Posted by Sheri on 5/9/2008, 9:46:15
I have no use for studies nor statistics. Both are used by special interest groups to make you feel like a failure, get $$$ from governments and instill fear in the general population.
Especially when one uses averages.
Like global warming... geez... wasn't it warmer 1000 yrs ago when the Vikings were in Newfoundland??? Considering they can't get tomorrow's weather correct... you'll excuse me if I don't believe their forcasts on the next 50yrs. Pollution... is a HUGE problem... but IMO that's a completely different issue.
Then there's breast feeding an IQ - http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/05/06/cdn-study-breastfeeding.html What control group?? Was everyone sitting in a gymnasium for years so that no child got a different home life than the one sitting next to them??
Let me explain about averages.... when they tell you 20% will do this... you'd better panic and do as we say... 20%??? What about the other 80% that was positive... but that doesn't make the news... fear sells.
What about the weather?? For 40yr years the temperature today was +/- 20C. For 10 years the temperature was +/-5C. The median or middle value is 20C... the average using (20*40 + 5*10)/50 = 17C.... doesn't take much to knock it down does it. 75% of those years it was 20C but b/c of 25% of the time it was closer to 5C the "Average" Temperature is now 17C. So any year... of those 40 out of 50yrs where it's warmer than 17C... is now GLOBAL WARMING.
So what brought this thing to the forefront and make me decide it was time to post was Erika's blog post http://crankyotter.blogspot.com/2008/05/so-i-read-this-study.html... and had nothing to do with the topic she discussed but with the title...
B/c as you can tell... I have no use for studies.
But I did post a reply... and being a good friend... she lets me rant regularly.
For years Mothers of children with autism got blamed for the autism.. we were "Refrigerator Mothers". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator_mother Here.... we go again... but now... we're mentally ill. Not over stressed/overwhelmed.. and just damn tired.
My Comment:
I hate studies, you and I both know they can twist stats to mean whatever they want.
Like this one... and is my friend www.whittereronautism.com ticked... and still very politely british too about it. http://www.trusera.com/users/maddy/stories/the-cost-of-autism
http://www.trusera.com/users/maddy/stories/chickens-and-eggs
But I'm with this one.. are we going to revert to the time of refrigerator mothers???http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/2008/05/autism-causation-back-to-bettelheim.html
Did I mention I have no use for studies??? Nor for those that don't understand the wonderful land of statistics and the ability to manipulate the information to make it work for their study...
Pet Peeve of mine... Can you tell??
Reading give us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are - Mason Cooley
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