What does "It's All Relative" mean? Could you give a couple of examples to show correct usage?
Thanks.
It means that the perception of something changes depending on its context. It doesn't mean that all the things said necessarily relate to each other.
"He only scored 15 goals all season."
"Sure, but he missed six games due to injury, so that's stll a decent average."
"But he got paid for all of them, so that's not very good value."
"Eh, it's all relative, I guess. Depends on how you look at it."
"Twelve centimeters is tiny!"
"Not if you're a mouse."
"It's all relative, isn't it?"
Would these examples apply?
I think she's homely, but he thinks she's actually quite attractive. It's all relative, that is, quantifiable in terms of individual perception — the way we both view it, albeit differently. If this is the case, then everything in life is relative because we all look at things from different perspectives. What I consider warm, you may consider cool. I may think that the Beatles are the best rock band of all time; you may think the Rolling Stones are. A midget may consider a 4-foot-8-inch woman quite tall compared to his height, when, in actuality, being 4 foot 8 isn't really tall at all, but to the midget it is.
Mike, at 150 pounds, can bench-press 300 pounds; Jake, at 300 pounds, can bench-press 600 pounds. It's all relative, then. A brand-new car, in 1970, might have cost $3,500. Today, a new car may cost $17,000. What our parents made in 1970, compared to what the average parent makes today, is sort of equivalent (it's as broad as it's long), taking into account the cost of living back then vs. now; hence, it's all relative.
You may think that brussels sprouts are delicious; I think they're gross, and so on and so forth ...
Am I correct?
Those are all correct, yes, even though your examples have slightly different meanings. Like the bench press, one man is clearly stronger for his size than the other, but trying to quantify whether one is stronger than the other is subjective, depending on their perception: "It's all relative (to how you perceive it)." Your car-pricing example, though, is a more literal use of the phrase. Yes, a car is more expensive now, but so is everything else in relative proportion, including wages. "It's all relative (because the factors are actually related)."
If the questions posed were "Is Mike stronger than Jake?" and "Do cars cost more today than in the past?" the reply "it's all relative" would have the same meaning in either case.
If you could add an imaginary "depending on how you perceive it" to the end of an idea, the expression "it's all relative" most likely applies correctly.
Thanks, Gordon.
FYI, I edited my previously reply with more info.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
