It should be said, there's all kinds of situations where it makes sense to compare apples and oranges. You could compare their nutrition, to see which you shou

It should be said, there's all kinds of situations where it makes sense to compare apples and oranges. You could compare their nutrition, to see which you should eat. You could compare their price, to see which you should buy. As long as you're aware that you're comparing two things that aren't identical (and you always are), it's often perfectly valid to compare apples and oranges. Just don't claim they're both apples. I don't think anyone comparing Covid-19 and influenza, is unaware that they are different viruses. But, as when we compare gun violence to drug overdoses to traffic fatalities, it is often a useful and justifiable thing to do, to compare different dangers. Should I take the risk of flying (e.g. after 9/11), or drive 500 miles? Well driving and flying are very different, but it can make sense to compare them.