When you are trying to prove a point and use others as examples of people who agree with you, often you’ll say something like, “I really want this event to get canceled. I talked to a bunch of other people and they thought the same thing.” Or “I talked to a ton of people and they all think that the leadership isn’t very good.”
When we make a qualifier like “a ton,” or “a bunch,” usually what we mean is … wait for it … one or two others. Of course there are some exceptions. But for the most part, when we want something to be a popular choice, we make a few people sound like as many people as possible. That is if you actually asked anyone at all.
Sometimes you’ll say something like “a bunch of people told me they prefer Ford’s over Chevy’s.” But if someone asks you who, you say something like “well, I don’t remember now. It was just a bunch of people in the past. I don’t remember who it was..”
Not good enough. I’m not saying that you can’t forget when people tell you something like this. But if you’re going to make statements like “everyone I talked to,” you need to be able to back that up with something.
I’m by no means a language purist, and I find myself doing this all the time. But for the sake of truth, tell it like it is. If you want something to happen or you want to make a point, that’s fine, but don’t drag “everyone” into it with you.
Points you can make without the support of popular opinion are more persuasive in the long run anyway.
Two people isn’t a ton of people. Remember that next time you try and make them seem like it.