"Incurious" is Nowhere to be Seen
Carpetbagger Report points out a kind of fun result in an ongoing Pew survey (pdf). Since early February 2004, Pew has been asking people for a single word that best describes President Bush. In Feb-04, the top words were:
You get the vibes, right?
And of course, you know where this is going.
By July 2005, "incompetent" had risen to second place, and some other modern favorites were rising in the charts:
Yeah, a mixed result there, no doubt.
In February 2007, that is, last month, these were the top ten:
When you've got an incompetent, arrogant, honest, good idiot leader with integrity, who's strong and stupid ... you got Trouble with a capital T.
Just interesting how things pop out of the data. I'm glad they ask this question (even though my favorite didn't make the list).
Honest
Fair
Leader
Liar (woops -- people knew in 2004?)
Arrogant
Strong
Excellent
Good
Christian
Integrity
You get the vibes, right?
And of course, you know where this is going.
By July 2005, "incompetent" had risen to second place, and some other modern favorites were rising in the charts:
Honest
Incompetent
Arrogant
Good
Integrity
Determined
Liar
Stupid
Idiot
Strong
Yeah, a mixed result there, no doubt.
In February 2007, that is, last month, these were the top ten:
Incompetent
Arrogant
Honest
Good
Idiot
Integrity
Leader
Strong
Stupid
Ignorant
When you've got an incompetent, arrogant, honest, good idiot leader with integrity, who's strong and stupid ... you got Trouble with a capital T.
Just interesting how things pop out of the data. I'm glad they ask this question (even though my favorite didn't make the list).
posted by JimK at 10:26 AM
10 Comments:
Did y'all see Michelle Turner's letter to the editor in the Washington Post today (p. A30, at the top):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021601789.html
“We at Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum agree with Deputy Superintendent Frieda Lacey that gum-sharing exercises in Montgomery County public schools are "repulsive."
We also are concerned that students learn about sexually transmitted diseases. So how does Ms. Lacey feel about a curriculum that refuses to find anal sex "repulsive" or dangerous, but instead recommends that kids visit organizations that promote such sexual contact, and worse?
Last week our organization asked the State Board of Education to halt testing of the revised sex-ed curriculum. One reason for doing so was the failure of the new curriculum to address objectively the government-confirmed health risks of anal sex and other practices that spread sexually transmitted diseases.
So what's "repulsive" and requiring "immediate
review" is all in the eye of the beholder, right? Unless you are a teenager who has just found out he or she is HIV-positive."
MICHELLE TURNER
Spokesperson
Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum
Ms. Turner and CRC seem obsessed with anal intercourse. I haven't read the entire MCPS Family Life curriculum, but isn't there a section on contracting STDs?
Jim has pointed out repeatedly that anal intercourse is not restricted to gay men. In addition (although I haven't seen any research or done any surveys), I would venture to guess that most gay men do not, or only rarely, engage in anal intercourse (this is such an uncomfortable topic to discuss in public, but something needs to be said).
In addition, unprotected vaginal intercourse, although it is a somewhat less risky activity for men, is a very risky activity for women. Contraction of HIV by women has reached epidemic proportions in the District (I don't know specifically about MoCo; does anyone have any numbers?).
Ms. Turner, I have to ask you a serious question: do you genuinely care about the teenagers who find out that they are HIV positive(i.e. what do you do to help them), or is this simply another vehicle to label lgbt people as undesirable.
On a very serious note, Ms. Turner, you say that the "curriculum...recommends that kids visit organizations that promote such sexual contact, and worse." Beware, Ms. Turner; you do not mention any organizations by name with such a scurrilous and false accusation, but if you do you are inviting a lawsuit for slander. Statements like this are not religious or moral opinions; they are hate speech.
Yours in real anger,
Robert Rigby, Jr.
This post has been removed by the author.
Robert,
Jim published the data for Maryland on Feb 6th. I don't have the MoCo numbers yet, but will post them as soon as I obtain the data.
Dana
So from what I can gather from the chart Jim published on the 6th, heterosexual sex accounted for a little more than 40% of the new HIV cases, intravenous drug use a little more than 20%, and men who have sex with men a little less than 20%.
