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readwriteteach writes:

in response to jduke2817:

I do really understand what you're saying. My issue is, and it has become all too common in order for OTHERS to get the answers that THEY want.


My life is being subjected to someone else' determination of what is important to me and mine. All for the purpose of reinforcing their already biased opinion.

Studies and statistics are rarely objective.

But the "who determines?" question is a red herring. Who determines mathematical truths? Who determines scientific truths? Who determines moral or evaluative truths? The answer in every case is that "we do." So, if you've objections to the objective measures being used, then raise those objections. But the objection can't be that "others are determining" unless those others refuse to listen to and respond to your objections, should you venture them. The fact is that the measures used in most of these studies are the results of lots and lots of debate between social scientists and others aimed at arriving at a best judgment as to a meaningful or accurate yardstick by which to measure well-being. That doesn't mean that they're right But it does mean that the "who appointed you to decide for me?" objection is off the mark. That said, you may have good substantive objections to the metrics used. Let's hear them. But bear in mind that the metrics can't be tailored for idiosyncratic particular cases -- they're meant to track a general phenomenon.
