The above video asserts that Bob Barker's message about controlling the pet population paid off. But it doesn't specify how it paid off. All we know is that he was an animal rights activist and that Drew Carey carried on the traditional message at sign-off. This video implies that Bob's message paid off, but did it?
My question: Did Bob Barker manage to effect any measurable change in the animal population by reminding viewers to have their pets spayed or neutered?
Note, this article does not answer the question. The intent here is to evaluate how a conclusion would be verified.
It bothers me that the video would assert "Bob Barker's Quest To Get Your Pet Spayed or Neutered Pays Off ..." The video makes zero attempts to support the title, unless you are very liberal about how to interpret "pays off." So how can we know for certain if it paid off?
Method 1: Access to many worlds.
If we had access to the information of a parallel universe where Bob Barker's daily message throughout the years was something other than controlling the pet population, we could investigate the statistics about animal control and verify that his message was indeed efficacious in our world.
Method 2: Access to many nations.
We could look at the animal populations of nations were The Price is Right started being broadcast and compare previous years leading up to broadcasts in later years.
Method 3: Access to many markets.
We could evaluate markets where The Price is Right had low viewership, but otherwise was basically the same as other markets. In doing so, we could test if low viewership corresponded with higher pet populations.
Obviously Method 1 is pure science fiction, but understanding it allows us to wrap our heads around other methods while Methods 2 and 3 are realistic, but require tabulation.
I'm sure there are even more clever methods for evaluating the answer to this question. Maybe correlation does not imply causation, but it doesn't completely exclude it either.
It's a complicated subject and I canot give you my opinion. In any case it is interesting.
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This post received a 1% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @izbing! For more information, click here!
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Why can't you give your opinion? It's a free world. It doesn't matter what your opinion is - nobody will ever know as absolute fact - what the answer is 100% - may be able to come to a very rational and logical conclusion but I for one am interested in your opinion
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Perhaps Bob Barker appears to have no effect on the pet population. However how would it have played out if I or some celeb like him not spoken out over the last several decades. We will never know. Also the placement of when he spoke about pets (at the end when no one was listening) may have played a role in its ineffectiveness. Perhaps the placement then has a greater influence than statistics. Thanks for a great post. - Troy
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Right, there's an aspect observed when a message is given so often that is has no effect or even the opposite effect.
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I undersand your point @enjoyeithtroy - however I do not agree with the statement of "at the end nobody was listening" - I grew up with the Price is right - watching it with my grandparents at 5-8 years old every day.. And I can remember back then asking about what "neutered" meant - lol - but more importantly - to me - it was a part of the show - just as important as the theme song hyped you up to watch the show in the beginning - it was incorporated into Bob's daily farewell "Good-Bye".
I'd be willing to be that more than 90% of Americans who watched the show daily could answer the question "What did Bob Barker remind us all to do at the end of The Price is Right?"
I believe that kind of message - the repetitious kind that you no longer need to hear but stil hear - gets embedded into our psyche just as brainwashing a person into believing something to be true, or a necessity - regardless of their own personal opinion.
Just my thoughts of the scandalous Bob Barker - on Brainwashing Society - into controlling the pet population.
The topic and idea is actually quite intriguing as I'm sure many studies could be done to see if his message produced results since he was on the air for 35 straight years!
One might also argue that his message had an effect not only on society but a longer lasting effect on successive generations in society..
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A random, but interesting question. Well to start us off The Price is Right has been broadcast in 43 counties including America according to the Wikipedia page.
And here is a map of the top 10 dog population of the world.
soruce
I know its not much. But its start. :)
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Yep. On this face someone might think this is a counter-example, that his message did more harm than good. But in reality, one would want to first consider finding a way to control for higher populations due to other reasons.
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What about the fucking prison population.
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