Most GOP voters in Alabama/Mississippi think Obama is a Muslim

[grandpab]

People are ignorant all over the world.

I was at the gym a few weeks ago and some older guy started talking politics to me because it was on the TV. He called Obama a n*****, and he was praising Santorum because he was so religious.

[Torched]

This does not surprise me at all tbh.

In 2003 I visited my Sister who lived in US at the time and I was there for 2 month and I was actually asked by allot of people if I lived in a snow house.... and they where actually serious about it, I was also asked If we had penguins and polarbears in Iceland..... and if I was an Eskimo.

I had fun telling them that I lived in a 3 story snow house with an elevator tho.

[Catta]

Surely other countries have the equivalent to our deep south. Education is lacking, poverty is rampant and stupidity is commonplace?

I'm going to keep telling myself that it's true even if it isn't.

But in all honesty, there are a number of times the south honestly scares me.

Our stupid arent scientifically stupid and they dont let religion intrude on science - instead they are "dose durm immigants"-stupid

[Youvegotfail]

ugh...who cares. Also LOL @ "most"

<alabama native

[Intruder]

How accurate can this poll be?

Q19 Are you an Alabama or Auburn fan?
Alabama.......................................................... 58%
Auburn ............................................................ 28%
Not sure .......................................................... 14%

14% of the people surveyed are clearly NOT from the state of Alabama!

[Lenonis]

Well I never took statistics back in college, so what would the margin of error be for 1256 people interviewed out of 7,781,252?

I'd have to play with the numbers or find a reverse calculator...neither of which I'm inclined to do...but 1256 people is actually a very decent sample size. I know it doesn't seem like it when you are talking about 7.8 million...

The theory is like this. If you have a sample size of 100 billion and take 10, you get a result set. If you take 100, you get a very different result set. As you increase the sample size, the variations decrease. As you get into 1000+ you get consistent results.

So, for instance, at 10 people, you have 100% that believe in evolution. Because you coincidentally chose 10 who believe. If you take 100 people, you are far less likely to get that skewed of a result and it will be more close to the value if you asked all 100 billion.



I believe 1600 people is considered the best regardless of the sample size, so you aren't far off.

[Atlannor]

This makes me grateful that I live in the liberal state of Tennessee.

Ha.

[eschatological]

Blowing people up aside, the peaceful ones are still bound by a religion that is oppressive to women and minorities of every kind. I think that Obama's strong advocacy for both women and minorities would be enough to suggest that he's not, in fact, muslim.

Christianity has the same oppressive attitude towards women and minorities. Same with Judaism. The thing is, most modern Christians and Jews make the distinction that people who believe women should be subservient to men or that the sons of Ham are inferior are not really following "the true" Christianity or Judaism. Why can't modern Muslims make the same distinction without people saying "YA BUT YOU FOLLOW THE RELIGION!"

All the Abrahamic religions are very oppressive because they were written in a time when there WAS no equality between women and men, or minorities and the dominant race.

[Varyk]

That's pretty alarming, although I'm not certain these "statistics" are the most reliable, they're still likely true to an extent. This is almost as bad as the survey yesterday where like 60-70% of the players said they were as good as a top 10 raider, if they "had the gear and spent the same amount of time". Completely unaware that you don't have any gear when you kill a boss for the first time if you're doing it before most everyone else. Ignorance helps people feel better about themselves I guess.

[Tutonious]

There is quite a bit of pictures/footage of Obama going to church. Muslims don't go to church. My boss is Muslim and that is how I know this. So many people in this world are blinded by television that whatever it tells them to believe is true, they believe it. The television is the biggest hypnotist in the world. Don't believe everything you see on TV!

[FathomFear]

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/201...lim/?mobile=nc

Dear Alabama/Mississippi,

President Obama is a Christian.

That is all.

Dear OP,

Why would it matter if he were Muslim? The last time I checked the U.S. was not a theocracy. Anyone of any creed or faith (or non-faith) has the ability to pursue politics.

That's really the more interesting topic--why people believe this is relevant. Not whether Obama is or isn't a particular faith.

[Wubbzy]

Thinkprogress.org? Really? That's like posting something from huffingtonpost as if it were factual and unbiased.

[Deleted]

Dear fellow Americans,

It doesn't matter what religion President Obama or anyone else follows, you shouldn't vote based on that.

