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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: October 30th, 2023

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  • I get that CPI is a target for bad faith arguments from people with political agendas, this is because it has been politicized. It’s an important metric for the incumbent to point at to justify their effectiveness if it is favorable. It’s an election year, so that’s even more so the case. It bothers me that it has become such a politicized metric because it can be used to dismiss issues that are of legitimate concern. If the perception doesn’t match the statistics because people are watching doom and gloom on the news then yes, you’re right the statistics are more important than the grumbling of infotainment warriors. However, if the perception differs from the statistics because of personal experience, then it doesn’t matter how well the economy is doing by the numbers overall, the experience of those individuals is still valid. And I am saying from personal experience that it doesn’t feel that my dollars go as far as they used to, enough so that it impacts my options.

    The politicization of the statistics concerns me because it is in the best interest of the current administration (whoever that may be) and those advocating for them to dismiss those who are struggling as outliers or bad actors when any kind of national average is going to minimize local or regional factors. It is the politicization of the statistics that makes them more subject to scrutiny in my opinion, especially in a world where natural disasters and extreme weather events are becoming more common place. We may not need the same “basket of goods” as we once did.



  • I feel like you’re putting me in a position to argue against the scientific method, but I don’t think that’s actually the case. Statistics can be scientific, they can also be wrong. The scientific process allows for skepticism. To not consider questioning the methods given opposing perspective is not scientific, it’s dogmatic.

    The statistics may very well be accurate, but your level of faith in them is disturbing.


  • That is a shocking take in my opinion, one that borders on delusional. Statistics are the result of specific metrics collected by people who chose what specific data points to collect, the methods of collecting those metrics and chose the methods of presenting the data. They can reveal interesting aspects of reality that aren’t otherwise obvious and can depict a fairly accurate representation of reality as a whole if they are created in ernest using sound data collection techniques, but I’m pretty sure that the most qualified data scientists will disagree with the statement that “statistics are reality”. Especially if anyone in control of any part of that process has significant motivation for them to depict something specific.

    Statistics are only meaningful when you put them into context of their intent, limitations and error rate.

    Lies, damn lies, and statistics

    And even if the statistics hold true in aggregate, it’s not the full picture and can’t accurately describe or predict individual experiences. Perception is anecdotal, so it is not a perfect depiction of reality either. But if perception does not match the data, it’s an indicator that the data might be suspect.


  • There is a disconnect between the statistics and reality. I am not sure where, but I suspect inflation is not being calculated correctly. It may be that lower cost items rose at a higher rate, so even though it averages out, it’s harder to reduce spending. 17% doesn’t seem to match the numbers I’ve seen for take out and home prices for example.

    At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what’s on a chart it matters how many things people had to choose to not buy or do because they couldn’t afford it.


  • I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic. Either way, this is definitely the message that’s being broadcasted on loop in a lot of places, especially here. On the surface it seems to be trying to convince swing voters to lean left. If that’s the case, it very much misses the mark. I’m not positive that this is a US specific message, but that is my perspective.

    I had a much longer rant typed out, but it wasn’t terribly constructive. The long and short of it is that we have a lot of problems that need to be addressed in this world that have yet to even be acknowledged (and thus no solutions proposed) because they are being drowned out by the handful of arguments that are the most emotionally charged and thus, least productive to debate. Every election has been a “race to the bottom” and every year it starts earlier, lasts longer, and gets stupider. That is to say, there is no intellectual consideration whatsoever. It is no longer a discussion about governance, it is a cheerleading mantra for a sports team. The arguments are all emotionally charged and feel more like propaganda than discussion - this is what “both sides” are guilty of. The candidates don’t even bother to show up to debates anymore, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

    I have my opinion about who is the worst option, but that does nothing to convince someone looking for a reason to vote **for ** someone, not **against ** someone.