tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9142906675331323108.post8709313248026629266..comments2022-04-01T21:36:49.562-07:00Comments on Rhetoric, Media, and Civic Life: Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy, Confirmation Bias and the search for the meaning of lifeDamienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13843748213754577727noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9142906675331323108.post-38950619469153426852016-03-01T22:02:58.348-08:002016-03-01T22:02:58.348-08:00The Texas Sharpshooter fallacy appeals to me the m...The Texas Sharpshooter fallacy appeals to me the most because analyzing data is something that I find extremely fascinating. A documentary that opened my eyes to the importance of data analytics is the movie Freakanomics. By closely studying data, a pair of a mathematicians debunk common myths just by looking at numbers the right way. They prove the reason for the massive drop in crime in New York City, commonly credited to Mayor Rudy Giuliani getting tough on crime, was actually because of the passing of Roe v. Wade. Parents expecting unwanted children were simply not giving birth, hence resulting in a lack of criminals 20-30 years later. That is just one of many examples of how analyzing data in the right aspect can prove some unexpected results.<br />However, after reading about the Texas Sharpshooter fallacy it is a little scary to wonder just many misleading statistics there are out there. An example common misleading statistic, one that I vividly remember hearing as a kid, is the 'myth' that power lines cause cancer in children. A study done in Sweden surveyed everyone living within 300 meters of power lines over a 25 year period. "The study found that the incidence of childhood leukemia was four times higher among those that lived closest to the power lines, and it spurred calls to action by the Swedish government. The problem with the conclusion, however, was that the number of potential ailments, i.e. over 800, was so large that it created a high probability that at least one ailment would exhibit the appearance of a statistically significant difference by chance alone."<br />So that example of data being analyzed in incorrect lights is a little concerning. It makes me wonder just how many misleading conclusions there are out there, including all of the conclusions presented in the documentary Freakanomics.<br />Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/transcripts/1319.htmlJohn Bockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07667550099844516993noreply@blogger.com