Inhumane Humility
Organizing statistical data has become surprisingly easy over the years through the use of diagrams, bar graphs, pie charts, and much more. These forms of displaying statistical data provide an aid for technical papers, and allow the reader to view something more than just words and help explain what words cannot. However, this statistical data, usually conveyed as numbers or percentages, seems to only display simply numbers or percentages, not the true emotion behind the data, such as the misery of death or the seriousness of some actions. In an article
chart becomes unethical since no human emotion is attached, and the pain and misery of past events is lost in he use of lone numbers. They believe that visual components such as pictures or cartoons will help add humanistic orientation to graphs and charts. However, the addition of visual components to a statistical graph in a technical paper adds a lucrative aspect that distorts the truth of data, and distracts from the technical aspects of the paper.
In the article, Cruel Pies, by Sam Dragga and Dan Voss, these two suggest that the lack of visual components to support technical subjects are inhumane, since merely statistical data, such as bar graphs or pie charts, do not display a humane aspect. Dragga and Voss suggest by adding visual components such as "photography, iconography, or a cartoon," to graphs, it will make the graph more ethically humane, since statistical data alone can't represent murder, casualties or fatalities. They believe that a lone number or percentage can not symbolize all the anguish or suffering that goes on in a death, thus making it unethical and immoral. A chart that displays human tragedy, such as deaths caused from the Vietnam War, consequently omits all the misery and pain of those that died by displaying their deaths only by numbers. Dragga and Voss believe this graph would be distorted and inhumane since the graph doesn't depict the true human emotion that went into this war (Dragga and Voss, 2001).
Dragga and Voss believe to take care of this unethical and inhumane problem, visual components should be added to add a humanistic aspect to the graph or chart. Still, in a technical paper, statistical data being displayed in a graph or chart is supposed to support the technical writing of the paper, and the statistical data is there to help the reader gain an understanding of the text; visual components should not be needed to comprehend this information. Should Scott F. Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby be considered inhumane since there are no visual components included inside the cover when inhumane acts of crime are committed such as Jay Gatsby getting murdered? Of course not, the restriction of visual components allows for the reader to be able to imagine the possible worlds that a novel can escape too, therefore letting the actual text depict imagery in the readers mind (Ash, 2001). Graphs and charts in technical papers are used to back up the text and to explain what the text cannot, and visual components are a redundant characteristic of a graph that does not need to be included in technical papers.
Just because a graph or chart does not have a visual component does not mean it can't display an accurate account for the statistical data. If a reader were to read a technical paper and glance at a chart where deaths were being displayed, the reader would be able to tell the real emotion of the graph simply by imagining the possibilities of death that might have occurred. Visual components not only distract the reader from comprehending the statistical data and the actual text, but turn the focus to the picture, and not the significant information, which is what is supposed to be understood. When viewing a graph or a chart with a visual component included, the focus of the reader is usually concentrated towards the visual component and not the statistical data. If the statistical data is supposed to be what is supporting the text, then the whole purpose of the chart or graph is lost, all due to the addition of the visual components.
Dragga and Voss suggest the use of visual components such as cartoons to exhibit "sensitivity and compassion." The two authors recommended the use of a cartoon lumberjack in Figure 1 to add a "human face" to the graph showing being a lumberjack is a high risk job. They say this "mercifully leaves the mutilating accidents to the reader's imagination." The purpose of the addition of a cartoon is to add humor and wit to the graph or chart, but inserting a cartoon into this serious statistical data only adds an element of comic relief. This takes away the seriousness of the graph, therefore making it less humane than it originally was and in turn, makes it even less ethical. Simply because a cartoon is inserted into a graph with statistical data, does not make it appeal to the humanistic emotions of people. If anything, it will take away from the seriousness of the data due to the cartoon acting as a comic relief and tainting any humanistic observations desired.
Since Dragga and Voss thought that the bar graph in Figure 2 was not humane enough, they decided to add a cartoon of a baby in a stroller sitting over a ledge of stairs with an arrow pointed down the stairs directly to an ambulance. They decided that this cartoon will help the reader to comprehend the seriousness of baby walker-related injuries by hopefully adding a humanistic element to the graph. This picture depicts everything but humanistic qualities, not only is this depiction of baby injuries grotesque, but totally unethical. By trying to turn this graph into an ethical masterpiece, they made it into a laughing infant joke that makes a horrible correlation between infants and strollers. By adding this picture, these two tried to add an element of humanity and realness, but rather turned this comical cartoon into nothing but a good laugh.
The main objective of statistical data is to present "honest, accurate and scientific" information to the reader. The main objective of charts and graphs in a technical paper is to explain what cannot be explained by just the plain text. It is supposed to back up the information provided inside the technical paper and provide a better understanding, not to strike a human emotion. By Dragga and Voss advising to add self-pitying cartoons to "humanize" the statistical data, it takes away from the seriousness of the statistical data, turning the graph or chart into a comical scene. Statistical data is supposed to inform the reader on a particular subject, not to amuse or appease them. It is the writer's job to correlate the text with the statistical data, not the visual components. (Dubay, 2001). Statistics and graphs in themselves can accurately link information in efficient and the addition of visual components adds an air of inhumane humility.
ReferencesDragga, S,; Voss, D. (Aug. 2001). Cruel pies: the inhumanity of technical illustrations. Technical Communication. Retrieved November 19th, 2004, from http://www.techcomm-online.com/issues/v48n3/full/0470.html
Ash, P. (2001). Letters to the editor. Boston chapter member. Retrieved November 19th, 2004, from http://www.rit.edu/~pmsgsl/Ethics%20in%20TechComm/Letters%20to%20the%20editor%20Dragga%20and%20Voss.htm
Dubay, B. (2001). Letters to the editor. Orange county chapter, senior member. Retrieved November 19th, 2003, from http://www.rit.edu/~pmsgsl/Ethics%20in%20TechComm/Letters%20to%20the%20editor%20Dragga%20and%20Voss.htm
Technorati Tags: Inhumane, Humility,
Comments
Gregory posted on 07/12/2010 @ 10:06:13 am
Nice post ,I love it but the title is kind of awkward.lol doshopin
Gregory posted on 07/12/2010 @ 10:08:11 am
Sorry for the bad clickable link here it is again haha