Tag Archives: PEW Research

Words of Wisdom …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2024, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

What I am about to share with you is just over two weeks old, so some things, such as the House Speaker fiasco, are a bit dated, but the tone and point of this newsletter from Robert Hubbell dated October 19th, remain as relevant today as they were two weeks ago.  Hubbell is intelligent and insightful, and I found his newsletter encouraging.  No, it didn’t convince me that all will end well, but it encouraged me not to give up … which is the title of his piece …

Don’t give up! (A pep talk.)

Robert B. Hubbell

19 October 2023

This is a pep talk to my family (and myself). You can listen in.

          We are living through an extraordinary time. The world is being rocked by multiple overlapping crises: The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7; Israel’s subsequent declaration of war on Hamas; protests throughout the Middle East sparked by a Hamas missile strike on a hospital in Gaza; the ongoing war against the Ukrainian people by Vladimir Putin; the inability of the majority party in the House to elect a Speaker; the possibility of a government shutdown before Thanksgiving; upcoming elections in Virginia and Ohio that will serve as bellwethers for 2024; the hottest year (2023) and hottest month (July) since scientists began keeping climate records; and a new term of the US Supreme Court that could fundamentally reshape American society and personal liberties (or not).

          That’s a lot.

          It is easy to feel overwhelmed, to withdraw, to look away.

          Don’t.

          Emotional exhaustion and intentional disengagement are the goals of bad-faith tactics used by Republicans to undermine democracy. During a time when Republicans should be joining Democrats in a national unity government, they continue to push an extremist agenda. When Rep. Tom Cole nominated Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House on Wednesday morning, Cole said that one of Jordan’s leading qualifications is that he is committed to cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The media yawned.

          Our generation has one job: To endure, to abide, to keep the faith until this moment of reactionary extremism subsides. If we can do that, we will leave our heirs a healthier, stronger democracy.

          This pep talk is prompted by a recent Pew Research poll and a personal anecdote. Let’s start with the anecdote and expand from there.

          My wife and I saw an acquaintance for the first time in four years. We have never discussed politics with this acquaintance—because it was clear that she was a Trump supporter (before the COVID shutdown). At some point in our conversation today, the acquaintance said, “I have given up on politics. I won’t talk about it. I am done with it.”

          A survey by Pew Research (“Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics”) confirms that millions of Americans are feeling the same way as our acquaintance. Dan Pfeiffer discussed the Pew survey in his Substack newsletter, The Message Box, The Poll that May Explain our Insane Politics.

          As explained by Pfeiffer, the Pew survey shows the following:

  • 65% of respondents describe themselves as “exhausted” when thinking about politics.
  • 55% say they are “angry” about American politics.
  • Only 4% say politics makes them feel hopeful.
  • Pew also asked people to describe American politics in one word. The second most common description was “corrupt”—behind the first-place finisher, “divisive.”

          It is no wonder that people want to disengage and look away. The events in the Middle East, Ukraine, and the US Congress are exacerbating pre-existing feelings of exhaustion, anger, and divisiveness.

          Exhaustion is the point of MAGA extremism. Republicans say:

Impeach Trump? We’ll impeach Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Alejandro Mayorkas, and Christopher Wray.

Indict Trump? We’ll indict Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden.

Recognize the equality of LGBTQ people? We’ll legalize discrimination against them.

Protect Americans from a deadly virus? We’ll undermine trust in science.

Fight human-caused climate change? We will make it illegal to discuss climate change in the classroom.

          We must recognize those responses as a mind game designed to make us give up and go away.

          We have one job: To endure, to abide, to keep the faith until this moment of reactionary extremism subsides. If we can do that, we will leave to our heirs a healthier, stronger democracy.

          We can do that. We must do so. We have no other choice.

          No matter how much you want to give up and look away, don’t.

          Don’t.

From Filosofa’s Bouncing Mind

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Election 2022, guns, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Some days my mind manages to stay focused, but then other days it just bounces all over the place.  Yesterday was one such day, and I found myself musing ‘n pondering on a number of topics, so let me just throw a few of them out there for your perusal.

Education …

There is so much to learn that no human being could possibly learn it all in one lifetime.  Children only go to school for approximately nine months out of the year, so that leaves the responsibility of teaching them on the shoulders of parents for three months out of every year.  But most parents either send them out to play when the weather is nice or plunk them down in front of the television (affectionately and appropriately nicknamed the ‘boob tube’) on cold or rainy days.  So that means our children must rely on public schools for their access to knowledge … knowledge that will help them grow into functional adults who contribute to society.

