Biased Placebo Bias

A flaw in experimental design where the so-called "placebo" or control condition isn't truly neutral or inert, but instead contains hidden factors that skew the results. This bias invalidates comparisons because the baseline isn't a clean zero; it's already tilted. Common in psychology and medicine, it happens when researchers don't account for the placebo's own effects—like the color of a pill, a practitioner's demeanor, or the simple act of receiving any attention—which can exaggerate or mask the real treatment's impact. It's building your scientific house on a crooked foundation.

Example: A study on an herbal "mood-booster" uses a placebo pill made of plain sugar. But if participants can taste/smell the distinct herbs in the real pill, the placebo isn't blind. The Biased Placebo Bias occurs: the "control" group knows they didn't get the real thing, potentially depressing their reported mood and making the herbal pill seem more effective than it is.

by Dumu The Void February 4, 2026

Biases of Wiki

The systematic editorial skews inherent to Wikipedia and similar wikis, stemming not from malicious intent but from the inherent characteristics of its volunteer base and collaborative process. Key biases include: systemic bias (over-representation of topics popular among young, tech-savvy, English-speaking Western males), citation bias (over-reliance on sources that are digital and in English), conflict-of-interest bias (covert editing by PR firms and political operatives), and consensus bias (controversial truths that challenge established narratives are often edited out in favor of bland, "settled" accounts that won't provoke edit wars). Wikipedia's biases are the map of the world, drawn by a specific, non-representative cartographers' guild.

Example: The Wikipedia article for a major video game franchise is detailed, meticulously sourced, and updated hourly. The article for a crucial Indigenous agricultural technique, equally significant to human culture, is a stub or non-existent. This reflects the Biases of Wiki: the contributor base writes passionately about its hobbies, while crucial indigenous knowledge languishes due to a lack of editors from that community.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Biases of Biases

The systematic, structural distortions in which biases get recognized and critiqued within a society or institution. The biases of the powerful (e.g., pro-corporate, status-quo bias) are often rendered invisible or "neutral," while the biases of the marginalized (e.g., advocacy, protest bias) are hyper-visible and pathologized. It's a hierarchy of perceived distortion.

Example: In mainstream political commentary, a politician's bias towards protecting Wall Street is framed as "pragmatic realism," while a activist's bias towards wealth redistribution is framed as "ideological extremism." This is the operation of biases of biases—the rules that determine which perspectives are allowed to be "objective" and which must wear the label of bias.

by Dumu The Void February 9, 2026

Biases about Biases

The preconceived, often simplistic, notions we hold about what bias is and who has it. These are stereotypes about bias itself—e.g., "liberal media bias," "conservative denialism," "academic elitism"—that people use as pre-packaged filters to dismiss information without engaging. It's bias at a meta-level: being wrong about how wrongness operates.

Biases about Biases Example: A viewer immediately dismisses a documentary on climate change because "It's from Netflix, and Netflix has a woke bias." This is not an analysis of the film's evidence, but the application of a bias about bias—a canned ideological shortcut that prevents any actual evaluation of content.

by Dumu The Void February 9, 2026

Bisexual Panic

When a Bisexual individual sees several people of different genders and finds both attractive.

Or;

Finding someone attractive that’s non-binary or, whose gender is unknown and not assumable, making one confused about how one’s attraction should be towards said person.

Bisexual: ”Smash right?
Friend: ”Is that a guy or a girl?”
Bisexual: ”No idea, but they’re giving me some bisexual panic”

by Bismuth83 February 19, 2025

Bisexual

The Cool people to exist.
They like men and women sometimes with a preference.

Bisexuality is cool

by Bisexual since 2011 March 4, 2025

Biser

Biser is the most lovely tiny kitten to ever exist. He is soft-hearted, patient, gentle and is soooooooo kissable. He is kinda autistic but you will love that trait in him. He is like the sun that shines through everything and you can't be sad with him. If you ever meet a Biser, consider yourself the luckiest person on earth.

OMGGGGG!!! LOOK A BISERRR!! HE IS SO ADORABLEEEE!!!!!!

by the_screwdriver ;) March 29, 2025