Soapbox VI - The Purveyors of Extremism through Anecdotal Extrapolation

I watched and listened to Chris Cuomo of CNN in disbelief. Who he was interviewing I don't remember, but the question seemed incredulous. I'm paraphrasing from memory, but it was something like, "why do you suppose, in spite of the infinitesimal probability of becoming involved in a criminal act from an refugee terrorist - which is probably statistically less likely than being sat on by an elephant - there are so many people that believe they are in danger, and want the government to do something about that risk?"

I get the point. The probability of being involved in a terrorist incident as an American is very small, let alone being assaulted or dying at the hands of an illegal immigrant or refugee. But the fact that the question came from a leading member of the entertainment news media floored me. How often are we exposed to headline news that fills hours of coverage over several days describing, analyzing, and speculating over causes of events that are statistically anecdotal outliers. The chance that any one of us might become involved in such an event, with threat to our safety or well being, may be infinitesimal, yet the information and storyline are presented as though it could happen to me. The purpose, of course, is to elicit and emotional response that will keep us viewing, even through those revenue producing advertisements. For many, however, it feeds a sense that something should be done about it.

They, the media, have taught us to think of anecdotal extrapolations as normal, in the statistical sense. I'd argue that this causes many to lose the handle on perspective, feeding extremism. That the likes of Chris Cuomo don't see that they are fueling extremism in political problem solving through anecdotal extrapolation is a mystery. Or it's deliberate deception.