..is the title of an old classic movie. Not too off, I thought, from the kinds of correlations our media seems to enjoy these days- 'Studies show that men taller than 5 "11 prefer women with long hair'. Well, at least this one people are unlikely to take as a scientific truth. Or so one hopes!!As they well might, with 'Scientists say eat more tomatoes to avoid cancer'. Sure, anti-oxidants are good for a million things. But a random survey of a 100 people (Do you eat tomatoes? good. Do you have cancer? No? great. Scribble scribble..rush to make the morning edition) is hardly evidence for it! One degree better than Deepika Padukone asking us whether we know the secret for her youthful skin. Age? Heredity? Makeup?? All wrong. Its because some soap doesn't 'wash off' her skin proteins..and we kind of thought the proteins make the skin. Silly mistake. And it comes with extra vitamins. Never mind which. Extra anything seems to be a good advertising tactic, whether or no it enhances the product.Quite apart from whether or not true. Thats hardly an issue. What matters is what sells.
Opinion polls are even better. Statistics was clearly never a mandatory subject for the pollers..'75% of Indians think Abhinav Bindra should be given the Bharat Ratna' (for example). How many did you ask? if you're lucky, 200. 'INDIANS think'??
But then spurious correlations and hyperbolic statements are the order of the day. Like someone said, if you have a 24 hour news channel, you must have something to put in it. I suppose we do get entertainment, if not information :> But where are the days when every paper had an agricultural correspondent, and investigative journalism was not uncommon? We are grateful now when reporters allow the reported to complete their sentences. No doubt the media DOES highlight otherwise buried matters (albeit selectively) but could we have it with a tad more discrimination, please?
Oh well. 95% of those who read this post shall now write a letter to the editor.. :)
7 comments:
Very nice post Lass -- enjoyed reading it. Its even more stupid here in the US. The local news channel have absolutely no news about even the next state, let alone the world. Doesn't matter what is happening in the world, all that the news channels (not just local but all news channels) air are reports of the presidential elections! Crap!
200 people for an opinion poll? Are you kidding? It is never more than 100 :)
me likes. and me is replying to make up the 95% :)
Laas, you drive the point home with sheer elegance! I TOTALLY agree! The "Science and Technology" section of TOI is the most interesting. And the correlations? HEAVENS!!!!! I often open them seeing titles like "Onion has anti-cancer properties", looking for some information on anti-cancer chemicals being mentioned. Instead, what I see is a "survey" done on 200 people of some godforsaken town in America where some people happen to be eating onions in some form and don't happen to have cancer! Phew! I wish people would REALLY do something more worthwhile with all the time they have on TV!
(by the way, I was already in the 95% who wrote to the Editor when I read an article about beating depression in women and suggested that the women have a "One night stand" with the 'hottie'in the Office!!!!!! Beats me!!!!!!!)
Awesome writing. You said what I wanted to say, albeit better than I could ever have. :-)
Although I didn't understand the title... maybe my stupidity!
You have to subscribe to Ben Goldacre's http://www.badscience.net/. I am sure we all have a common platform to rant.creat
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