You just can’t help but observe that we Americans use an awful lot of statistics to convince each other, or just ourselves , of things we so want to believe . More obvious still is that actual facts needn’t be permitted to interfere with our stats of choice . My newest neighbor got me thinking of statistics the other day with his endless babble ….
Similar to our past administration the present one has put out some interesting “stats” on jobs for instance. “Well over 400,000 new jobs were recently created ” was the boast I heard on the radio and I’d say the creation of 400,000 + jobs is a stat that has a pretty good face value . But permit me to smear the ointment on the fly with a query . How many walking , talking humans have showed up to fill all those wonderful newly created jobs ? That’s the stat I want to hear . So there I go… just another American cherry picking the statistics I want to hear.
The new neighbor has recently moved here from far away with his new wife to live in what he describes as the “Free State of Florida” .
” We don’t have to get vaccinated here ” he said and further enlightened me of his fears .
” Statistics show that thirty six people have died as a direct result of the vaccine . We don’t want to take a chance…. besides, we’re thinking about having a child .”
And this is where you may imagine my eyes glaze over as I lose interest in his beliefs . I’m not sure where he obtained his life changing statistics but I am sure I don’t care because I have a statistic or two that I’d much rather believe .
Four out of five children with cancer in the United States survive more than five years while in most of the world that rate is the opposite of only one in five . I would say those phenomenal advances made here in the United States would be due to statistically having the most advanced medical and scientific minds on the planet. We are blessed with men and women who have attended the likes of Harvard Medical , Duke University and many other prestigious research universities that are the envy of the world .
I think there is statistically a far greater chance of me believing and trusting our science and medical world than my neighbor does . And I think I’ll stick with them while neighbor … you are statistically stuck with Tucker ….
