One of the techniques of critical thinking is to recognize the dangers of subjective data collection. This is prevalent in all of us, because collecting data is skewed by the other natural functions of the human brain. In other words, if you aren’t aware of your own biases, you won’t collect data evenly.
A Survival Trait
In our tribal past, it was useful. If you had a run-in with a grizzly bear, for the rest of your life you would be on the lookout for such animals, and would observe their behaviour and “get the hell out of Dodge” when one showed up.
And so it was with white Ford pickups. I looked around one day and said to myself “Gosh, there are a lot of white Ford pickups in my town.” And then my critical thinking function kicked in. Is that supported by evidence?
Data: I’ve seen a lot of white Ford Pickups lately.
Conclusion: There are lots of them around.
Biases
Well, not necessarily. I asked myself, “What might bias me to notice white Ford Pickups? Well, the first thing I have to consider is that I’m on a bit of a hobbyhorse lately. I live in a small suburban town, forty kilometres from the nearest mountain or forest. Yet my neighbourhood is overflowing with a herd of humungous four-by-fours (of all colours and brands), jacked up on shocks and springs and mudder tires till owners need ladders (yes, built into tailgates and bumpers) to get in.
In this day of climate change and polluting fuels, that rather pisses me off. So, am I more likely to notice pickups? Yes.
But what about white Fords?
Well, as it happens my brother just bought an electric pickup, and we used it for a road trip this summer. And, yes, it’s a white Ford. Aha! Well, that does it. Pickups, especially white Fords, have been on my mind lately, so I am more likely to notice them. My theory of a glut of white Ford pickups is hereby debunked.
But Wait a Minute
Critical thinking doesn’t just mean arguing against yourself. It means collecting all the data. So, what else do I know?
A lot of companies buy white utility vehicles. Many of the white pickups I see are at construction sites. Thus, a lot of the pickups in my town will be white.
Also, Ford pickups are the best-selling vehicle in Canada. There are a lot of them all over.
Also, an informal survey indicates that many of my neighbours are tradesmen. I would expect a high number of work vehicles near me, and that’s the only valid reason anybody would have for owning a pickup in this area.
And the other day, as I was leaving my house I saw three of the dratted things in the first block. I said to myself, “That’s amazing.” I kept my eyes open, and darned if I didn’t spot three more in the next two blocks! That even outnumbers the Teslas!
Granting that my data was already skewed because I only started collecting after I had seen three of them, that’s still a lot of white Ford pickups.
So, is there an abnormally large number of white Ford Pickups in Tsawwassen? I have no idea.
But my deep-rooted survival instincts lead me to one conclusion. If there really is a White Ford Pickup cabal, they are watching me. If I disappear in the near future, you’ll know which direction to send the authorities.