comment by b

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comment by b_b

b_b · 4874 days ago · link · · parent · post: "Choose your friends wisely, for they may someday determine your APR."

I agree that statistics are correlative, but they are most useful when they can applied to learn about a causal relationship. Correlative data that don't tease out a causal relationship aren't informative or useful. Consider for example, there is a strong correlation between sales of hot chocolate and reported cases of frostbite. According to these superficial treatments of statistics, if we ban hot chocolate sales, we should curb the instances of frostbite. Obviously, this an extreme example that it doesn't take very much brain power to see through, but that's the purpose of evaluating in the extreme.

An easier and more precise way to determine my earnings/holdings would be to look at my W2s and bank statements. I think this is one of the reasons I'm sensitive to this issue. When I bought my home it was a huge pain in the ass and nearly didn't get funded, but only because of the zip code in which I bought it, not because of my income, lack of down payment, history of paying bills, or the like. Its very frustrating to be treated like a data point, when you're actually a human.

Also, I refuse to get a Kroger card for exactly that reason.

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kleinbl00 · 4873 days ago · link ·

I'm not arguing with any of this, merely pointing out that if you live near a grocery store and want to save money, you're likely to get some sort of loyalty card (for the longest time, I used one I found in the parking lot, happily racking up rewards for a total stranger).

I'm also arguing that any data that can be collected will be collected and the responsibility for proper treatment of data that can be mined comes down to legislation and vendor practice, not the consumer. It's far too easy to hide implications and effects from the consumer and they're far too easy to bribe.