Mathematical Proof That The Media is Sexist and Bad at Math

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on the article "Mathematical Proof That The Media is Sexist and Bad at Math," which critiques media representations of gender and sexual behavior. It highlights the discrepancies in how men and women report sexual partners, with men often inflating their numbers and women downplaying theirs. The discussion emphasizes the need for more rigorous methodologies in studies about sexual behavior to account for these biases. Additionally, it points out the societal pressures that influence these reporting behaviors, particularly the stigma women face regarding sexual history.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic statistical concepts such as average and median.
  • Familiarity with gender studies and societal norms regarding sexuality.
  • Knowledge of research methodologies in social sciences.
  • Awareness of media literacy and critical analysis of media content.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research "gender differences in sexual behavior reporting" to understand biases in self-reported data.
  • Explore "social stigma and its impact on sexual behavior" to analyze societal influences on reporting.
  • Learn about "statistical methods for analyzing survey data" to improve understanding of data interpretation.
  • Investigate "media representation of gender and sexuality" to critically assess media narratives.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for sociologists, gender studies researchers, media analysts, and anyone interested in understanding the intersection of media representation and sexual behavior reporting.

AnTiFreeze3
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"Mathematical Proof That The Media is Sexist and Bad at Math"

Here's is a link to my favorite comedy website: Cracked.com (The website itself may be NSFW, but this particular article doesn't get vulgar).

I thought that this was an interesting article that points out what is too obvious for the media to pick up on: For every male partner, there needs to be a female partner; and also that men lie, as do women, for different reasons. It also has the word "math" in the title, and uses some basic calculations, so maybe it'll be attractive to read for those of you who consider literature to be math books.

I just felt like sharing something that points out another lack of thinking on the part of the media.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org


The only way it would be possible, of what the article discusses, is if there were tons of guys acting in homosexual ways, which i presume is false
 


There's the issue of what a person considers "sex", to consider. Things that wouldn't count as 'having sex" among your guy friends would be grounds for divorce for sexual infidelity if you were married, or impeachment if you were a U.S. President.
 


In other words, guys consider more things to be sex than women do - which is true.

And articles citing studies where men have more sexual partners than women are truthful reporting, with the mathematical impossibility of that prompting people to find better ways of conducting their studies, more ways of making sure the participants know not even the anonymous test giver will know their answers, etc.

And studies asking just what do people consider "sex", with those results also differing by gender.

But there's a definite feeling males find ways to boost their numbers, either through outright lying or more liberal definitions of what constitutes sex, while females find ways to reduce their number, either through outright lying or a more restrictive definition of what constitutes sex.
 


BobG said:
But there's a definite feeling males find ways to boost their numbers, either through outright lying or more liberal definitions of what constitutes sex, while females find ways to reduce their number, either through outright lying or a more restrictive definition of what constitutes sex.
Absolutely. A notch on the bedpost is considered a badge of honor for a guy while for a girl it's a potential liability. Girls are afraid of the "s" word in a way you could never induce men to be.
 


zoobyshoe said:
Absolutely. A notch on the bedpost is considered a badge of honor for a guy while for a girl it's a potential liability. Girls are afraid of the "s" word in a way you could never induce men to be.

That's a big part of the article. For guys, it's a bragging right to say that you've slept with someone, whereas with women, it's socially "indecent" to have slept with a high number of guys.
 


I saw those "studies" and thought the same thing. "Then who are those guys sleeping with, each other?"
 


You should also pay attention to whether they're talking about "average" or "median".

Seeing as how the overwhelming majority of prostitutes are female, the median for males could be higher than females even though their average number has to be equal. Plus, there's always the possibility that a random sample doesn't pick up prostitutes, since I don't think a very high percentage of the female population chooses that for an extra side job.
 


Proof that media viewers are bad at math!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbX44YSsQ2I

Obviously the audience wasn't packed with construction workers, since knowing how to square the corners of a basement, a house's walls, etc, are pretty important. But, then again, I guess most just know
3, 4, and 5
and might have never actually squared them. (Just in case anybody wanted to solve this themselves :smile:)
 
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