But wait!  Today, public schools in many states are being denied the right to teach children well by the states!  Books from which they learn so many things are being banned by state governments!  Teachers are being forbidden to discuss so many things it makes my head spin!  By cherry-picking the parts of history, the state authorities want them to learn and leaving out the rest, we are teaching them lies, teaching them fairy tales.  They are given to believe that this nation has always been one of goodwill, that the ‘generous’ plantation owners in the south helped Black people when they first arrived on the continent by giving them jobs, food, and shelter.  And later, those generous white people even gave Black people their very own drinking fountains and schools!  How … utterly … ludicrous.

Education should be the great equalizer, giving poor children and rich the equal opportunities to succeed as adults, but it is doing the exact opposite.  Children in progressive states where children are taught the good, the bad, and the ugly have a much better chance of success in the world than those in Florida who grow up not even realizing that they are not ‘bad’ for the feelings they may have.  In other states, they are lied to and grow up believing that the KKK was a charitable organization or that the South actually won the Civil War, but generously conceded in order to restore peace throughout the nation.

Job qualifications …

A few days ago I wrote about the large number of very unqualified people running for office this year on the Republican ticket.  People such as Herschel Walker, Mehmet Oz, J.D. Vance, Marge Greene and many more have virtually zero qualifications for a seat in Congress, and yet … their names will be on the ballot in November.  Fellow-blogging buddy Professor Taboo posted a comment to that post with a few pertinent examples that stuck in my mind …

  • If you were to take a transcontinental flight around the world in an Airbus A380 or a Boeing 747-8, would you do it with a school bus driver and school-crossing officers as your pilots and flight-crew?
  • If you were being deployed into real-life combat in the middle of a warzone, and your commander handed you a slingshot as your weapon and his/her only experience in military leadership, tactics, & weaponry was 2-hours playing WW1 video-wargame “Isonzo,” how would you like your chances of survival? Or…
  • If you needed your new, sophisticated natural gas-lines installed in your large, gourmet, $300k home kitchen, would you call a taxi-driver to do it?

And if you need somebody to make laws that govern some 330 million people from all walks of life and across the entire economic spectrum, would you hire a football player, a gym trainer, a snake-oil salesman, or a fiction writer?  Thanks, Prof, for these great analogies!

Law & Order?

If the Republicans are the party of ‘law and order’ and if they are so concerned about ‘rising crime’, then why do they keep putting more and more guns into the hands of civilians where they can easily be used to commit … crimes?  (In case you’re a Republican, such things as murder are crimes.)  Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas in May … what’s the Republican response?  “Oh, let’s put guns in teacher’s hands!  More guns will make our children safer!”  I’m sorry … I fail to see the logic here.

In a nation of 330 million people, there are over 400 million guns in the hands of civilians.  What is even more astounding is that only about 40% of U.S. households have one or more guns, so on average, each gun-owning household has not one, not two, but three guns. As we already know, some households have an arsenal while others have only a single gun, but to me these numbers are scary.

The majority of people in the U.S. support gun regulations!  63% overall support reimplementing a ban on assault weapons!  So, why don’t the politicians even allow the topic to come up for discussion?  Oh yeah … they are beholden to the gun industry … they are bought and paid for – lock, stock, and barrel.  This chart from a PEW Research poll last year shows the will of the people …

But sadly, the will of the people is irrelevant to politicians who have sold their soul downriver.  The Republican Party can no longer claim to be the party of “law and order” or to be “fighting crime”, for they are increasing the odds that each of us will be affected by gun violence at least once in our lives.

Oh Yes … Racism Is Alive And Well In America

Posted on by under Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, Social commentary

Yesterday I read a statement by one of the terrorists who attacked Congress and the Capitol on January 6th that made me want to connect my fist to the man’s nose …

“This is not 1950. I’d say about 95, 96 percent of people are not the least bit racist.”

SAY WHAT????

