PALI LEHOHLA | At all costs, save statistics from the tyranny of tech and politics
Post-truth politics in the US spells disaster for the statistics in the country, as concerned experts have noted
10 February 2025 - 04:30
Stalin commissioned the execution of his chief statistician after the bean counter returned a population that was smaller than what Stalin anticipated. Stalin's policies had caused famine and peasants had died, but he had also killed a number with his hand. About that, he said: “One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic.” This was the tyranny of politics. A new tyranny is on the horizon. It is the tyranny of technology and money which I wrote about in 2017 at the United Nations Statistical Commission . This is now in full flight in the US — the paragon of democracy...
There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.
From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.
For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.
Already subscribed? Sign in below.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.