A. Grasping at correlation to justify product blame.

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:26:09 +0000

Title: A. Grasping at Correlation: How to Justify Product Blame Without Responsibility In the modern world of business and marketing, data is king—and sometimes, companies find themselves “grasping at correlation” to deflect accountability for product failures. This rhetorical and strategic maneuver, often labeled as A. Grasping at Correlation to Justify Product Blame, involves misusing statistical relationships to shift focus away from real issues, especially after a product launch goes wrong. ### What Does “Grasping at Correlation” Mean? To “grasp at correlation” means to assert a causal link between two variables—like customer complaints and a product launch—without sufficient evidence, using data superficially to blame external factors or trends. While correlation does not prove causation, savvy communicators and marketers frequently exploit this fallacy to deflect criticism. For instance, a company may claim, “Our sales dropped after the new feature rollout,” implying flaws in their product—without addressing poor design, faulty testing, or poor communication.