Cancer is Crap: Make That 50%
October 19 2009, 4:37 pm
I don’t know how long the crocodile hunter thing is going to sustain me, so I thought I should ask everyone to give me their own versions of “23%” – bogus statistical probabilities to help me keep perspective on that nasty stat that threw me for such a loop last week.
My husband volunteered that there is a 23% chance the average person would lose their mind before actually being able to understand statistical mathematics. My friend Sharyn said there is a 32% chance that the reporter who quoted the stats is dyslexic. But the best by far was when she added that there is in fact no 23% — that it’s always and only a 50% chance for any of us — you either live or die, that’s it. Smart cookie, that Sharyn. I give her a 23% chance of getting all verklempt when she reads this. More likely she’s saying “That’s right. Atta girl.”
