A racist lives next door.Disturbing. Until we read what's passing for prejudice:
By a wide margin, respondents believe Americans think Muslims are the most likely to engage in terrorism (83 percent).First, note we aren't told what Americans think, but what they think other Americans think. Nevertheless, we're supposed to be shocked by this:
Almost three-quarters said that in the event of a shooting, most Americans would expect blacks to be involved; in insurance fraud, 70 percent said Americans would expect whites to be involved. Men also got poor marks: 93 percent believe Americans think men are most responsible for crime, extramarital affairs (82 percent) and sexually transmitted diseases (72 percent).All that tells me is that Americans believe what they read in the papers. It doesn't tell me anything about their attitudes towards individuals or even races. Zogby himself accidentally acknowledges this when he comments:
headlines hurt, and ultimately lead to stereotyping.
I guess he's arguing for more of what Tim Blair calls "persons of no appearance" coverage. For heavens' sake, even Jesse Jackson admitted years ago that if he's walking down a street alone at night and sees a black man dressed a certain way and walking with a certain attitude, he crosses the street. That's not prejudice, that's playing the odds, and it says nothing whatever about who we'd vote for, how we'd treat someone, what we think about his entire race --or whether we wouldn't also cross the street on account of a white, red or brown man in the same circumstances.
Not only are we not supposed to take reality into account, we're not to be guided by our religious or moral principles, either:
Forty-two percent think Americans would be most concerned about their child dating a Muslim, followed by an atheist (17 percent) and a Mormon (14 percent). A quarter blamed Protestants or other Christian affiliations for a prejudiced society, followed by Muslims (20 percent).It's prejudiced to wish for your child to date (and potentially marry) within the faith (or lack thereof) you profess? "Concern" is prejudice? This is the demonization of what we used to call the pursuit of happiness. If you find the life you consider most blessed, you're not allowed to wish it for your children. Ridiculous.
There is one rank prejudice revealed in the poll however:
62 percent overall agree that "most Americans" blamed Republicans for wars, compared with just 14 percent citing Democrats. Another 56 percent blamed Republicans for global warming versus 10 percent for Democrats, while 52 percent blamed Republicans for prejudice in society. Less than a quarter — 22 percent --blamed Democrats.Republican is the new black? Although since the poll reflects not views, but perceptions of views, what this tells us is that Americans perceive Republicans aren't liked. Which, again, might just mean we believe what we read in the papers.
