That wouldn’t tell us about how people feel in the present, including after a major event.
But that’s my point. An even occurred in which the flag merely made an appearance. It did not cause the shooting. It was not the reason for the shooting. So, to hold it front and center now, after the shooting, and conflating the two, seems like a cheap opportunistic attempt to manufacture outrage.
I know, right? How dare people have emotions about mass murder? That’s not what emotions are for!
As for “manufactured” outrage, you can stick that where the sun don’t shine, buddy. Who the fuck do you think manufactured it, other than the Evil Democrats Who Are Responsible For Everything You Disagree With? Never mind, answered my own question there.
The mass killings have gotten folks thinking about the flag. Turns out that when folks think about it, they’re not real fond of it.
Lot’s of typing, no answers to the questions. Hmmm.
And yes, there is manufactured outrage. Your OP is proof of that! But I’m not the least surprised that you’d want to depend on persuading people when they are their most emotional. As opposed, to say, their most rational or fairest.
To me, it just allowed a bunch of existing outrage to bubble up to resonate with the public – many people (including myself) had been angry for along time that South Carolina (and other states) prominently display the Confederate flag on government property, but were mostly ignored. Because of this shooting, many people who had previously ignored this opinion reconsidered, and I think this is a good thing coming out of a bad thing.
Even though the flag was a small thing, and wasn’t the cause of the shooting, it shouldn’t have been there and it’s a good thing that it’s brought down.
Fair enough. As I’ve stated earlier, I have no great affection or hate for the flag, but I wonder what the next thing will be that we must be protected from being offended by.
Yet, you chose to attempt to respond to the post in question which was comprised solely of two questions. And you’re calling someone else stupid! Yeesh.
I don’t see it as protection – after all, the flag isn’t outlawed. I just see it as the (state) governments recognizing, finally, that the opinion of most black people on this issue is valid.
If you want to say 17% is significant (with unreported error bars - the (sub)sample size of blacks was presumably pretty low) knock yourself out. My rule of thumb though is that 20% of the public will report all manner of bizarre stuff while being polled on the telephone as they cook dinner.
9% believe fluoride is dangerous. 14% believe the CIA developed crack. 13% think Obama is the Anti-Christ (or was it Hillary?). 15% believe the government controls minds with TV (well, I guess they have a point). And 4% believe lizard people control politics. (Ditto.)
UFO crashed in Roswell? 21%. Medical industry invents diseases? 15%. Bigfoot? 14%.
Either that, or I don’t see it is cleanly as you do. We’d no count agree on the KKK and the hood, but as I pointed out upthread, just because you and others want to put it in the same category as those symbols, does;'t mean it is. You see, there’s a little thing called reality that you’re ignoring. Unsurprisingly.
Oh, you want to argue in terms of reality? Well, Senator Wicker of Mississippi has something to say about opening one’s eyes and seeing the world as it actually exists, rather than some ideological fantasyland:
Or how about Congressman Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina:
So are these fine, conservative, Southern politicians also ignorant of reality? Is that what you’re saying?
And yet you won’t find 20% of Jews supporting displays of Nazi swastika. Of 10%. Or 1%, I bet. No one even polls this, since the answer is obvious. How does that go with your rule of thumb?
You’ve got to be one of the stupidest people alive to look at a poll where 73% of people want something, and you seriously argue that the 17% who don’t want something prove that the 73% are wrong.
The majority of black people are right about anti-black racism, and I trust them about the flag, just as I trust the majority of Jews (including myself and many family members) about the swastika and anti-Semitism.