4 ms·

Im sure statistics helped the people who died today

randommodnar 11y ago
Seriously? That's what you come up with? Statistics didn't help them any less than it helps the people accidentally killed by firearms in the US. Those people are dead too. And there are more of them. And it's just as senseless. Honestly wtf.
- throwaway21816 11y ago
  Using gun deaths in the united states as against global terrorism is a flawed comparison. The US has more gun deaths than the united kingdom but it also has more guns and more people. When you expand the scope of terrorism related deaths to the entire world of course it is low, nobody in iceland has to worry about being bombed but someone in brussles, turkey, iraq or syria might disagree. I will take accidental gun deaths in the US over terrorism any day. I invite anyone on HN to go stand in northern iraq and I will stand at a shooting range all day.
  - johncolanduoni 11y ago
    You're right, accidental gun deaths are a bad and overly politically charged example to make the (valid) point about risk assessment. Car accidents are a much better example that are still far more likely to kill you in most nations, including Brussels (I'm not sure about Syria and Iraq, but I suspect there you are probably right).
  - randommodnar 11y ago
    Your own comparison is flawed. Standing in northern Iraq vs standing at a shooting range? What the fuck is this? Accidental gun deaths don't just happen at shooting ranges. It's children shooting their friends or parents at home. It's bystanders in gang violence. Take any other statistic for accidental or otherwise entirely preventable deaths. People get into a fucking panic and gloss over all kinds of much more important problems because TERRORISM. This is the whole point of terrorism! To cause FEAR and PANIC in order to force us to take some political action. I'm more worried about whether I'll make it home without getting killed on the highway! Howabout airline crashes? 34 people were bombed in Brussels? Guess what, 136 people died in airline crashes last year, and ~650 the year before! Are we going into a fucking panic about that? Of course the people who just got bombed will disagree... but they will have an entirely biased opinion that has absolutely no relevance to the overall reality. Why the heck do people keep repeating this line? Go ask somebody who was hit by lightning if we should be worried about getting hit by lightning! It's irrelevant!
isaacremuant 11y ago
Statistics don't help those who die in plane crashes either. We're not mocking the victims. We're just supporting the original statistical argument. Victims find no solace knowing they've suffered a highly improbably tragedy.
robk 11y ago
I wish I could automatically block any account that has throwaway in its handle
- throwaway21816 11y ago
  I wish I could automatically block any account that has SF in its bio
  - johncolanduoni 11y ago
    Have you ever clicked on that Y in the box at the top left of this page? There might be some valuable information about this site for you there.
- DanBC 11y ago
  I guess HN needs people to see them, to flag and downvote.
johncolanduoni 11y ago
No, but statistics might help some people understand why they shouldn't give in to fear when it comes to terror attacks since there are many, many more likely ways for them to die. This is pretty important since that fear is the whole goal of these attacks, and it also provides a way for non-terrorists to manipulate people for their own ends. Although I admit this particular method of alleviating fear might only work on people on HN.

Seriously? That's what you come up with? Statistics didn't help them any less than it helps the people accidentally killed by firearms in the US. Those people are dead too. And there are more of them. And it's just as senseless. Honestly wtf.

throwaway21816 11y ago
Using gun deaths in the united states as against global terrorism is a flawed comparison. The US has more gun deaths than the united kingdom but it also has more guns and more people. When you expand the scope of terrorism related deaths to the entire world of course it is low, nobody in iceland has to worry about being bombed but someone in brussles, turkey, iraq or syria might disagree. I will take accidental gun deaths in the US over terrorism any day. I invite anyone on HN to go stand in northern iraq and I will stand at a shooting range all day.
- johncolanduoni 11y ago
  You're right, accidental gun deaths are a bad and overly politically charged example to make the (valid) point about risk assessment. Car accidents are a much better example that are still far more likely to kill you in most nations, including Brussels (I'm not sure about Syria and Iraq, but I suspect there you are probably right).
- randommodnar 11y ago
  Your own comparison is flawed. Standing in northern Iraq vs standing at a shooting range? What the fuck is this? Accidental gun deaths don't just happen at shooting ranges. It's children shooting their friends or parents at home. It's bystanders in gang violence. Take any other statistic for accidental or otherwise entirely preventable deaths. People get into a fucking panic and gloss over all kinds of much more important problems because TERRORISM. This is the whole point of terrorism! To cause FEAR and PANIC in order to force us to take some political action. I'm more worried about whether I'll make it home without getting killed on the highway! Howabout airline crashes? 34 people were bombed in Brussels? Guess what, 136 people died in airline crashes last year, and ~650 the year before! Are we going into a fucking panic about that? Of course the people who just got bombed will disagree... but they will have an entirely biased opinion that has absolutely no relevance to the overall reality. Why the heck do people keep repeating this line? Go ask somebody who was hit by lightning if we should be worried about getting hit by lightning! It's irrelevant!

isaacremuant 11y ago

Statistics don't help those who die in plane crashes either. We're not mocking the victims. We're just supporting the original statistical argument. Victims find no solace knowing they've suffered a highly improbably tragedy.

robk 11y ago

I wish I could automatically block any account that has throwaway in its handle

throwaway21816 11y ago
I wish I could automatically block any account that has SF in its bio
- johncolanduoni 11y ago
  Have you ever clicked on that Y in the box at the top left of this page? There might be some valuable information about this site for you there.
DanBC 11y ago
I guess HN needs people to see them, to flag and downvote.

johncolanduoni 11y ago

No, but statistics might help some people understand why they shouldn't give in to fear when it comes to terror attacks since there are many, many more likely ways for them to die. This is pretty important since that fear is the whole goal of these attacks, and it also provides a way for non-terrorists to manipulate people for their own ends. Although I admit this particular method of alleviating fear might only work on people on HN.