This week on NPR News, the lead story covered how Americans feel about abortion, politics, the economy, education, etc. They presented statistics about falling consumer confidence, a rise in political divisiveness, distrust in the government, yada yada yada.
After a few minutes of this, they quoted the source of their data – a Marist/NPR poll of 1600 Americans taken last month. There was no further explanation of the polling methodology, the sampling, the people chosen or the questions.
Wait a minute…
That’s not news. It’s just some random poll that producers created so they could pull out random “shocking” statistics in an effort to create news.
In other words – it’s bullshit.
The more I look into the details behind polls and studies, the more I realize how sketchy the data is.
Does anyone think 1600 random individuals who respond to a pollster represent a cross section of the 300+ Million people in the US?
I certainly don’t.
They don’t represent me. I would never respond to some random polling request online, via email or via phone or mail. I’d assume it was some kind of marketing scam at best or a phishing scam at worst. The pope who responded are unlikely to be anything like me.
Clearly my politicians do not represent me. With rare exceptions, those I have voted for lost. The ones who won, whether I voted for them or not, always lied and disappointed.
My community in Raleigh is filled with kind, gracious and friendly people. You’d never know it if you looked at the behavior of our elected officials. What a bunch of clowns.
Given my choices in life, I realize I have put myself in a position where I am part of a small minority. Early retired, widowed, childless, loner, atheist, minimalist, no health insurance, etc.
Each choice I make seems to narrow that minority down even more.
It’s a good thing I don’t care about following the crowd, keeping up with the Joneses and being on trend. Nor do I count on the government, corporations, the medical industrial complex or anyone else to take care of me – or even care about me at all (except for squeezing me for taxes and revenues of course).
Wow. I guess this post sounds bitter.
I don’t feel bitter at all about any of this though. To me, this is just how things are. I am at peace with the “isness” of the world and my place in it.