They don’t understand probability

  • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Kathy Hochul sent in the national guard to swarm the subways, in response to some supposed crime wave. She was eventually forced to admit the data showed she was lying, and violent crime was way down.

    • infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net
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      2 days ago

      IMO statistics should always be a requisite factor in any deliberation or executive order that would mobilize law enforcement or military, and lying about those statics in that capacity should be a serious crime.

      • AvocadoSandwich@eviltoast.org
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        4 hours ago

        The small problem with statistics is that you need the story of how the statistic was created to have it say anything sensible. Without the story a graph is just a pretty picture with which you can make people believe anything. What you need as an addition is a written in law way of how the statics are calculated.

        Just making statistics a prerequisite for making a decision will prompt those in power to make the numbers look in their favour.