Oh this is one of my favorites! I love cherries and I’m certain I have cherry picked data in my arguments before. It’s easily done, that’s for sure because we don’t always stop for a moment and think about what’s not being said in the argument, what’s being omitted, or what we don’t know about a subject.
Let’s get started!
Cherry-picking data refers to selecting information that supports a particular position, usually a controversial one, while ignoring relevant contradictory evidence. This leaves a bad taste in the mouth of many scientists who strive to pick all the cherries and mash them together before tasting. www.mcgill.ca/…
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Cherry Picking (also known as: ignoring inconvenient data, suppressed evidence, fallacy of incomplete evidence, argument by selective observation, argument by half-truth, card stacking, fallacy of exclusion, ignoring the counter evidence, one-sided assessment, slanting, one-sidedness)
Description: When only select evidence is presented in order to persuade the audience to accept a position, and evidence that would go against the position is withheld. The stronger the withheld evidence, the more fallacious the argument. www.logicallyfallacious.com/...
When I read this story on Twitter, I immediately thought it was an excellent example to share here. We’ll be hearing lots of stories about the ruin of cities run by Democrats in the run up to the mid-term elections.
I am grateful that someone took the time to break down the actual statistics of the crime stats in San Francisco.
And here’s the kicker...San Francisco’s new DA, Chesa Boudin is fighting a recall based on the false message of being soft on crime. The recall is being funded by right wing billionaires. Ugh.
So, in the example in this long thread what we see is cherry picking the data being used to support a story that crime is out of control in San Francisco. The Washington Post article uses percentages because they support the false narrative of out of control crime. He also used comparisons from the pandemic year of 2020 to 2021.
A double digit percent increase in homicides, (from 10 to 11), was 1 additional murder. Double digit sounds far scarier than a slight increase from 10 to 11 murders.
Not surprisingly comparing prices now to during the heart of the pandemic are also used to slam Pres. Biden for gas prices he doesn’t control. OMG, gas is up a zillion percent from twelve months ago!!!!
This next example of one I fell for at first because it looks so maddening and there are several examples of the point the person is making — that then Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is being singled out and not given the respect she is due by including her title when referencing her.
However, what we don’t see is when others don’t have their title included or when now Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson does have her title included. We really have no idea how often this happens and the level of egregiousness is being shown.
I don’t know what the guidelines are that CNN is supposedly following and if it varies for social media versus television, and their online site.
One more example, just for fun, because who doesn’t like dunking on Peter Doocy.
The Tweet I’m referencing is the 2nd one and it’s wonderful how easily and quickly Jen Psaki gets to the point about the differences between the two events.
Let’s review!
False Equivalency alert!
Happy Wednesday!
What’s on your mind?