This post will not deal with statistics (I know, 3 posts in and I’m already breaking with my proposed theme), though it does have to do with one of the reasons I think we let bad stats persuade us. Once we make our mind up about an issue, it seems all too easy to just take anything that conforms to our view of reality as true without any real verification. If I intend to blog about others drawing dubious conclusions, I figure it is only fair that I point out when I do it as well.
It should surprise no one that this started with social media. Yesterday I saw a post or tweet linking to a story about Idaho representative Vito Barbieri asking if a woman could swallow a camera for a remote gynecological exam. Here is an example of one such article1. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.