i don't get this damn poll on CNN

[barbtries]

i've never thought of ethnic studies as promoting resentment - i thought they might just promote understanding. the way this poll is written i cannot respond at all. is this bogus or what.

Do you support Arizona's law banning public schools from teaching ethnic studies classes that "promote resentment" of racial groups?

http://www.cnn.com/

eta: i went to try and get some news about the gulf spill. apparently it's exhausted its newsworthiness. what the fuck.

[madokie]

1. I avoid cnn like I do fox

pretty much one and the same

[barbtries]

3. i'd have to agree with you

after that poll. that is really truly twisted to put it that way.

[snot]

2. Great example of writing a question to bias the results.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. PUSH POLLING

google it. That is a textbook example of pushing a point of view in order to elicit the desired response.

[lunatica]

5. An idiocrat would understand that question

[tavalon]

10. That's not an idiocrat, that's an Oompa Loompa

[droidamus2]

6. Could they make it any more biased

I realize that the 'promotes resentment' was a talking point of the RW wackos that supported this bill but by including this in the question without giving the explanation that the classes may or may not actually teach this (I say they don't but you never know what a particular teacher might do) is highly biased. I agree with the original poster that there isn't really an answer because of the way the question is written. If you vote NO it makes it sound like you agree with teaching racial resentment. This is the old right wing black and white version of the world. If you teach an ethnic group to have pride in their heritage then obviously you are denigrating the other ethnic groups especially Gods chosen people the white, christian, rightwing, conservative people that were the only ones that really built this country. What next are they going to ban Women's studies because it teaches resentment of men especially those of the Caucasian persuasion.

[barbtries]

7. CNN should be ashamed

of putting this out there. where do i go to complain?

[droidamus2]

13. That's what I did

If you go to cnn.com and go to the bottom of the screen there is a 'contact us' option. Just click that and then select CNN.COM and you can send them a message.

[barbtries]

18. thank you

i will too

[ThomWV]

8. I think the question is straight forward and comports with your understanding too

It is the point of the law, and the question too for that matter, is if you support efforts to see that indeed the schools are used to promote understanding and to deny misuse of that system to promote resentments. I thought it was a clear question properly worded and easy to understand. I hit the buttom that said yes, indeed I do support any law that demands our schools not be used for the promotion of bigotry.

[barbtries]

9. you are presupposing

that ethnic studies are used for the promotion of bigotry. i don't agree with that. to characterize ethnic studies in such a manner is twisted. of course i oppose bigotry. i don't know that ethnic studies promote it, i don't even believe that they do.

my sneaking feeling, and i have not researched where the hell this poll comes from, is that arizona is trying to pass a law outlawing ethnic studies - and we all know how evenhanded the legislature in AZ is. the little part in quotes is what they're using to reinforce the racial divide. i think.

[marshall]

12. You have to separate the "good" ethnic studies programs from the bigoted

However many actual programs that means, that is what the question is talking about.

I see it the same as "Do you support a law against Islamic studies programs that promote violent jihad and terrorism?" Of course the answer would be no, and hopefully folks would realize that it is a small number of programs that do that. But the question is focused on that small number.

[ThomWV]

15. I don't think that's the question being asked at all

I read the question to say - do you support a law against using our schools to promote bigotry?

[marshall]

17. That's what I was trying to say

I was trying to compare it to programs that promote Islamic related terrorism as opposed to programs that promote a more peaceful approach to Islam. In the same way, ethnic programs don't have to promote bigotry, but this question seems focused on those that do.

[ThomWV]

14. No I'm not, read the question.

The question doesn't presuppose anything, it simply asks if you wish to see a prohibition against misuse put in place.

[droidamus2]

16. The problem

The problem I and others have with the question is that it requires you up front to accept the premise that 'ethnic studies classes are being used to promote resentment' and that therefore the bill had a legitimate purpose. I think the Arizona legislation was wrong because I believe the premise it was built on is a lie. I have not seen any discussion that they were presented with cases that actually supported the idea that 'resentment' was being taught in amount of cases that would make this legislation necessary. I could be wrong but I think the legislators that voted for this bill had a problem with the idea of 'ethnic studies' being taught in general and just used the 'resentment' meme to try and validate their own bigotry. As I stated elsewhere the way the question was worded it could be argued that a vote of NO says you support teaching 'ethnic resentment'.

[barbtries]

19. thank you

you expressed it so much better than i did. agreed 1000%

[slackmaster]

11. Let me explain something about open "polls" on Web sites...

Because there is no control over who votes in them, they attract people who feel strongly about the topic. The sample of people who vote in them is in no way representative of how the general population would vote in a properly controlled poll.

Any poll for which respondents select themselves has no scientific validity whatsoever.