I wrote in my earlier blogs that there is a need for correct methods of analysis and presentation. I quite realize that media mostly wants to fill up their programming time or paper space as the case may be and well before the deadlines. Having said that I must add that incorrect analysis or presentation is a disservice to the public and in a way mislead them. No sir this is not niggling or nit pricking but an attempt to correct the conceptual framework. More on this at the end.
Dynamic Aggregation
By this Dynamic I am referring to the fact that the Aggregate (or Aggregate behaviour) under consideration changes with time. By Aggregation I mean that a measure or sum or summary is being talked about. To make it a little concrete Aggregate = people's preference for black, people's opinion about Mr Obama, Mr X's opinion about the American Dream , A companies performance, A nations economic performance.....
Disparate Entities
means that we are really trying to say something about a whole lot of different people or different situations or different causes etc. The word Entity is a place holder for people, situations, causes etc.
Examples and consequences of botch up
- Shobha De claimed young men are irreverent and further an interlocutor claimed that she was a society watcher. Clearly there are too many young men and all having different attitudes, levels of capability.... Assuming that the article was read by a youngster who probably regards her as a style icon or icon of some sort. He or she is likely to conclude that being irreverent is in. Yet others may conclude that they are out with the 'in' crowd. Of course she is more of rabble rouser than an academic. But why misrepresent ? Can't she simply say that this is what I feel. If the interlocutor simply said that this is what Behenji feels that is o.k But it is not o.k for the status of society watcher.
- According to Mr Shashi Tharoor one facet of USA is that of the Aggressor in Iraq another that of the land of opportunity. Clearly there are many more facets than he cared to list e.g as a land of technical excellence. In the context of prognosis for Obama regime from a former U.N official this is inadequate and highly superficial. Clearly this also involves aggregating either the facets , issues or problems. How can the solution (the prognosis ) be right when the steps in the problem identification/aggregation are wrong?
- David Miliband wrote “Resolution of the dispute over Kashmir would help deny extremists in the region one of their main calls to arms.” As is obvious by now this is aggregating over causes of the extremists calls to arms. Whether he or his aides were aware of what they were doing is besides the point. That they have ruffled feathers is indisputable. If they didn't see that they were into Aggregation of causes so much the worse for them.
- Sagarika Ghose claimed that Indians preferred fair brides. Which Indians ? Bengalis? What measure?Some dark girls who took it literally or seriously might actually develop low self worth.
What to do
Not to recognise Aggregation problem is in my opinion akin to not being able to do a simple sum. And If somebody fails to see the problem in bimt-poyt response mode I think he or she is semi-literate at best. There doesn't seem to be a dearth of this species.
- Recognise the nature of the argument when you see it.
- Reuse Aggregate measures which are well known wherever possible e.g GDP, opinion polls for what they are worth, Surveys , pie charts...
- Talk to some one who knows better on aggregating for the domain under consideration. May be an Anthropologist, Economist..
- If nothing better is known be fair and suitably qualify your Aggregation
Thinking correctly implies following certain rules of the game. One cannot organise the thinking without paradigms much like one cannot think of money without the paradigm of addition. In my opinion Aggregation over Entities is a paradigm
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