John Hugo at ‘Straight Pride’ parade

The remark was made by a ‘man’ named John Hugo, president of a group called, believe it or not, Super Happy Fun America (SFHA) that bused some three hundred people to the Capitol on January 6th to create chaos, murder and mayhem, and first earned their claim to fame when they held a “Straight Pride Parade” in Boston in 2019.  I guess this is what they call “Super Happy Fun”, eh?  Let me tell you something, MR. HUGO … racism is alive and well in this nation … and YOU, sir, are part of the problem!

According to a PEW Research study … well, here … take a look for yourself …

Even without the Pew study, we can see with our own eyes that racism surely exists among the majority of people with pale skin in this country!  I’m talking about the sort of racism whereby pale people believe … truly believe in their warped minds … that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Case in point:  There is overwhelming proof that white people use more illegal drugs. Yet, the only way anyone can explain why Black people are arrested for possession at three times the rate of whites is the racist belief that there is a huge drug use problem in Black communities. Racism is the only way to explain why the largest policing project in world history revealed “Black drivers were searched about 1.5 to 2 times as often as white drivers, while they were less likely to be carrying drugs, guns, or other illegal contraband compared to their white peers.” It is necessary to believe that race is a “fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities” if one wants to understand why Black men receive prison sentences that are, on average, nearly 20 percent longer than white men who commit the same crimes.

I have a Black friend who has been incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, that nobody, not even the police, thought he committed, and now his sons are stopped on average once or twice a month for the crime of “Driving While Black”.  ‘Splain that one, Mr. Hugo!

It isn’t only Black people, it is Hispanics, Asians, and anybody who doesn’t have the physical traits of those pale people.  WHY???  WHY, people … can somebody please explain to me why those pale-skinned people think they are somehow superior???

The PEW study goes on to show that most (65%) white Americans believe it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views since Trump was elected president …

And while I really don’t like tying such things as racism to one political party or the other, the proof, as it were, is in the pudding that overall, Republicans are the ones who think Black people actually have too many r ights!

DAMMIT!!!  Could somebody give these nudniks a bit of education???  Eight-in-ten white Democrats – vs. 40% of white Republicans – say the legacy of slavery continues to have an impact on black people’s position in American society today. And when it comes to views about racial discrimination, 78% of white Democrats say the bigger problem is people not seeing it where it really does exist, while a similar share of white Republicans say people seeing racial discrimination where it really does not exist is the bigger problem.  Tell me again that the Republican Party hasn’t turned into the party of racism and bigotry … go ahead, tell me! 

All my life, since I was a small child, I have believed that someday racism and bigotry would end, that people would come to understand that the colour of a person’s skin, the homeland of his ancestors, do not change the fact that his heart and brain function just the same as anyone else’s and that there is nothing … NOTHING … that makes pale people superior.  All my life … nearly 70 years now … I believed that people would eventually wake up and smell the goddamn coffee.  Today, I no longer believe that.  I have seen the human species as it is and I understand, after all these years, that some people are simply never, ever, going to give up their illusions of superiority and will continue to pass those heinous beliefs on to their children and grandchildren.

It doesn’t mean I will stop fighting, though in truth I am tempted, for I see all too clearly that humans are not going to change, that stupidity and cruelty is ingrained and passed on through the genes.  But, what it does mean is that I have lost hope.  I have lost the belief that people are basically good.  I have stopped caring whether the human species survives or not.

How The World Sees Us Now

Posted on by under Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

We know about the divisiveness, the chaos, the hate that is dominating the headlines here in the U.S.  We are fed a steady diet of daily abominations, accusations, and ignorant spew.  But how do people in other countries see us?  Until four years ago, we were largely viewed with respect … sure, we had our flaws, but we tried to do the right thing … most of the time.  We helped our allies and others around the globe.  We were doing our part to promote solutions to climate change, nuclear disarmament, and to contribute to a global defense structure.  And then, came Donald Trump, riding the waves of the populist movement all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, occupying a chair that he would never fit.  So … how are we viewed abroad today?

From an article in The Guardian back in June …

The coronavirus crisis has caused a dramatic deterioration in the European public perception of the US, extensive new polling reveals.

More than 60% of respondents in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and Portugal said they had lost trust in the United States as a global leader.

A report based on the survey’s findings argues that the shock of the pandemic has “traumatised” European citizens, leaving them feeling “alone and vulnerable”.

In almost every country surveyed, a majority of people said their perception of the US had deteriorated since the outbreak. Negative attitudes of the US were most marked in Denmark (71%) Portugal (70%), France (68%), Germany (65%) and Spain (64%). In France, 46% and in Germany 42% said their view of the US had worsened “a lot” during the pandemic.

