Thursday, January 17, 2008

Announcing the CDNEC Award for Bad Science

This is pretty much a placeholder post so that I can link back to it easily. The CDNEC Award (pronnounced Cedneck, rhymes with "Redneck") has been invented to mark studies and articles that best demonstrate complete lack of understanding that


Correlation Does Not Equal Causation


Meaning that if a group of fat people eat more asparagus than thin people, the conclusion that asparagus makes you fat is, well, STUPID.


Likewise if more people in a group of men have green eyes than in a group of women, concluding that WEARING GREEN CONTACT LENSES WILL MAKE YOU MALE, is, well, STUPID.


So for all those reporters, researchers, bloggers and editors that believe everything from lung cancer to ingrown toenails is CAUSED by fat, based on correlative evidence, and could be CURED simply by removing adipose tissue, I present the CDNEC:


Feel free to share, cross-post, or use on your own blog as-is, whenever you'd like.
Narf.
at

2 comments:

  1. Kate HardingJanuary 17, 2008 at 6:08 PM

    Outstanding concept and graphic! I will surely be linking to this series. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. cynthJanuary 17, 2008 at 9:33 PM

    Ha! I love everything about this.

    ReplyDelete

All comments may be moderated. If you think you're entitled to free speech, you are, on your own blog. This is my blog. I have opinions that are often subjective, and as I'm not running a documentary or research organization, there's nothing wrong with a little subjectivity. I also have the right to not approve or delete comments I find mean-spirited, idiotic or encouraging what I consider objectional, dangerous, or plain stupid practices (such as weight loss or cosmetic surgery, changing your body to please others (i.e. "dieting"), spreading hate, etc.). If you voice disagreement with anything I say, and you do it in an intelligent matter with clear research citations to your claims and conclusions (popular media articles don't count) I will probably allow the comment. I will also probably debate you and try to refute your claims. If at any time that devolves into stupidity or attack, I will start deleting your comments. If you disagree with what I say by spouting pseudoscientific popular opinion, displaying prejudice or hate, or otherwise acting like an ass-hat, I will delete your comment. That's pretty much the policy, subject to change without notice :-)