12.16.14
Majority of Americans ready & willing to be Nazis
Another day, another milestone, in WhiteManistan:
A majority of Americans believe that the harsh interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were justified, even as about half the public says the treatment amounted to torture, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
By an almost 2-1 margin, or 59-to-31?percent, those interviewed support the CIA’s brutal methods, with the vast majority of supporters saying they produced valuable intelligence.
In general, 58?percent say the torture of suspected terrorists can be justified “often??? or “sometimes.???
The only good news is the pool was restricted to a sample size of 1,000.
I have a hard time believing such a small sample provides much meaningful information in a country as segmented and economically riven as the United States.
Many people just can’t be reached on the telephone anymore, for a whole slew of good reasons.
[One man interviewed by the Post] said torturing people during war was appropriate if there was reasonable suspicion the individuals had important information that could aid the United States.
The person was thirteen when we started torturing people. Representative? I’m thinking maybe not so much.
anon said,
December 16, 2014 at 2:02 pm
It’s the smallest “large” sample size they can run to get an error of less than ~5%.
A good enough number of people have a cruel streak internally, nourished by day-to-day frustrations and resentments. It’s an integral part of our culture now.
If something bad happens, like losing a job or a home, the one suffering the loss gets blamed. “Why did you make bad choices that must obviously have led to this result?” Then, if the victim says that things were unfair, that there was some kind of exploitation, that the rules should be changed, enough people will call that person “soft” or “weak” and bemoan the “lack of character for dealing with adversity.”
I think a lot of people will look the other way when something nasty is happening, just on the idea of “better it happens to them than to me.”
Ted Jr. said,
December 17, 2014 at 8:38 am
Anon’s comment is the best I’ve read in ages. Nothing to add this time.