Stop saying “not all”!
Why? Let me illustrate with a simple example.
You’ve probably seen numerous times the marketing statement “9 out of 10 dentists recommend”. So… “not all dentists” make whatever recommendation follows that. And it’s perfectly reasonable to say “not all dentists recommend using…” specific dental hygiene product.
However if only 1 out of 10 dentists make a certain recommendation, saying “not all dentists recommend using…” is technically accurate but extremely misleading.
Whenever I hear “not all”, you’re basically telling me it’s a small minority, typically including the person uttering “not all”, who are excluded from whatever follows “not all”. A few more insidious examples.
- “Not all men are rapists”. So an overwhelming majority are? Absolutely not.
- “Not all blacks are criminals.” Only a minority of blacks commit crime.
- “Not all gun owners commit crime.” Again, it’s only a minority of gun owners.
And, more starkly, “Not all gun owners commit mass shootings” is not the same as the far more accurate statement that “The vast, vast, overwhelming majority of gun owners do not shoot anyone”. (I’ve been a gun owner for 16 years and have never discharged my firearm except at a gun range.)
And on this topic is a phrase that I’ve seen come from women a lot: “It’s not all men, but always a man”. Which 1. dismisses the fact that women do commit sexual harassment and assault against men and other women – on which I have personal experience on the former – and 2. pulls the fallacy of making it sound like it’s only a minority of men who do NOT commit sexual harassment and sexual assault.
It’s like saying “It’s not all blacks, but always a black person” (or a black man) when talking about crime. Which makes it sound like the overwhelming majority of blacks, and only blacks, commit crime.
So… yeah… just stop using “Not all” entirely.