That is all.

I quoted a wise man.

[Intruder]

I'd have to play with the numbers or find a reverse calculator...neither of which I'm inclined to do...but 1256 people is actually a very decent sample size. I know it doesn't seem like it when you are talking about 7.8 million...

The theory is like this. If you have a sample size of 100 billion and take 10, you get a result set. If you take 100, you get a very different result set. As you increase the sample size, the variations decrease. As you get into 1000+ you get consistent results.

So, for instance, at 10 people, you have 100% that believe in evolution. Because you coincidentally chose 10 who believe. If you take 100 people, you are far less likely to get that skewed of a result and it will be more close to the value if you asked all 100 billion.



I believe 1600 people is considered the best regardless of the sample size, so you aren't far off.

According to the sample size link provided above it states:

Your accuracy also depends on the percentage of your sample that picks a particular answer. If 99% of your sample said "Yes" and 1% said "No," the chances of error are remote, irrespective of sample size. However, if the percentages are 51% and 49% the chances of error are much greater. It is easier to be sure of extreme answers than of middle-of-the-road ones.

Since the percentages were 45% for Alabama and 56% for Mississippi, I would say the sample size was too small for an accurate representation.

[ptwonline]

Personally, I believe he's an atheist who has to pretend to be Christian in order to have any chance in American politics.

If I had to assign a belief system to him, it would be "Pragmatic".

[Wubbzy]

They were linking to a poll. Follow the link, click the pdf that shows the results. Voila.

Your point? Anyone who has taken even a high-school level statistics class knows how misleading and non-factual any kind of polling data is, this is basic statistics, its the first thing they teach you when you walk in the door.

[Wubbzy]

Yes, obviously the poll is biased, and him linking it from thinkprogress goes even further to show the bias of the poll. Simple questions or not, it doesn't matter. Polling data is always flawed, and always biased, it should always be taken with a grain of salt and not ever thought of to be an actual representation of the population being polled. To think it does paint an accurate picture shows true ignorance, and desperation to cling on to even the most flawed evidence.

[Wubbzy]

For those worried about a bias because of the OP linking thinkprogress, I'll save you the rhetoric and just link the PDF of the actual poll.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/p...nSwing_312.pdf

---------- Post added 2012-03-13 at 04:53 PM ----------



So PPP is biased because it's linked to by thinkprogress, a known biased source?

Of course data can be flawed, as you can't ask every single voter. It's why studies are done, to get a general feel, not an absolute answer. I'm not sure what you're advocating, except that "statistics are bad". No they're not, not all the time.

And I'm really beginning to doubt you even read the link, or the poll.

I don't need to read the poll to know it is biased, there is no such thing as a unbiased poll. This poll will not be any different from every other poll I have seen or read, it will have its leanings, and its agenda. I am not arguing whether its right, or its wrong, I am simple stating that people are wrong to gobble up polling data like its factual then form their opinions on a population based off those polls. That is what is going on in this thread, people read this and don't even begin to question the reality of things, instead they eat up the drivel they are being fed because it falls in-line with their thinking.

[Zoldor]

Surely other countries have the equivalent to our deep south. Education is lacking, poverty is rampant and stupidity is commonplace?

I'm going to keep telling myself that it's true even if it isn't.

But in all honesty, there are a number of times the south honestly scares me.

Europe sometimes likes to forget that it bred Nazi Germany, the USSR, and Musolini and act like America is the only country that has had backwards ideas. Maybe after we have the south bring genocide to a group of people we can be high and mighty when another country has a dumbass backwards opinion in a small portion of its populace. Euro history proves that it took the Europeans a shit load of death, religious persecution and genocide to reach its forward thinking mindset.

Still yes every country has ignorant biggots. What really cracks me up about Alabama, MS and other southern states is how racist they are until they need those minority people to carry a little ball across a line to win a game they are all to old, weak and pathetic to play themselves. It almost amazes me how then there is never a down talk of race but the instant its political race is super important.

[Roose]

Why does his religion matter? That should be the real topic here.

Another way to polarize society and become a stagnant nation. Politicians love talking about religion, abortion, and homosexuality because they are things that we as a society will never agree on. It lets them get away with robbing us all blind while we bicker while we play pin the tail on the muslim.