One-Third of Americans
Sometime recently I remember hearing the results of a poll that said that about a third of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein was behind the 9/11 attacks.
Another poll — or perhaps it was the same one — revealed that about a third of Americans believe that George W Bush and the US government itself was behind the 9/11 attacks.
One of these is considered to be a group of true patriots, salt of the earth, the backbone of the party in power and the courage of America.
One of these is considered to be a fringe group of radical idiots who'll believe any damn thing they're told without the least use of their critical faculties.
How are we, the remaining third of Americans, supposed to tell the difference?
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on Monday, 18 September 2006 at 02.39
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Good question.
Part of what we're seeing with the conspiracy theories is to be expected when we have secretive, patently dishonest government leaders. People often don't know, or in many cases care to do the work of finding out, true specifics about many things that are going on. But they catch on that they're being flim-flammed.
Some, being of particularly suspicious mind, especially concerning matters they know little about, are quite receptive to conspiracy theories. And, at any given time, there are always writers, talkers, publishers and publications to serve them.
on Thursday, 21 September 2006 at 03.50
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I think that one stage about 70% of americans believed that saddam was implicated in 9/11. Not sure if I still have the poll, but I am going to try and find it again.
That poll was probably done by the 70% of americans who believed in the literal existence of angels. Now I will have to hunt to try and find both of those polls!
on Thursday, 21 September 2006 at 03.54
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While 85% said the U.S. mission is mainly “to retaliate for Saddam’s role in the 9-11 attacks,”
http://www.zogby.com/NEWS/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1075
78% of americans believe in angels
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html
on Thursday, 21 September 2006 at 14.23
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Not sure what to think here, but David Ray Griffin is now in with a 160 year old Presbyterian Publishing House. Wunnit the Pennsylvania plane brought down by controlled demolition and Tower Seven by 60 professors from a major Utah University?
on Sunday, 24 September 2006 at 06.29
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I have a fondness for the 1/3 numerology. It is sometimes said that during the Revolutionary War, 1/3 of Americans were in favor of independence while 1/3 were sypathetic to Britain.
on Monday, 25 September 2006 at 12.01
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Beepbeep, thanks for providing the links.
Fred, the 1/3 divide seems unusually common, doesn't it? Perhaps it says something deep about how people feel about something, or maybe it's just the way things tend to divide up when one can be "for", "against", or "undecided". As a first approximation, how far off can it be? I've never been much for the excluded middle myself, so thirds seem quite natural. Perhaps, then, it says more about the fondness of politicians for drawing inappropriate "you're either for us or against us" lines than anything.
on Wednesday, 27 September 2006 at 22.04
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The undecided are most easily conquered. This is what is most inappropriate. Apathy….Participate in the process. Be for it or be against it, but have an opinion and be prepared to act upon it. To do nothing is but pure cowardice.