arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

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STUFFING US WITH STATS

What does become clear is how what is least important gets the best television coverage. Sportscasters stiff us with facts, statistics and background on the players and their past performance. They offer insights into the strategy of the teams and they assess tactics. When was the last time you saw that in political coverage?

Do we ever hear how many bills Politician X has passed? Or who funds his or her campaign?

How about some background on US military spending? Those stats are available in the new Harper’s Index. “Total US military spending the Bush Administration projects it will have spent by the end of 2008: $3,200,000,000,000." This is contrasted with total U.S. military spending between l941 and 1948: $3,100,000,000,000. That means Bush & Co. are spending more than was spent fighting World War II and the early years of the Cold War. Yes, sometimes they go on trivial pursuits such as "number of people per sauna in Finland: 2.5," but at least you get a sense of relationships and historical comparisons that is missing in most news.