[G'day! Can I interest you in stereotypical characterization?]
SYDNEY — A study published Friday in a British medical journal may have uncovered the secret behind Australia's laid-back lifestyle, and it turns out to be more than just sun and surf: The folks Down Under consume more marijuana than any other people on the planet.That's coming from a Seattle Times article published January 6, "Marijuana use highest in Australia, study finds." It's a report on an article published in the scientific journal, The Lancet, titled "Extent of illicit drug use and dependence, and their contribution to the global burden of disease."
The only problem is, the study didn't actually find that Australians (Oceanians in the study) consume more marijuana than any other nation.
Problem 1: The study does not look at net consumption. Rather it considers use percentage, meaning that a higher percentage of people from Oceania use pot than, say, Europeans. It does not indicate that Australia and New Zealand consume more weed than any other nation.
Problem 2: The journalist again fails in accurately explaining the research. The numbers presented in the study are sketchy, because they come from a variety of sources. Consumption of marijuana in Oceania is estimated at a range of 9.3-13.8 percent. North America, meanwhile, is estimated at exactly 10.7 percent, based on official government statistics. This means that at the highest rate of use, Oceania outpuffs North America, while at the lowest rate of use, North America outblazes Oceania.
Besides, if you're going to list the highest estimated percentage of use, west and central Africa wins the weed war hands down, with an estimated 5.2-14.6 percent use rate. This makes perfect sense, right? When most people think "laid back," the first nations that come to mind are the Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. Which leads us to...
Problem 3: Stereotyping. It is the journalist's assertion that pot is linked to a society's collective lifestyle. He leaves out that Oceania also topped the list for amphetamines. And if there's one thing you don't want to take to have a laid back shrimp-on-the-barbie-que, it's a central nervous system stimulant.
Why not comment on the North American lifestyle, which has the highest rate of cocaine use (1.9 percent)? The answer is clear: First, an indicator such as drug use is insufficient for explaining broad cultural trends. Second, these cultural trends are themselves stereotypes, whereas the truth defies simple labeling. We saw above that North America has a high use rate of marijuana, but no one would say pot mellows Americans out. America simply isn't perceived that way.
The Seattle Times may have won eight Pulitzer Prizes, but its stereotyped and inaccurate coverage of this story should go up in smoke.
Posts
Great commentary. Any insight into why ST took this disingenuous route? Is it sensationalism and the need for an excellent hook? The Western need to linguistically categorize all experience? American love for stereotypes?
ReplyDeletedelvebelow, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'd have to guess this phenomenon results from a number of factors. The lede is probably sensational because it gets hits, even if it is disingenuous. Editors and readers play off each other; editors run the risk of pandering to an audience to the detriment of journalism, while the audience reads and shares articles without critically considering the content. It perpetuates inaccurate writing and sensational headlines. (See also: the Huffington Post).
DeleteThe scholar in me is intrigued by your second guess: the Western need to linguistically categorize all experience. I'd say that journalism fills this need in general, but in this case does so inappropriately. This is why stereotypes are so easy, though I would be wary to say they are simply an American obsession. There is danger in essentializing any person, object, or idea.