Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Stats when needed, non-numerical when needed
Normally Satan uses statistics to create tyranny.
But when stats might make a TROLL TRUMP FARAGE KKK HITLER point, Satan knows how to avoid stats.
BBCsatan wanted to answer Farage's claim that most MEP's have spent their life in politics. The way he phrased it was better than the usual US Repooflican line about 'making a payroll'. He said "I know that virtually none of you have ever done a proper job in your lives or worked in business or worked in trade or ever created a job."
Working in a real business is the point, not just being a boss. Lower-level employment is more meaningful when we're trying to judge a politician's grasp of reality as lived by ordinary people. Even more important, I think, is working with your hands. If you have done a job that requires using your hands and eyes and nose and ears together, you have a REAL AND LITERAL grasp of reality. Surgeon, barber, masseur, car repair, cook. Anything that develops a judgmental connection between your senses and your hands.
BBCsatan has lots of researchers. With a proper database, which I'm sure thay can afford to access, it should be possible to make a snap judgment on all 750 MEPs in an hour.
Instead, BBCsatan avoided numbers entirely and reverted to pre-math thinking:
There are 751 MEPs in the European Parliament - too many to look at it in one article - so we've looked into the previous careers of the 14 who spoke at the session today. Let's start with Marine Le Pen. She began her political career in 1998 as a regional councillor, but before that she practised as a lawyer for six years. She is trained in criminal law and also worked as the director of the Front National's legal service from 1998 to 2004. ... etcIndividual listings for the 14 who were 'on deck' when Farage was speaking. Pretty neat trick.
Labels: Blinded by Stats
¶ 1:49 AM
