Details are hard. They take time to read. Sometimes the fine print is confusing or the technical terms are not readily known. Often times it takes a wealth of subject understanding to be able to use the details. And yet, I see time after time a detail or statistic or fact about some massively complex issue being cited as reason for outrage or fear or worry.
1 in 10,000 babies die from disease x
23 Million people will drop from health care coverage
There is a 1 in 5 chance a major earthquake will happen in the next 50 years
All of these statements can be causes of fear or anger when cited as a headline. But none of them give the ignorant reader the context to understand.
The first: 1 in 10,000 makes a mother think of her ONE baby and many people are not able to see that number as essentially 0 (.000001). This is just an example but you get the idea.
I can't tell you how many statistics of death or serious diseases I had to walk through during my wife's recent pregnancy. Each was presented as a reason for great alarm and ceasing some activity or consumption of a food or beverage.
The second headline: can we all just admit there are few people that actually understand health care coverage completely and one quick sentence cited in our favorite media outlet is a poor source for informing our opinion on a 200 page document? Or am I the only one that has frustrating conversations with my health insurance provider about the definition of “Maximum Out of Pocket Expense"? I have had to apologize too many times about my tone after talking with the customer service representative.
The third: the Big One… the fabled earthquake coming our way. I’m not even sure what to do with that information. Can we actually mitigate that? In 50 years? It sounds so catastrophic we should be praying to God for mercy.
I have only heard the stat used as justification to have earthquake valves installed on your gas meters. Because a residential gas leak is going to be a major concern if the Willamette Valley is flooded by a Tsunami.
Madison said in the Federalist Papers that "knowledge will always rule over ignorance." The lesson is two fold. If you want to rule, gain knowledge. Secondly an admonition, if one has knowledge a wise and kind person will wield it over the ignorant with grace and consideration for their good.
I was a service tech for an HVAC company for 5 years. I know the details of a gas furnace and it's inner workings far more than I want to. I am an expert. But every day I would simplify my explanation and give people the information they needed to make a decision about the heating source of their home. I explained what was needed for safety and effectiveness. And I never said in an alarmist fashion, “Your furnace is a metal box filled with multiple nozzles pouring burning gas and fumes at 1,950 degrees and your only protection between the deadly flue gases and you is several millimeters of aging steel.” It is true but it was not helpful. I know many people for whom that would have only caused them to lay awake at night or shut off their furnace for fear of death.
Instead, everyday, I knew it was my responsibility to educate for their good. Not my sale, not an added accessory. For their good. That is a hard task and one any leader, educator, writer, or influencer should take as a heavy load.
I am not asking us to avoid details but I would have us explain them and educate our listeners rather than propagate a fact that sounds like something worth clicking. Unfortunately, the ones that would listen to this plea are not the problem.