• penguin@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      74
      ·
      11 months ago

      My favourite way to teach how averages aren’t always the perfect metric is:

      Most people have higher than the average number of arms.

            • irmoz
              cake
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              14
              ·
              edit-2
              11 months ago

              For various reasons, yes, many are missing one or more testicles

              I’d say testicular cancer and castration, voluntary or not, account for many of that number

              • bric@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                11 months ago

                Right, but is it more than 2 missing testicles per 102 men? Because that’s what it would take to make the average less than one

                • irmoz
                  cake
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  11 months ago

                  Well, the numbers seem to say yes

                  • bric@lemm.ee
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    2
                    ·
                    11 months ago

                    What numbers, because while it’s not exactly easy to google for, the numbers I’m seeing don’t line up with that. Undescended testicles are relatively common, but that’s fixable by surgery and they aren’t missing, while testicular cancer, surgical castration (not chemical), and transgender surgeries all seem to account for far less than 1% of the population.