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

[Lylyth]

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

First off, fuck you.

Second, thanks for blanketing my state with such an erroneous statement as "stupidity is commonplace." Unless you live here, don't comment on what is commonplace. People outside the South will always find the dumbest motherfucker they can to poll in these things and they will make damn sure people living in the rest of the country will continue to think we're all backwoods rednecks. I call bullshit on most polls I see from other parts of the world because I see the clear bias when people from the South get polled.

"Stupidity" is commonplace throughout all of humanity. You play WoW or have played WoW at some point, so I know you know this to be true. To try and compartmentalize it to one section of the country is to be in denial of the stupidity you're surrounded by in your own neck of the woods.

I will say that education is lacking, but that doesn't mean the education that you can get in the right places down here is poor. When I see people bash on our education system is seems to lead directly into "everyone from there is stupid" remarks. Our universities attract professors from all over the world to come and teach there and live in our culture because it's rich and full of history. There are pockets of extremely backwards people, but such is humanity. As a whole, humanity is quite stubborn and set in its ways, with only a handful of people rising above that engrained evolutionary trait to help keep us pressing forward and advancing.

We have our issues down here, but when you pass judgement like that on our entire population you don't help it. I'm sick and tired of it being ok to make fun of people from the South for being stupid when so many of us are getting educations and making moves to change that stigma.

Really, if you had just left off that "stupidity is commonplace" your statement would have retained its credibility. That was an unnecessary barb.

Off my soapbox. Sorry for going somewhat off-topic.

On-topic - I'm not surprised. As I've already said, humanity as a whole is stubborn. They latch to an idea they like and don't let go - most of the time even in the face of undeniable proof to the contrary of their belief. How long did it take us to accept that the Earth wasn't flat or that it wasn't the center of the universe? These shifts in perspective take time. The whole "Obama is a Muslim" thing is just easier to cling to when you surround yourself with like-minded people. I've seen first hand that many people down here still cling to that idea.

<Infracted>

[haaku]

Meanwhile in USA.......

[evilman]

Wait so your saying Obama isnt a socialist muslim?
j/k

Some people just love not knowing. They hear what they want to hear once and then consider it a fact.

I am Dutch and tbh i dont understand why religion plays such a large part in the US elections.
Why does a persons religion matter?
Arent the things he wants todo as president more important? Or if the person is actually knowledgeable on the issues that he talks about? And ofc has the experience todo the job and ofc experience in some key factors of the job.

[The One Percent]

Protip: Most politicians will be whatever religion will help them get into higher offices.

[Roose]

More specifically, they're talking about GOP voters, and in the case of Alabama it wasn't quite a majority (45%) that held the view. That's still fairly shocking of course, so I don't think you need to exaggerate the truth to call attention to it.

This is so true. At least Alabama and Mississippi have some excuses, like horrible education. What is the excuse for all of the other GOPers?

[Wubbzy]

Do you live in Alabama or Mississippi? I do. This poll confirms a lot for me. It actually surprised me.

But I'm not stupid or bold enough to make a claim that more people in the state disbelieve evolution that didn't. What I'm certainly bold enough to state is that the people that responded to this poll, 60% of them don't believe in evolution. I'll let others make wild assumptions and generalizations.

As a resident here, this poll confirms what I see/hear on a day-to-day basis.

To claim this poll is biased without reading it though, is odd. I wonder if you would have the same response if he just linked the poll and not the link to thinkprogress. I'm sure you'll tell me you would have the same response, but I doubt it, based on your first post.

Yes, I would have the same response. If you have not figured it out by now I dont like polling data, I dont trust it, I dont like when people take it as factual data. The fact Thinkprogress linked it on their site is just more reason show it is a biased poll, Thinkprogress would not knowingly post something on their site that did not fall within their extreme line of thinking. Polls could be posted on Rushlimbaugh.com and I still wouldn't trust them or take them as a factual representation of a population. But go ahead, keep on licking up the vomit that is thrown at our feet everyday.

[Paulosio]

There are things far worse than those people thinking he is a Muslim.

1.That being a Muslim is seen as such a terrible thing in that country. So much so that you basically can't get elected without pushing your own christian views. This basically means that to get elected you have to be a Christian OR lie and pretend you are.... So a liar claiming to be a christian is more likely to be succesful than someone who is honest enough to say they follow another faith or are an atheist.

2.Part of the reason some people think he is a Muslim is that the idea has been pushed by certain more right wing media and in some cases even by other politicians. I'm sure most of these people know he isn't a Muslim and are doing it for their own political gain..... Again dishonesty brings more success for these people than the truth.

TLDR:

The moral of the story ? In politics always be honest unless it's more beneficial to lie and deceive (especially when you have a receptive audience who want your lies to be true and who will be willfully ignorant).

[Jaerin]

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 disagree. Religion and faith can play an important role in a person's moral judgement. No they shouldn't be based SOLELY on religion, but I guarantee you that I will NEVER vote for a Scientologist or Christian Scientist, or any other religion that emphatically denies that science can explain the universe. If you want to believe in an omnipresent, omnipotent being that is looking over you, by all means, but don't try to deny my reality with your mysticism.

