Are statistics useless?
What's the point of looking at the statistics of an issue? Don't we all know that they can be massaged and distort the reality of any situation??!?!
No
Shitty statistics distort the truth. Good statistics, however, always tell the truth... Even when they lie!!
Scrutinise all the statistics you look at, but when / if you find good statistics. Let them form a base of truth in your understanding of the world - Good Statistics can cut through your sample bias like a hot knife through butter.
For anyone interested in statistics I recommend checking out Spurious Correlations - it's a fun way to show that you can make some pretty crazy points with statistics.
For instance, did you know that the number of pool drownings correlates with the number of Nicholas Cage movies?!