Lies, Damn Lies, & Statistics
Call me a skeptic, but I find it interesting how certain individuals seem to believe everything the government says IF it serves their purpose, yet reject claims from the very same government when it's inconvenient for them.
For instance, several folks I know who belong to the "Bush lied - people died" crowd reject any suggestion that anything positive the government says about what's going on in Iraq or Afghanistan could be true, yet they can't fall over themselves fast enough to use government pronouncements about second hand smoke and global warming to support their case in a debate.
What seems to be forgotten by many is that very few opinions are formed in a vacuum. When Big Oil or Big Tobacco finance a "scientific" study, we hear about how the results can't possibly be true (or even worthy of consideration) because of the "vested interest" these industries have in promoting their own causes.
But what is the cause of government? I think H.L. Mencken pretty much hit it on the head:
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
While all of the hobgoblins may not be imaginary, they're often really distorted or overhyped, precisely because it yields votes and distracts people from the really important issues (like the fact that anyone who works for a living works for 116 days to pay federal, state, and local taxes before earning a dime for themselves -- just one more reason to enact the Fair Tax ... but I digress).
Plus -- if we have good reason to suspect "scientific" studies from Big Oil or Big Tobacco, we also have good reason to suspect "scientific" studies from the National Institute of Whatever, and especially from universities receiving large government grants. If you're a scientist, your research will continue to be funded much longer if you support the positions of the people funding you. Believe it or not, giant corporations don't have the market cornered when it comes to slimy behavior and dirty tricks (not to mention outright lying). Moreover, only government gets to openly use guns.
Whenever I hear a bunch of monied, powerful people declare that the debate is over, that's when I start looking for alternative information. For instance, I highly recommend giving JunkScience.com's pages on global warming a good read. They're not nearly as alarming as Ozone Al's flick, but they are highly informative and worth your time.
Oh, and by the way, I don't believe the government's case for being in Iraq and Afghanistan either ...
For instance, several folks I know who belong to the "Bush lied - people died" crowd reject any suggestion that anything positive the government says about what's going on in Iraq or Afghanistan could be true, yet they can't fall over themselves fast enough to use government pronouncements about second hand smoke and global warming to support their case in a debate.
What seems to be forgotten by many is that very few opinions are formed in a vacuum. When Big Oil or Big Tobacco finance a "scientific" study, we hear about how the results can't possibly be true (or even worthy of consideration) because of the "vested interest" these industries have in promoting their own causes.
But what is the cause of government? I think H.L. Mencken pretty much hit it on the head:
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
While all of the hobgoblins may not be imaginary, they're often really distorted or overhyped, precisely because it yields votes and distracts people from the really important issues (like the fact that anyone who works for a living works for 116 days to pay federal, state, and local taxes before earning a dime for themselves -- just one more reason to enact the Fair Tax ... but I digress).
Plus -- if we have good reason to suspect "scientific" studies from Big Oil or Big Tobacco, we also have good reason to suspect "scientific" studies from the National Institute of Whatever, and especially from universities receiving large government grants. If you're a scientist, your research will continue to be funded much longer if you support the positions of the people funding you. Believe it or not, giant corporations don't have the market cornered when it comes to slimy behavior and dirty tricks (not to mention outright lying). Moreover, only government gets to openly use guns.
Whenever I hear a bunch of monied, powerful people declare that the debate is over, that's when I start looking for alternative information. For instance, I highly recommend giving JunkScience.com's pages on global warming a good read. They're not nearly as alarming as Ozone Al's flick, but they are highly informative and worth your time.
Oh, and by the way, I don't believe the government's case for being in Iraq and Afghanistan either ...
posted by DrJDG @ 23:05
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