Are You the Mean or a Standard Deviation?

Mathematical averages are as abstract as the formulas that determine them.  But they do show data: facts that can neither be spun nor rejected without mental fraud and personal peril.  Averages tend to be either mathematical (constructs where you take the sum of the data points and divide by the number of points), medians (where there are as many data points above as below the median line), or modes (the data point that occurs more often than any other).   
            The Washington Post recently ran an article on what the average American looks like. Since I have never met a graph I did not like, it was my first Post read this morning. I went to it for the fun but came to a sudden and jaw dropping stop at the end.  They had me at “average” but then trumped it with an ace.  See if you have the same reaction.
            Before we dip into a mathematical look at Americans, it is good to remember that all of us tend to see the world through the lens of our own experience.  In truth, the world seldom looks like our immediately surroundings, so being aware of what the numbers say is a useful filter. 
            First, the average American is a woman (by a slim 50.8%).  She is also white and not Hispanic (60.7%).  But when you decide you are going to look at the characteristics of just that pre-determined winner of the “average” auction you find yourself comparing her to all other Americans, which means you may—or may not—continue to represent the majority.  Nevertheless, this is what we know about the average American.  See how many of the boxes you tic:

1.       She is 52, though the most common age of Americans is 57 (mode) and the median is 37.7 years (the age at which exactly half of all Americans are older and half are younger).

2.      She has a bachelor’s degree.

3.      She works in education or health services.

4.      She earns almost $900/week.

5.      She lives in an urban area, is married, has a roughly 30 minute commute to work, and lives in a house she owns or is buying.

6.      She is a political independent but tends to vote Democratic.

7.      She voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

8.     This is how she feels about President Trump:

a.      she disapproves of his performance as President…

b.      believes he has strengthened the economy…

c.       but has weakened America’s standing globally…

d.      and would rather see Democrats control the House than Republicans.

            But, and this is the point that shocked and appalled me, our average American, though she belongs to all the demographics that tend to vote in higher numbers (white, older, better educated), will probably not vote in the up-coming elections!!!!
            Census data shows that our average American will not bother to vote this November.  Polling also says that 13% of all independents (the voters who make up the largest portion of the current electorate and lean Democratic) don’t plan on voting for either party. 
            If you never miss an election you might assume the mid-terms are a done deal.  You would be wrong.  This is also in line with a previous Washington Post study that says that the last election was largely determined by the millions of voters who had voted for Obama twice and chose not to vote at all in 2016.  [Which vindicated all the research I put into my Jan. 16, 2017 blog “John Lewis Misdirects His Anger Toward Trump.”]  
            Evidently, the course of the country will not be determined by the median, but by those that are a standard deviation off. 
            Break the mold and keep the faith.