Thursday, October 9, 2008

Half of the time you're in the other half!

Statistics is one of the greatest ways of finding out the results of any instance by examining a select number of people and applying that data to seemingly every person in the known world. It is for this reason that there are so many flaws in our society.

One great example is insurance premiums. I am a 19 year old male with a clean driving record who drives a 2000 ford escort. My monthly bill is 160 dollars due to the fact that statistics have declared that people of my gender in my age group are more likely to exhibit risky and dangerous behaviors in our every day life. I am a safe driver who obeys all laws applicable to operating my motor vehicle, the only accident I was ever in was during winter when I stopped and the person behind me failed to stop and rear ended me. Bad road conditions my ass he just wasn't paying any attention. My point is, however, that just because statistics say something doesn't mean it applies to everybody. I believe that for insurance everybody should be given the same rate at first, whether you be a 19yo male or a 45yo woman.

One other reason that statistics are crappy is because of the fact that they often become old and outdated rather quickly. A statistical measurement made in 2005 about computer usage may be very different than those made the next year. Stats don't update every year though so the data isn't always reliable.

Sports stats are another thing that I find very useless just for the fact that people will always perform differently on any given day. Just because all of the cubs players and the team in general had great stats this year doesn't mean that they were guaranteed to win the series. They got swept in the playoffs which goes to show that you can't rely on the stats (and that they suck :D).

I could really go on all day about stats and how worthless I feel they are but I'll leave it at that.

Statistics are awful and that's all I have to say about that.

1 comment:

Without a Doubt said...

Actually, statistics show that sixty seven point four percent of the time you're in the other half.

Statistics are the biggest load of crap, it's all assumption. If you take a poll of 1,000 people and 250 respond one way and 750 respond the other...there is no justification in saying that 1/4th of Americans think one way on a topic and that 3/4ths of Americans think the other way.

It's all false assumption, and crap. Put the two together, what do you get? Statistics.