The concept of the haves vs the have nots or the shrinking middle class is a perfect topic for statistical conversation.  Statistics are notorious for weaving stories to fit a cause, and that’s important information for reflection on any subject, statistical reference or not.

All data needs to be considered contextually.

Hans Rosling’s Ted Talk provides stunning data visualizations on global statistics.  Data visualization is evolving into magnificent interactive story-telling capability.  Big Data will continue to increase this tool’s power as more and more data is consumed and its essence can be sliced, diced, distilled and interpreted in an infinite array of possibilities.