Here’s a poll about your fears. It’s really two polls, one for birthers, and one for obots (here defined as anyone who doesn’t agree with birthers). If the thing you fear most isn’t on the list, leave a comment. You may check more than one response.
Birthers Only
What makes me, a birther, afraid is:
- Accelerated moves towards socialism in the US will lead to major economic decline for the future (38%, 8 Votes)
- The obots are right. (19%, 4 Votes)
- A Muslim terrorist will set off a nuclear weapon in a major US city (14%, 3 Votes)
- Barack Obama is trying to advance Islam in the world with the ultimate goal of making the US a Muslim country under Sharia law. (10%, 2 Votes)
- Due to immigration (legal and illegal) and a higher birth rate for non-whites, whites will become a minority and suffer "pay back" for perceived past injustices (10%, 2 Votes)
- America will become a third-world country due to the influx of people from third-world countries. (10%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 16
Loading ...Obots Only
What makes me, an obot, afraid is:
- The birther movement indicates a decline in critical thinking in the US that will lead to an overall decline in the quality of life for Americans (33%, 46 Votes)
- Some lone wolf, inspired by birther smears, will assassinate President Obama (26%, 37 Votes)
- Right-wing fundamentalists will become a majority and trample on basic freedoms, turning America into a Taliban-like Christian state (24%, 33 Votes)
- A right-wing backlash in 2012 will undo all the progress made under the Obama administration (11%, 15 Votes)
- Liberals and progressives will be intimidated by the increasingly violent rhetoric from the far right (6%, 8 Votes)
- The birthers are right. (1%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 106
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I guess I don’t spend enough time being fearful. I have comments about two of your items:
Item 5: I am concerned that the health care reform is only partly implemented. If we get a GOP president in 2012, he’ll have the power to botch the implementation of the mandate and thereby kill popular support, making it possible to repeal it and kill any possibility of getting affordable health care for everyone. HCR has already accomplished many important things, but this is the biggie, and law or not it’s still vulnerable.
Item 3: birtherism is only a small symptom of a general lack of critical thinking. I don’t know if it’s in a decline, but I do know it’s in bad shape. And in particular, even among critical thinkers, even among very educated ones, understanding of technical issues is extremely poor. This makes it difficult for our country to make good policy decisions where technology is concerned, and increasingly technology is everywhere.
I agree. Birtherism is an effect of poor critical thinking skills, not a cause of them.
For Obot: #2 the word ‘attempt’ should be inserted. I think the Secret Service is up to the task, but some preemptive action to calm the rhetoric would help a lot. Also, the threat will not diminish after he leaves office.
Good poll Dr. C!
As a foreigner I voted: The birther movement indicates a decline in critical thinking in the US… because frankly I don’t believe that what seems to me the now inevitable decline of the US of A will be good for the rest of us, heralding a period of chaos (all transitions are chaotic by nature), possibly violent chaos.
So far, only 2 birthers have voted.
Well, an attempt isn’t much to be afraid of.
I am adding a Number 6 response to each poll: “the other side is right.”
The polls are just for birthers and obots? What about those of us who are neither? Can we have a poll too?
Ha, ha, ha! The poll proves that 29% of birthers acknowledge that they are wrong. Love it!!!
On a similar note, we need a new edition of that timeless book “How To Lie With Statistics” with updates for the recent polling fiascoes.