# Why do so many lower class white people have poorly defined chins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005 "2012-04-17T03:16:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![oliversarmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005/81 "2012-04-20T04:18:22Z")
Since this is not great debates, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005/82 "2012-04-20T06:49:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > No, he hasn’t even made an objective observation. The first step after noting an apparent pattern is to determine whether that pattern in fact exists by using random sampling and statistical analysis. Only then would it be appropriate to generate a hypothesis as to _why_ the pattern might exist. Or to phrase it differently, he went from observation to hypothesis to further hypothesis, skipping the testing stage. He never tested his hypothesis that his observations were accurate. An example I recently encountered is in _[Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality)_, an unfinished fanfic that tries to make the series more rational. In it, Harry observes that Muggle-born (human) Hermione appears to be the most powerful wizard in his class, and thus assumes that Draco’s hypothesis that “mudblood” (human blood) is weakening the Slytherin race is false. But does he tell Draco this? No–he and Draco devise experiments to test Draco’s hypothesis. Harry goes on to explain that testing your observations is the very foundation of scientific thought. Still, I can see that the OP just assumed that someone would tell him his observation did not agree with theirs, and thus invalidate his further hypothesis. But that’s a dangerous precedent. ---
**Author:** ![Crab\_Rangoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Crab\_Rangoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crab_Rangoon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005/83 "2012-04-20T12:31:58Z")
OK - here’s the chin I’m envisioning we are discussing in this thread. Why does he have this chin? has he lost his teeth? Has he been eating a poor diet? Is he dumb (OK - don’t answer that)? Is he poor? Then WHY does his chin look like this??? Or am I thinking of the wrong type of chin? I’m not saying someone’s face can’t change over the course of their life due to loss of teeth - but maybe the OP can tell us if he’s talking about only older people (in which case you would account for tooth loss) - or younger (???) or both. [http://www.addictinginfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mcconnell\_thumb.jpg](http://www.addictinginfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mcconnell_thumb.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005/84 "2012-04-20T23:52:28Z")
the real question is why do so many of us have short legs? ---
**Author:** ![florez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@florez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/florez)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005/85 "2012-04-21T00:11:17Z")
> [@Crab\_Rangoon](#): > > OK - here’s the chin I’m envisioning we are discussing in this thread.I I am not so sure about the chin, but he has a mean case of “chicken lips”. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005/86 "2012-04-21T07:38:19Z")
> [@slowlearner](#): > > the real question is why do so many of us have short legs? Mine are long enough to reach the ground, and that’s good enough for me! 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-lower-class-white-people-have-poorly-defined-chins/619005.md?page=4)