So much for
your mom’s efforts to get you to eat carrots. She probably wasn’t attempting to kill you, but if the above headline is
true, that could be the result. The
headline is a fiction, as is the study it draws its fervor.
Several
years ago while teaching a public speaking course, I was discussing the
importance of citing valid, verifiable, and appropriate support for a persuasive
speech. A few students were less than
rigorous and cited some noisy headlines and claims from “research” that proved
to be, well, not research. A study might
note a correlation of X with Y, and note associations of X with Y, and the
findings would state such. But
correlation and association are not causes. Sloppy journalists, lazy students, agenda
driven interest groups, and political groups tend to “mis-represent” studies
and research to further their aims.
Duh. Yet unless one asks some
basic questions, such mis-representations can enter lore as a “fact.” Take the following illustration.
I cited a
study (fictitious) from the mid-2000’s that sampled men and women in 12 states
who were known to eat carrots as a part of their diet in 1885. The demographic profiles and measures of
carrot consumption were presented (fictitious.)
What was disturbing was that 100% of those sampled adults who
ate carrots, died. All of them. None spared.
Who knew
that one of the greatest killers of the late 19th and early 20th
century were carrots?
 |
| Mass Killer identified in study |
Mark Twain
reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once remarked that there are
three kinds of lies: “Lies, damn lies,
and statistics.” I’m sure he would have
included “polls” had they been more fashionable in the guilded age. Indeed, what to make of the telephone poll
that asks if the person would “support” the President if he did X, or, would
the person “support” the President if he did Y?
(You can imagine the mischief already!)
No matter
how one responds to such a calculated poll, those polled supported the President. Or
change “support” to “oppose.” To coin a phrase, fake news.
Sadly, the
rapid dissemination of information in our times permits selected headlines and
correlations to be derived from “research” to modify public thinking to support
some mischief, usually clothed in fear.
Lies, damn lies, and statistics are legion among those forces seeking to
restrict your freedom “for your protection” or safety. I mean, really, who on earth designed those
goofy bicycle helmets? And what fears of
catastrophe drive a municipality to mandate
their wearing? Or digital cameras
watching a road 24/7 for miscreants not wearing seat belts...or peering through
house windows in search of _______ (fill
in the blank.)
Never forget
that one evening several years ago millions of people went to sleep content
with themselves only to wake up diagnosable as “obese.” Did they spend the night in a blackout raid
on the pantry and refrigerator?
Nope. The next day adjusted federal formulas for determining “over weight” and obesity went in force. New problems arose! New fears!
A new need for food labels! A new
need for a war on fat! Tax
calories! (aka soft drinks)
Did I
mention lies, damn lies, and statistics?
