Poll: "Blacks Not Particularly Optimistic About Future"
"Poll: Blacks optimistic about future." Let's look at CNN's exciting new poll numbers!
CNN: "Thirty-nine percent of African-Americans said the 'situation of black people in this country' is better than it was five years ago, nearly twice the 20 percent who said the same in 2007."
Shall we rephrase? "A great majority-sixty-one percent of African-Americans-did not agree that the 'situation of black people in this country' is better than it was five years ago. In 2007, a whopping 80 percent said that the 'situation of black people in this country' is not better than it was five years ago."
And?
CNN: "A majority of African-Americans polled, 53 percent, said that life for blacks in the future will be better than it is now."
Which, let's try…. "Nearly half of African-Americans polled, 47 percent, said that they did not agree that life for blacks in the future will be better than it is now."
CNN: "Even with the upbeat findings, more than eight in 10 African-Americans said the country needs to make more changes before blacks have equal rights with whites."
So, you mean: "Eight in 10 African-Americans said the country needs to make more changes before blacks have equal rights with whites."
A majority of African-Americans polled, 53 percent, said that life for blacks in the future could not be worse than it is now.
Optimistic!
What a bunch of Debby Downers.
A very dark outlook, indeed.
Heads filled with black thoughts.
"Whites Not So Happy, Either"
I fucking hate these "black people think this" articles even when the narrative has a causal relationship with the poll numbers.
Stuff white people like: Pretending to know what Black People think
It's pretty INSANE.
Dead on.
"I have a black friend, and he thinks Barack Obama is a Muslim!"
Well, over the many years of my decrepit life, I've noticed that the people who've suffered the most, who have the grimmest world view, also seem to have the best sense of humor and along with that the most realistic sense of hope. The optimists are usually the first ones to crumble.
I'm trying to think about this in the context of Haiti.
Haiti has it's own context in so many ways and it all starts and seems to end with it's history, a very powerful one I might add, and one that seems to have left them in a unique and lonely place in the western world, sure everything is layered and complex yadda yadda, but I don't for one second wonder why.
Note: I said "realistic" sense of hope.
That's why they call it Black humor, because we dark ones have such a good grasp on it, don't get me started on Blacklisted OR Blackballed.
Does this include the percentage of black people who may have told to the pollsters to 'go fuck themselves'?
Surely a majority.
This is why I don't trust polling data.
This was actually a Pew poll. Also, on NPR the reporter asked to clarify whether those who did not think things were better thought things were worse or the same. The majority saw no change; some thought things were worse. I got a master's in being persnickety.
But yeah, the whole thing still feels like a Stuff White People Like item.
Also, the 30 Rock episode where the black guy's last name was Black so everyone called him Black.
I had to do a bunch of publicity materials for a lecture by a woman with the surname "Broad." For a while I thought including Dr. as a courtesy title would help. Then I realized I was wrong.
I've done this before somewhere, sometimes, but..
Bus Plunge Kills 57 in Peru.
Pope Prays for Peace.
Studies Show the Unemployed Suffer Stress.
Poll: Blacks Believe Bright Future Beckons