Creepy statistics applied to the SDMB

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

The board has approximately 66,500 members. I know the active membership is far lower than that, but let’s ignore that. I also know that we aren’t an absolute microcosm of society–I’d bet that the membership tends to skew higher in intelligence, probably in income, education, etc. And I also realize that the age range of the board doesn’t include, say, young children, and that our percentage of really old people is smaller than “the general population”. Let’s ignore all of that, too. After all, you can use statistics to show whatever you want, it’s not like vague stuff like this actually means anything. OK that out of the way:

If we apply statistical breakdowns of society to the board population as if it were, say, a town, that means that there would be X number of doctors, X number of teachers, X number of millionaires, X number of homosexuals, etc.

It also means that there would be X number of murderers, rapists, sociopaths, etc.

Understanding that the board spans the globe, and that things like criminals-per-capita vary a lot from culture to culture, does anyone know where to find generalized statistics like that? When I search I find things like murders per capita, but not murderers. I’m just curious how many of X* type of creepy person a population of over 66,000 people is likely to have.

This thread is as pointless as it gets, certainly. I am by no means trying to make any sort of a point or accusation, it’s just one of those creepy thoughts that goes through one’s mind.

Edited to add: I mean for this to be a fun silly thread throwing scary statistical numbers around… let’s please not make it into a thread about all the reasons why such statistics can’t be applied. We already know that they’re meaningless, it’s just for fun.
*the math police are going to come after me for re-using the same variable to mean different things, aren’t they…

2

I rape sociopaths. I see what I do as a public service; the kind that nobody else wants to do.

Do I win?

3

Well I have no idea at all.

In fact, I’ve never even thought of it, not even once.

Of course, now that’s all changed.

Now I’m thinking about it too.

Some days I’m almost certain that reading this board contributes to me being even odder than I was to begin with.

4

This is the kind of thing I think about in crowds, too. Like you know that statistic… what is it, one in four women will be raped at some point? So I’ll be in a restaurant and look around, thinking “statistically, there are probably several rape victims in this room…”

5

You think? I don’t know about that. I’m sure types of crimes vary a lot (eg. gun crime more common in the US than in the Netherlands maybe, or kiddnapping more common in Iraq than in Canada), but if I’m reading your OP right, and you just want people who are plain ol’ scumbags (convicted of a crime or not), I’d wager they are pretty evenly scattered across the face of the globe.

6

I don’t think statistics per se would provide the answer. ‘Intenet users’ is a subset of the public and ‘message board readers’ is a subset of that subset. Add to that the fact that a disproportionate number of criminals have learning disorders and other disorders which would mean they are likely homeless and therefore unlikely to have computers and you may find that there are actually relatively few murderers, rapists, etc. on this board compared with the numbers found in the general population.

7

Sociopath, checking in. Quit looking at my ass, LOUNE.

8

I rape people that rape sociopaths. Part of it is that I think sociopaths deserve our sympathy. I wouldn’t laugh at you if you were walking down the street with no arms and no legs. That’s why I don’t laugh at people that are missing a conscience and morals.

9

Do Earthworms *have *asses?

10

Now we’re talking!!

Gimme that rape!

11

Well I mean people who have committed those crimes, convicted or not. E.g. “someone who has murdered someone” or “…raped someone” etc.

12

“I mean for this to be a fun silly thread throwing scary statistical numbers around… let’s please not make it into a thread about all the reasons why such statistics can’t be applied. We already know that they’re meaningless, it’s just for fun.”

“If we apply statistical breakdowns of society to the board population as if it were, say, a town”

13

Back on topic, I’ve thought of the same thing when I’m sitting, waiting for my food in restaurants.

http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

14

Insomuch as these terms are not necessarily mutually exclusive I’d just add that I…uh…know this guy…and he, this guy, might be considered to fill the required statistic himself.

I’m just sayin’

15

Never mind how many are murderers, how many are Terran?

16

That sorta depends on which end you’re looking at. Ed Zachary disease and all…

17

… that you’re a murderer, rapist, and sociopath? :dubious: That’s what it sounds like from your post. Just sayin’.

18

I wonder whether there are fewer murderers than murders, becuase of serial killers and other individuals who commit multiple murders,

or whether thare are more murderers than murders, because of so many accomplices and groups acting in accord to kill individuals.

Enquiring minds want to know.

19

See now this is the exact sort of thing that goes through my mind when certain people post threads like THIS!

Do I really want these people to know my secrets?

20

Let’s assume that one percent of the American population has been sentenced to prison (which is ballpark correct). And let’s assume that a third of the people in prison were sentenced for violent crimes like murder or rape (again ballpark correct). We’ll ignore people on parole or probabtion on the theory that violent criminals are less likely to be released then non-violent criminals. And we’ll ignore prisoners who have been falsely convicted and criminals who haven’t been caught and/or convicted on the basis that I can’t think of any meaningful way to abstract their numbers.

So using these figures we can assume that in a random population of 66,000 Americans, you’d expect to find that about 200 of them have been convicted of a violent crime. Although obviously prisoners are going to be under-represented on an online message board.