Math is for Liberal Elitists, Anyway

by Joey deVilla on November 26, 2009

Have you ever had a coach that asked you to “give 110 percent”? Judging from the infographic below, 193 is the new 110:

FOX Pie chart showing support for Republican candidates for 2012: 70% back Palin, 63% back Huckabee, 60% back Romney

If you’re going for sheer entertainment value and nothing else, back Palin. It would be like watching a real-life, large-scale version of Marat/Sade.

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Jeff November 26, 2009 at 11:35 am

Two things come to mind.

First, this new math could give the republicans more votes.

Second, the republicans seem to have bought Google Ads. You’re entire advertising is dominated by the former Governor.

2 Chris Charabaruk November 26, 2009 at 12:23 pm

Ah, good old Fox. I’ll bet they think the number 100 supports terrorism or something.

3 Slava November 26, 2009 at 11:15 pm

My favourite part: “SOURCE: OPINIONS”

4 Mark Jaquith November 27, 2009 at 6:09 am

• 100% of the people in my house support cat ownership.
• 50% of the people in my house support dog ownership.

Which is more likely: that I messed up the poll, or that support of dogs is not mutually exclusive of support of cats?

Your liberal elitist math is no match for skepticism and The Google. Also appearing in the poll but not on the pie chart is Oprah Winfrey with a 46% favorability rating among Republicans (seriously). Using a pie chart to represent independent percentages that might add up to more than 100% is non-standard, but not incorrect. Pie charts represent relative values, not exclusive percentage values.

For your penance, you must buy a loaf of non-organic non-fair-trade bread and shed a single tear as you contemplate what on earth you’re going to do with the five dollars you saved.

5 Joey deVilla November 27, 2009 at 9:16 am

Mark Jaquith: Yes, I figured that these were overlapping percentages, but the use of a pie chart to represent this isn’t quite right — it’s about as “non-standard” as using a brick to hammer in nails. Yes, it works, but surely there’s something better!

Your penance for trolling is to take up residence in “America’s Wang”: Florida. Oh, wait a minute…

6 Mark Jaquith November 30, 2009 at 3:13 am

Judge rules: graphical inelegance, no math failure. Your counter-counter-pennance is to take up residence in America’s unwashed rainbow propeller hat: Canada.

Leave a Comment

You can use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Previous post:

Next post: