When facts go against narratives

SW-User · 2020-09-25T14:39:23-04:00

Politics - When facts go against narratives (398 replies).

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Northwest · M

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1123070/police-shootings-rate-ethnicity-us/

windinhishair · 61-69, M

@Northwest Nice source (the same source that the OP used). As stated on the website:

The rate of fatal police shootings in the United States shows large differences based on ethnicity. Among Black Americans, the rate of fatal police shootings between 2015 and August 2020 stood at 32 per million of the population, while for White Americans, the rate stood at 13 fatal police shootings per million of the population.

Northwest · M

@windinhishair It was forwarded to me by a smart SW'er whose phone was not cooperating :-)

Northwest · M

@windinhishair PS: Back in the day, I used to give every hire a book called "how to lie with numbers and statistics".

SW-User

@Northwest @windinhishair Looks as if the OP cherry picked their information. The number of "unknown" on their data sheet makes up a large segment of the total from 2018 to 2020.

windinhishair · 61-69, M

@Northwest That's an old book. I have a copy in my personal library.

JoeyFoxx · 56-60, M

@windinhishair

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Mark Twain

Northwest · M

@windinhishair

That's an old book. I have a copy in my personal library.

Yes, this is why I said "back in the day" :-) Still very relevant though. I wish more people would read it. The guy who gave me my first job gave me a copy.

windinhishair · 61-69, M

@JoeyFoxx That's a great quote!

SW-User

@JoeyFoxx lol. I remember that quote from Twain. He also said: "Facts are stubborn but statistics are more pliable."

windinhishair · 61-69, M

@Northwest It was required reading in Statistics 301.

JoeyFoxx · 56-60, M

@windinhishair @SW-User Statistics have been manipulated for a long, long, long time. It's not a new pattern.

When Twain got bitter and satirical, he was at his best. He had great compassion for the human spirit, but had little tolerance for aggressive stupidity.

While, completely unrelated to the above, my other favorite Twain quote was

Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.

He didn't have a lot of patience for people who tried to show off how smart they were.

I'm sure he'd be plenty frustrated with any one of us on SW. 🤪

windinhishair · 61-69, M

@JoeyFoxx Can you imagine Twain's comments on Trump and his Adoration Cult?

JoeyFoxx · 56-60, M

@windinhishair No mercy.

Though, he'd have no mercy for Schumer and Pelosi either.

windinhishair · 61-69, M

@JoeyFoxx I'm sure Twain would skewer all of us. But some would receive special wrath.

SW-User

@JoeyFoxx He is one of my favorite writers and is first on my list of people who are dead I'd like to have dinner with. I think it would be quite the eye opener.