Comments on: The Statistician is a Slut

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:31:27 +0000

Colleen,

I have recently been catching up on your blog and got to this post. I like Adam Spencer and Dr Karl, and a lot of what they say is designed to appeal to a very specific audience, the type of audience that can relate to calling a discipline like statistics “slutty”. Anyway, Adam Spencer’s comment reminds of a quote popularised by Mark Twain, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” I think what he meant is that statistics can be put to use proving different sides of the same argument. See more in the Wikipedia link below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics

Enjoying your blog and you overcoming your challenges.

Cheers,
Peter

By: Colleen Chan

Colleen Chan — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:32:33 +0000

Zvi,

You made me laugh.

Recently there was a posting in one of my groups. It asked the business analyst whether you believed the glass was half full or half empty. My reply, “as a statistician, I can always work the numbers to make the glass look full”.

There are always some that will always try to work the numbers so that they will suit them. Not only statisticians will do this but I believe the worst offenders are the creative accountants. Erron springs to mind.

The statement is a biased view on statistician. We do such good work for research in so many industries. There are definitely more slutty numbers’ people out there than statisticians. It is the statistician that measure and compare built on sound theory and logic.

Poor choice of words by Adam.

By: Zvi

Zvi — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:09:20 +0000

I think that you are missing the point: statistics can be considered ‘slutty’ because of the tendency of certain analysts to ‘massage the data to get the desired results.’ That is not being intellectually honest, it is being … well, slutty!

By: Colleen Chan

Colleen Chan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:28:33 +0000

This is why statistics is so important, it helps us measure and compare, re: Data Analytics?!! Early detection is a must, not just using breast screens. I have been very fortunate or not, I had a benign tumour removed from my breast in my early 30’s and only because my sister had found a malignant tumour in her 20’s. She was lucky to have detected it early not to have the cancer spread into her lymph nodes, now she has 3 beautiful children. And we all have our regular screenings when the breast clinic van is in town. Thank you Jo for adding your very important statement. Statistics is a necessity for human curiosity to learn and prevent. Maybe the politicians should think about that while they are all in Copenhagen!

By: Jo Firth

Jo Firth — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:54:01 +0000

I love stat! I run my business by opposites. Give me a statistic, and I look at the opposite. Same as my business philosophy:
I have a breast screening company in Australia. Our opposites:
Younger rather than older women (all women are young)
Safe rather than invasive
Comfortable rather than painful
Health rather than
Prevention rather than treatment
Early, preclinical clues rather than late evidence
etc.

Shows up in the stats:
In Australia, 63% of women diagnosed are over 50 (the target screening population. 27% are under 50!
30% of diagnoses are found through the screening program. 70% are not.

I love statistics!
Jo
Safe Breast Imaging

By: Miriam

Miriam — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:43:53 +0000

I may comment that Stats can make more generalisations, reducing a problem into its basic elements/variables, and trying to “ignore” the rest. It is well known that Stats can “massage” the data, adding and subtracting elements. Thus the credibility of the Stats process is important. Stats can also logically argue something untrue (e.g. the world starfish population is directly correlated to the amount of mail Santa gets). It is less feasible for pure mathematics to do this. Persumably Adam is connecting this with cultural generalisations regarding female sexuality, availability of it, and ability for it to be used to ge something desired. Basically, that quote was deleted for a reason. Best to ignore.

By: Amit K

Amit K — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:30:33 +0000

people are always jealous for what they see in others and what they dont have.
Be proud to be universal. any TEXT can not be complete without you. you are always needed for the needs and not the wants.

MANAGERS cannot measure PERFORMANCE without you, otherwise nobody can earn, not even MANAGERS.

By: Gayle N

Gayle N — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:45:15 +0000

Might it be that if the statistician gathers data that proves things to be contrary to what person A wants everyone to believe that instead of rethinking their position, person A attacks the credibility of the messenger? This is clearly being seen in another controversy in the news where the press and specific people make it clear they feel it is just fine and even proper to lie and alter data as long as in doing so you help to prove their point.
Thus I would have to assume that if the statistician is honest and their findings are not slanted to back their beliefs or the beliefs of those paying them, tht whoever calls them names, does not like the truth.

By: Colleen Chan

Colleen Chan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:08:18 +0000

But you did… so who is pandering???

By: Susie Li

Susie Li — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:49:10 +0000

This posting doesn’t dignify a reponse, either to the mathematician who did the denigrating, or to the statistician who did the pandering.

By: Nicole J

Nicole J — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:30:44 +0000

I am a statistician-to-be (an undergraduate studying to become a statistician) and cannot believe that someone would ever insult statisticians! Why are they sluts when the work they do is incredibly important?

By: Philipp

Philipp — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:45:05 +0000

Dear Colleen,

Hit him harder !!!

Take care and have a nice weekend.

Cheers, Philipp