Looking at those charts, I see why the CDC now recommends that all people between the ages of 13 and 65 be tested for HIV in medical settings. HIV/AIDS is clearly now longer largely a disease of MSMs.
To be honest, I don't think CRC and Ms. Turner are genuinely concerned about stopping the AIDS epidemic. I kinda get the impression they just don't like queer people that much. They are of course free to refute that.
Yours in the long-awaited approach of spring,
Robert
People in the U.S. know more about basic science today than they did two decades ago.
In 1988 only about 10 percent knew enough about science to understand reports in major newspapers, a figure that grew to 28 percent by 2005, according to Jon D. Miller, a Michigan State University professor. He presented his findings Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The improvement largely reflects the requirement that all college students have at least some science courses, Miller said. This way, they can better keep up with new developments through the media.
In addition, these researchers noted an increase in college students who report they are “unsure” about creationism as compared with evolution.
More recent generations know more factual material about science, said Carol Susan Losh, an associate professor at Florida State University.
Raymond Eve of the University of Texas at Arlington presented surveys of students at an unnamed Midwestern university.
The share that believed aliens had visited Earth fell from 25 percent in 1983 to 15 percent in 2006. There was also a decline in belief in “Bigfoot” and in whether psychics can predict the future.
There also has been a drop in the number of people who believe evolution correctly explains the development of life on Earth and an increase in those who believe mankind was created about 10,000 years ago.
Having taken college science courses was a strong positive influence, followed by overall education and informal science learning through the media. Having children at home also resulted in adults being more scientifically informed, he said.
"I would venture to guess that most gay men do not, or only rarely, engage in anal intercourse"
Anybody know if this is true? Any data available?
"On a very serious note, Ms. Turner, you say that the "curriculum...recommends that kids visit organizations that promote such sexual contact, and worse." Beware, Ms. Turner; you do not mention any organizations by name with such a scurrilous and false accusation, but if you do you are inviting a lawsuit for slander. Statements like this are not religious or moral opinions; they are hate speech."
Would it be fair to say, Robert, that gay advocacy organizations promote the idea that people should sexually express themselves in whatever way they feel inclined to?
Anonymous asked:
"Would it be fair to say, Robert, that gay advocacy organizations promote the idea that people should sexually express themselves in whatever way they feel inclined to?"
That would not be fair to say, no. In my understanding, organizations such as HRC, NGLTF, GLAAD, PFLAG, SLDN, Soulforce, et al. urge acceptance and fair treatment of lgbt people. You are conflating lgbt supportive organizations with groups that support sexual freedom. You are simply mistaken about the purposes of the above-mentioned organizations (or you have deliberately set up a straw man).
Here is GLSEN's mission statement:
"OUR MISSION
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression."
Your error may come from the equation (gay=sex). Try to see us as people, not as randy bunnies.
I suggest you go to the websites of these organizations
One of the anonymoi asked if there are any studies on the frequency of anal intercourse among gay men (or MSMs). There are a bunch of studies with contradictory results. I doubt we'll be able to find a difinitive answer. When I brought it up, I was referring to my guess from conversations I've had with men here in DC, hardly a representative sample.
Anyway, here's what Wikipedia has to say:
"[edit] Frequency
In modern times in Western cultures, anal sex has been popularly associated with homosexual or bisexual men. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, many gay men went to bathhouses to meet other men and have sex with them. Anal sex was common in these venues, as was reported by Randy Shilts in And the Band Played On. After the AIDS epidemic was well established, these bathhouses become controversial; in many cities, they were shut down by public-health authorities.
The occurence of the practice, however, has varied widely; furthermore, the numbers in sexual surveys tend to reflect whether those surveyed have ever had anal sex or have had anal sex in the last year, instead of distinguishing between men who have simply tried it and men who regularly engage in it. In the 1950s in the United Kingdom, it was thought that only about fifteen percent of male homosexuals practiced the method, a number believed to be lower than that among heterosexuals.[6] The Gay Urban Men's Study (P.I. Stall, UCSF) and the Young Men's Study (YMS, PI Osmond/Catania, UCSF), indicate that 50% of men surveyed engage in anal sex. The Laumann study claims that 80% of homosexual men practice it, while the remaining 20% never engage in it at all."
Nice design of blog.
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