Ah ok so in WWII the aircraft would limp back with some bullet holes in them. The first reaction of some military analysts was like damn, the statistics show that our planes keep getting shot in these particular areas. Better put more of the armor onto those spots!
But it's not like the Germans we're aiming AA guns and machine guns at these really particular places on the planes. They were really just aiming at the planes and doing their best to hit anywhere on the plane.
The reason planes came back with bullet holes in those spots in the diagram, is that when they got shot in the other areas they would just explode or fall out of the sky, and your ass on the airfield wouldn't record a bullet hit in that spot. That's what they call survivorship bias.
In the context of OP’s post, the meaning is that it’s easy to look at the still-surviving structures from ancient civilizations (e.g. pyramids, castles) and get the incorrect idea that buildings used to be built better and more durable than buildings of today. But that’s not true, there were also plenty of buildings in ancient civilizations that didn’t last, they just get forgotten and ignored because they’re not around for us to see them anymore.
ngl I have never understood this meme. I’m not ashamed to admit I need someone to explain it to me.
Ah ok so in WWII the aircraft would limp back with some bullet holes in them. The first reaction of some military analysts was like damn, the statistics show that our planes keep getting shot in these particular areas. Better put more of the armor onto those spots!
But it's not like the Germans we're aiming AA guns and machine guns at these really particular places on the planes. They were really just aiming at the planes and doing their best to hit anywhere on the plane.
The reason planes came back with bullet holes in those spots in the diagram, is that when they got shot in the other areas they would just explode or fall out of the sky, and your ass on the airfield wouldn't record a bullet hit in that spot. That's what they call survivorship bias.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias
In the context of OP’s post, the meaning is that it’s easy to look at the still-surviving structures from ancient civilizations (e.g. pyramids, castles) and get the incorrect idea that buildings used to be built better and more durable than buildings of today. But that’s not true, there were also plenty of buildings in ancient civilizations that didn’t last, they just get forgotten and ignored because they’re not around for us to see them anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9WFpVsRtQg