On Tuesday, PEW Research released a new poll of 13 foreign countries that reveals that perceptions of America have dropped drastically in recent years.  I strongly encourage you to take a look at their data.

PEW-chart

Let’s hear directly from some of those people, shall we?

  • Have you tried turning your country off and then on again?
  • I think Mexico is probably now in favour of that wall
  • Sad. Disappointed. We used to think pretty highly of you, but now we just feel sorry for you. You are so divided we’re not sure how you can ever come together as a country again. Your guns are out of control. Your racism is dividing you. Your politics are a disaster. Your healthcare system is a joke. Your pandemic is out of control and you will soon be in the depths of a depression, with more than 30m people without jobs. How do you feel so far?
  • Being an Italian and knowing roman history, I can say that in my opinion America is showing the classic symptoms of an empire in decline
  • The US always appeared like an older, stronger brother – now it feels like this brother started using meth.
  • Being in the U.K. right now kind of feels like being a little boat that has broken down and everyone’s too busy being mad at the captain to fix anything. But then you look to the left and there’s a big cruise ship burning as it sinks with people fighting on every deck, and the captain’s throwing gasoline on everything, and you feel a little bit better about the s***** boat you’re in.
  • I used to really admire America. The last few years have changed that perception drastically. The blatantly corrupt politics seem to have the whole country in such a tight grip that from the outside it looks like a 3rd world country. Your president is lying constantly and obviously yet he has outspoken followers in the millions who just disregard his lies. There seems to be no safety net for the average person at all and you seem to rely on luck to get through your life.
  • I live in Germany. When I was younger, I always wanted to live in America. I thought it was great. Now, not even for a million dollars, I would never move there
  • I knew there were lots of idiots, but the sheer quantity is mind blowing. And how so many Americans just can’t handle a view that’s different to their own or at least allow others to have a different view, is crazy.
  • You’re a country blessed with diverse land, money and democracy. But you have become your own worst enemy—healthy patriotism has turned into extreme nationalism and xenophobia, freedom has turned into anarchy. Also guns, like howww are they still a thing? Sad.
  • The Second Amendment is there to protect your precious democracy from tyrants. Ironic who the gun owners support the most.
  • What saddens me the most is how the basics, such as universal healthcare and social support are so reviled by so many. Worst is that those who are the most vocal are probably not far from those who would benefit the most.
  • I keep wondering why the “richest” country in the world still doesn’t have national free health services.
  • I can’t believe how Americans can politicise EVERYTHING?! Wearing masks, postal service and before these newer topics universal healthcare, free (or at least vastly cheaper) uni, higher taxation etc. are a reality in most developed countries, but in America it seems like you can just scream socialism and people are against everything. From my German point of view the two party system and electoral votes is seriously f**ked up and even the moderate democrats are pretty right-wing.
  • With the economic divide larger than ever, I don’t believe the majority of Americans, who struggle to live decently, pay for healthcare and their kids education, still buy the freaking “american dream” BS.
  • Trump is an Emperor, with his princess and princes. Everyone with any insight or brains can see it, but there are a lot of supremely uninformed Americans in the Rust belt, the south and parts of the north who have been fed the line from Fox and Facebook that he is their saviour.
  • I’m a Canadian, living in Mexico since 2014. I seriously can’t wrap my head around it from either vantage point. It’s like watching a slow-motion car wreck – it’s horrifying and you know nothing good is going to come of it but it’s fascinating at the same time.
  • As a Millennial from Toronto, I grew up thinking America was awesome. I thought it would be cool to live in New York when I was older. The past 5 years have been such a s*** show, I am so thankful to be from Canada. I dont think its Trump that is the main problem (although hes a huge one.) Its his legion of supporters that feel the same way he does. They will not go away once he leaves office. The problem is more permanent than some realize. Its been sad to see the US deteriorate.
  • I feel sorry for the sane people over there.
  • Sadness
  • I genuinely feel sorry for you people.

Remember when we were mostly respected by people in other countries?  Remember when Trump said he would “make America great again”?  Remember when we thought of this as a country of equal opportunity for all?  Remember when we had a president, not a tyrant in the Oval Office?  Think long and hard about it between now and November 3rd, for your vote could help save this country, or it could help sink it.