The majority of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is discarded fishing gear.

[u/lnfinity]

[u/_Apatosaurus_]

46%

That is the majority

Please explain

Edit: Majority almost always refers to an absolute majority of >50%. If OP means a plurality or relative majority, they should specify that. Not doing so is intentionally misleading.

[u/I--Pathfinder--I → u/_Apatosaurus_]

well 46% isn’t the majority but i think he could mean that of all groups of trash in the ocean it is the most.

[u/GodlessHippie → u/I--Pathfinder--I]

Plurality was the word they were looking for

[u/swinging_ship → u/GodlessHippie]

Plurality and simple majority are the same thing. I never specified an absolute majority but a majority nonetheless.

[u/_Apatosaurus_ → u/swinging_ship]

We all know that majority almost always means absolute majority. If that's not what OP meant, they should specify that they meant relative majority or plurality. Or, they could have included a percentage.

It's possible to technically be correct but also be intentionally misleading.

[u/swinging_ship → u/_Apatosaurus_]

When does majority almost always mean absolute? We call pluralities in politics and racial percentages majorities all the time because nobody uses plurality.

[u/GodlessHippie → u/swinging_ship]

Fair enough! I always think of majority as 50+1% and plurality as the most out of all options but you’re right, simple majority is the same as plurality