Religions are good for building community of like-minded individuals and maintaining a relatively constant moral compass, it is not good at explaining the universe nor does it have too.

[Karnaos]

Ignorance is ignorance.

People pointing out things like " Obama stands for civil liberties for women and minorities, etc... should show enough that he isn't a muslim."

The people who think he's a muslim are fox news watchers, they cannot think for themselves.

/endthread.

[Roose]

Yes, I would have the same response. If you have not figured it out by now I dont like polling data, I dont trust it, I dont like when people take it as factual data. The fact Thinkprogress linked it on their site is just more reason show it is a biased poll, Thinkprogress would not knowingly post something on their site that did not fall within their extreme line of thinking. Polls could be posted on Rushlimbaugh.com and I still wouldn't trust them or take them as a factual representation of a population. But go ahead, keep on licking up the vomit that is thrown at our feet everyday.

You would not even trust Rush Limbaugh!? But he is the most honest and trustworthy of all humans....Dittoheads...

This says something about Alabamians and Mississippians, but it mostly speaks about the GOP.

Conservatives and liberals need to both get their heads out of their asses. The middle is for winners and independent thinkers.

[Wubbzy]

You would not even trust Rush Limbaugh!? But he is the most honest and trustworthy of all humans....Dittoheads...

This says something about Alabamians and Mississippians, but it mostly speaks about the GOP.

Conservatives and liberals need to both get their heads out of their asses. The middle is for winners and independent thinkers.

The middle is for people who are unable to stand up for anything.

[Bridgetjones]

Yes, I would have the same response. If you have not figured it out by now I dont like polling data, I dont trust it, I dont like when people take it as factual data. The fact Thinkprogress linked it on their site is just more reason show it is a biased poll, Thinkprogress would not knowingly post something on their site that did not fall within their extreme line of thinking. Polls could be posted on Rushlimbaugh.com and I still wouldn't trust them or take them as a factual representation of a population. But go ahead, keep on licking up the vomit that is thrown at our feet everyday.

Are you saying that the science behind scientific polling and statistics is not actually science? I guess I'm not familiar with the concept of looking science in the face and saying "I don't agree with you." Or are you saying that the poll is not scientific and, because of that, is not valid?

[Roose]

The people who think he's a muslim are fox news watchers, they cannot think for themselves.

And they vote. It really is a problem when you have a large group of people that are voting based solely on religious views.

---------- Post added 2012-03-13 at 05:27 PM ----------

The middle is for people who are unable to stand up for anything.

If that is the easiest place to be then most of America would be there. Nope, it is the polar ends of the spectrum that take no strength of mind. Your beliefs are all laid out in front of you and you do not have to ever think for yourself. The GOP basically let some man speak for them. They stand for something alright, bigotry and intolerance.

[Wubbzy]

And they vote. It really is a problem when you have a large group of people that are voting based solely on religious views.

---------- Post added 2012-03-13 at 05:27 PM ----------



If that is the easiest place to be then most of America would be there. Nope, it is the polar ends of the spectrum that take no strength of mind. Your beliefs are all laid out in front of you and you do not have to ever think for yourself.

The middle is for people who have no beliefs. Who think they are better then those on the left and right simply because they dont believe anything.

[Deleted]

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.

except that's clearly not the case, in practice- correct me if i'm wrong here, but there has never been a non-christian president, as far as i know.

[PACOX]

The middle is for people who are unable to stand up for anything.

Not sure if trolling. Independants do have stance, those stances are not ruled by "as a liberal you must think x and y".

[Gulvar]

Try living in Alabama as a moderate. I think they treat moderates worse. We have no principles or morals, or some weird shit like that.

It isn't easy to be a moderate on the conservative side in a lot of places. If you don't drink the Kool-Aid and dive in full crazy then you're a socialist who hates the troops.

[Bridgetjones]

Ignorance is ignorance.

People pointing out things like " Obama stands for civil liberties for women and minorities, etc... should show enough that he isn't a muslim."

The people who think he's a muslim are fox news watchers, they cannot think for themselves.

/endthread.

I see you quoted from my post. I know it's not popular to say anything remotely critical of Islam, but let's face it, they're not exactly a worldwide bastion of progressive values. I think they should be perfectly free to practice their religion (inside the confines of law, like everyone), but I'm not going to pretend for one single, solitary second that there is an iota of respect for diversity in muslim countries or really within the muslim faith. I'm not saying they're not peaceful or that they're violent, but I see no reason (as a liberal) to pretend that they share my values in the least. But I think that about the conservative arm of every non-Eastern religion; because it's true.

That said, I'll still defend their rights to my dying breath.

[Wubbzy]

Not sure if trolling. Independants do have stance, those stances are not ruled by "as a liberal you must think x and y".

Independents are not the same a moderates. I said nothing about independents.

[Rukus]

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

Ha.

LOL you do know that your state voted for Rick Santorum right???