Some videos for thought

On why commonly stated statistics may not be accurate. Also, why supposedly smart people may believe in ridiculous beliefs.

Edit 5.4.2024: Direct links have been added to Aydin Paladin and After Skool’s YouTube channels. Also, two links have been added that refute two of the bulleted talking points below. The inclusion is not intended to clearly falsify the bulleted talking points, but more to further emphasize that some of these statistics touted by many people are likely to not be based on evidence.

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This post was originally going to be a rant about the protests going on right now across college campuses. However, that ran away from me and instead I wanted to focus on a few videos that I have recently come across, and are still rather pertinent to the current cultural climate.

False numbers and those who spout them

We come across many catchphrases, talking points, or sayings in our everyday life. In some instances they may not mean much to us and may just be more for fun and mildly superstitious beliefs, such as “don’t step on a crack or you’ll break your mother’s back”.

However, not all of these phrases are innocent, and in the current cultural climate we seem to have been inundated with, more specifically, statistical talking points that are inherently political or ideological in nature such as:

• 1 in 4 college girls will be assaulted

• Women make 77% what men make

• 97% of scientists believe in climate change

You can come up with any one of your own- I’m sure you’ve come across something that has been repeated many times over by large swarms of people. The problem with these phrases boils down to one thing- just how accurate are these statistical phrases?

People may repeat something without considering if what they are saying is actually true. That’s because such a statement may garner someone social points and may improve one’s image within certain ideological circles. Citing something quantifiable may also make something appear more factual in nature- surely the numbers had to have come from somewhere, right?

So rather than question the actual veracity of a statement we may just repeat it ad nauseum and not consider the possible implications. This leads many politicians or people within the public spotlight to repeat things such as the belief that there is a wage gap, which can then reflect in legislation and pop culture which can then influence a multitude of people’s perceptions.

And so repetition of something that may be false can have devastating consequences.

Here is a more recent example examined by YouTuber/psychologist Aydin Paladin. In this case Aydin takes a look at the supposed statistic that:

“2% of all rape allegations are false”.

This comes in lieu of various prominent Minecraft YouTubers being accused of impropriety and sexual misconduct, with accusers citing the above statistic in order to present the image that there is no reason for a woman to lie about being assaulted. In turn, this statement of fact has apparently been cited quite often as defense of the so-called MeToo movement and other similar movements.

Note that this is a sensitive topic for some readers, but I find it to be an interesting look into how we may want to check whether what we say is based on evidence or may be complete bull. We may come to find that most things we repeat may not actually be based in fact.

Delusions of the Intelligencia

We like to believe that the more intelligent we are the more likely we are to point out and avoid BS. However, the COVID pandemic has shown that to be false, and in fact has emphasized the point that those who are presumed to be “intelligent” or rather “educated” may be just as- if not more- inclined towards illogical beliefs and ideas as compared to those who are less intelligent or educated.

I came across this video from After Skool as part of my YouTube recommendation. I won’t make any claims to the actual veracity of the video, but I at least find it something to consider when we examine how people behave in the current world, especially when we think about how people can spin illogical beliefs into something allegedly “logical”. It also emphasizes the need to have more people who are both curious and humble- we need more people who are willing to ask questions and do their own research, but we also need people who are willing to be wrong and have their ideas changed. This is, at least, probably the most important takeaway from the video.

As always, apologies for not getting out as many articles as I would like, but hopefully these videos will interest some readers in the meantime and provide them some food for thought.

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