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Lies, damned lies, statistics… and the Washington Post on virginity
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics,” Mark Twain said, quoting Benjamin Disraeli.
But Twain would have probably added a fourth type of lie to Disraeli’s list after reading the recent Washington Post article “Premarital Abstinence Pledges Ineffective, Study Finds,” phony science used to push ideology.
What the author of the piece, Rob Stein, tries to lead his readers to believe, is clear from the subtitle: “Teenagers Who Make Such Promises Are Just as Likely to Have Sex, and Less Likely to Use Protection, the Data Indicate.”
But reading through the article, the much promised “data” actually evaporates.
more…
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics,” Mark Twain said, quoting Benjamin Disraeli.
But Twain would have probably added a fourth type of lie to Disraeli’s list after reading the recent Washington Post article “Premarital Abstinence Pledges Ineffective, Study Finds,” phony science used to push ideology.
What the author of the piece, Rob Stein, tries to lead his readers to believe, is clear from the subtitle: “Teenagers Who Make Such Promises Are Just as Likely to Have Sex, and Less Likely to Use Protection, the Data Indicate.”
But reading through the article, the much promised “data” actually evaporates.
more…