When I was attending University before joining the US military I studied electrical engineering. As an elective I took a course in statistics.
The opening page of the book of statistics we used in that class had in large bold typeface the phrase, There are Lies, There are Damned Lies, then, There are Statistics.
I understood the meaning then. In all the years since I have come to realize the intent of the author in placing that phrase, that saying, as the opening to his textbook on the subject.
Focusing on One Number, Ignoring Others
or
Ignoring the Costs of COVID-19 Shutdowns
or
It's Easy to Ignore What You Don't Measure
Thanks
Can’t tell you how livid I am over our medical problems being sidelined for this preferrred disease
Back of the bus!
I don’t agree with this thesis. I think the crux of the panic was the fear of death. Maybe this distinction is a minor point. The original statistics were “oh, this is another swine flu”. Then it got a bit worse, then it was perhaps a few million deaths. Now, it’s not a million deaths but it sure could be 200-300K (in the US) by the time we’re done. I *do* agree that the stats are being bandied about in all sorts of ways and I have said that the important thing from the propaganda standpoint is the story MUST change every few days. But society-wide; underlying the manipulation of stats is the persistent fear of death.
Whichever, this is inarguably among the biggest society-changing events in US history.
Excellent article!