Thanks for correcting. In my opinion, "emotionally manipulative" is in the eye of the beholder. So in a way, you're both right. As for the underlying question

Thanks for correcting. In my opinion, "emotionally manipulative" is in the eye of the beholder. So in a way, you're both right. As for the underlying question of, is it helpful? I think it does help to visualize the scope of a disaster which people are asking to have trouble comprehending. Like Stalin said, one death is a tragedy. One million deaths is a statistic.