On: Britain is the most corrupt country in the world?

[ajnin]

ajnin's law of adages : as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of someone using a popular adage to avoid argumenting approaches 1.

[paulddraper → ajnin]

That doesn't make him wrong, though.

If Britain were the most corrupt country, they would state it, not ask it.

[dang → paulddraper]

We added the question mark last night. We do that sometimes when a title is controversial and we don't have a way of verifying or disproving it.

Any resemblance to actual Betteridges is purely coincidental.

[paulddraper → dang]

"Britain is arguably the most corrupt country in the world"

[dang → paulddraper]

That's a much stronger claim. Arguably doesn't mean what it says; it's more like a slightly weaker plausible.

[paulddraper → dang]

Definition of arguably: "it may be argued"

If a position can't even be argued, you necessarily must assert the opposite:

"Britain is not the most corrupt country in the world"

(or phrase it as a question and invoke Betteridge)