that with only 10 digits to choose from, and the volume of events, these kinds of coincidental number sequences were going to be entirely commonplace. I assume that with 7 billion people on the planet, everyone is having crazy coincidences all the time. --- Many years ago, I pointed out to my buddy that if he's "one in a million", that means there are five people in New York just like him. His response: "So somone in New York right now is wondering if Soundwave is the coolest Decepticon."