Which Democratic candidate will/do your support?

husker wrote:

Quote:
Americans are hopelessly ignorant

That's a sad statement - then who is to blame? Cultural history? I'm not usually a blame type person but this never happened over-night or in the past 10 to 15 years.

The apathetic attitudes of most Americans. Information is easily accessible to everybody in this country - they simply lack the motivation to seek it.

In all fairness, this general ignorance is not limited only to America. It is the case in most, if not all nations, that people act on misinformed opinions. It is just particularly prevalent in America. It is also especially worrisome because America interacts with and influences every nation on Earth. Our ignorance - and the leaders and policies it leads to - will effect the entire world. It scares me.

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IronLionZion wrote:

By and large, Americans are hopelessly ignorant about the state of the world. Few can identify Afghanistan or Iraq on a map, even fewer can distinguish between Osama Bin Laden's terrorism and Saddam Hussien's dictatorship, and 79% of Americans still believe Hussien had a direct connection to September 11th. It is pathetic.

And at least one quotes bogus numbers. Wink

According to the infamous CommonDreams Site the percentage of Americans that beleived Saddam had anything to do with 9/11 was 53% in Aug 2002, 51% in Mar 2003 and 43% in Sept 2003. No where near your 79% figure.

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I remember the 79 figure. I won't look it up right now but I clearly remember it (and from more than ILZ's posts).

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fishin' wrote:

IronLionZion wrote:
By and large, Americans are hopelessly ignorant about the state of the world. Few can identify Afghanistan or Iraq on a map, even fewer can distinguish between Osama Bin Laden's terrorism and Saddam Hussien's dictatorship, and 79% of Americans still believe Hussien had a direct connection to September 11th. It is pathetic.

And at least one quotes bogus numbers.

According to the infamous CommonDreams Site the percentage of Americans that beleived Saddam had anything to do with 9/11 was 53% in Aug 2002, 51% in Mar 2003 and 43% in Sept 2003. No where near your 79% figure.

CommonDreams. Heh.

The statistic I quoted is well known and has been used often. In fact, I will look it up again just for you.

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ILZ, the first result of a Google query I saw had 70%. Here it is: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm

I remember the 79% one very clearly. If you don't find it I'll look it up.

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Here is a USA Today article.

Here is one site that quoted the statistic from a Gallup poll.

Here is another one.

Here is another, which cites USA Today as its source.

But, hey, thanks for coming out.

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Craven de Kere wrote:

ILZ, the first result of a Google query I saw had 70%. Here it is: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm

I remember the 79% one very clearly. If you don't find it I'll look it up.

I think it may have been 70% at one point and then 79% at another. Makes sense to me. I found several sources to back up the 79% stat.

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Actually the one you cite is really an Associated Press poll of 1,372 adults and the 79% figure was an answer to a question about whether Saddam supports the group that attacked America on 9/11. That was the 79 figure. The 70% (actually 69 or 71 in the ones I read) USA Today one is an additional one.

New York Times/CBS was around 44% on Saddam's "personal" involvement.

Another interesting one I remember was a Knight Ridder poll where 44% (I'm sure of this one, maybe the last one wasn't 44%) believe that some or most of tyhe 9/11 hijackers were Iraqis.

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Craven de Kere wrote:

Actually the one you cite is really an Associated Press poll of 1,372 adults and the 79% figure was an answer to a question about whether Saddam supports the group that attacked America on 9/11. That was the 79 figure. The 70% (actually 69 or 71 in the ones I read) USA Today one is an additional one.

Ah, so it was Associated Press then.

Incidentally, I just realized the USA Today article I linked was wrong. Oops.

Quote:

New York Times/CBS was around 44% on Saddam's "personal" involvement.

Another interesting one I remember was a Knight Ridder poll where 44% (I'm sure of this one, maybe the last one wasn't 44%) believe that some or most of tyhe 9/11 hijackers were Iraqis.

Huh.

Anyway, my point stands whether it is 25%, 50%, or 75%. The fact that so many Americans would believe such a ridiculous thing speaks volumes. If anybody wants to actually mount an argument that Americans are enlightened and well-informed, I'd like to see that.

Till next time, Fishin.

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Well, to be fair we don't have a lock on idiocy. In the Arab world, for example, the rates of people who believe in Zionist/American conspiracy theories is very very high. Higher than the rate at which the average American will believe in our pet conspiracy theories.

Each nation has their fools. In Brazil, for example, a common one is that the US is trying to steal the Amazon.

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Craven de Kere wrote:

Well, to be fair we don't have a lock on idiocy. In the Arab world, for example, the rates of people who believe in Zionist/American conspiracy theories is very very high. Higher than the rate at which the average American will believe in our pet conspiracy theories.

Each nation has their fools. In Brazil, for example, a common one is that the US is trying to steal the Amazon.

one log at a time :wink:

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Craven de Kere wrote:

Well, to be fair we don't have a lock on idiocy. In the Arab world, for example, the rates of people who believe in Zionist/American conspiracy theories is very very high. Higher than the rate at which the average American will believe in our pet conspiracy theories.

Each nation has their fools. In Brazil, for example, a common one is that the US is trying to steal the Amazon.

Yes, thats why I mentioned previously that ignorance is not exclusive to America. However, pointing out that others are ignorant as well doesn't negate or lessen the fact that our nation is full of imbeciles. Also, it goes without saying that nations with poor or non-existant education systems and state run media are misinformed. That is a trivial truism. Further, among Western nations - that is to say, nations where information is easily accessible and education is strong - America is the most ignorant.

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Ya know what, I'd vote for Craven and nimh for Prez and VP if they were old enough and both were us citizens....

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Thanks, in a reciprocal gesture of friendship I offer you position of first lady. Cool

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What do I have to pay to be Drug Czar in your administration?

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husker wrote:

Craven de Kere wrote:
Well, to be fair we don't have a lock on idiocy. In the Arab world, for example, the rates of people who believe in Zionist/American conspiracy theories is very very high. Higher than the rate at which the average American will believe in our pet conspiracy theories.

Each nation has their fools. In Brazil, for example, a common one is that the US is trying to steal the Amazon.

one log at a time :wink:

Actually they were talking about stealing it in one fell swoop as well.

A news agency reported that in American schools students are taught that the Amazon is neutral global territory.

It was a prank that made it into a large news agency, but it reflects their fears. The US is incessantly pressuring them about their part of the Amazon for ecological reasons and many of them have the attitude of "you fools destroyed your forests, let us do what we want with ours".

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Bi-Polar Bear wrote:

What do I have to pay to be Drug Czar in your administration?

Let's negotiate that one off the record.

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Quote:

A news agency reported that in American schools students are taught that the Amazon is neutral global territory.

Think I'll ask my kids about that when I get home and report back.

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Craven de Kere wrote:

Thanks, in a reciprocal gesture of friendship I offer you position of first lady.

I just sprayed my dinner across my computer screen. heehee

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Which Democratic candidate will/do your support?

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