Aneirin
Posts: 6121
Joined: 3/18/2006
From: Tamaris
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quote:
ORIGINAL: truckinslave
quote:
ORIGINAL: Aneirin
Polls are a red herring, they do not represent everyone, as the results of polls is only dependant on who and how many took the poll, which could be anything from one person through to millions of people, the use of percentages is therefore misleading and should not be taken with any substance of credibility.
Then of polls, what kind of people take them, sure there will be those keen to say their piece, perhaps a case of a pollster is giving a person the importance of them actually listening to their views, where normally the vast majority of people are unheard and they know it.
So it could be a poll response based upon the misguided thought that what they say has credibility to others, or they have some feelings to vent in a meaningful way. It could also be pollster are being flippant, or malicious or joking or whatever, as with polls, they tend to be anonymous i.e. if a person cannot be recognised for what they say they feel more comfortable saying what they say.
Polls mean shit simple as that and are not a true representation of thought or feeling.
But
Gee, an entire multi-billion industry is just useless. You should tell that to people.
Or maybe take a poll on it 
Yes, exactly, as the very business of polling unidentified and there unaccountable people is at best a complete waste of time and money. For polls to mean something, then those polled should be identifiable and there accountable as otherwise it is open to too much abuse, even a case of people saying one thing when in public view, but saying something entirely different when their identity is not known. I understand why people wish to keep their identity secret when responding in the true truth that they feel away from public scrutiny and possible reprisal. In away polls could be useful, but in their present guise, they create nothing but untruths about any situation where a poll is posted.
Then comes the businesses that use polls, do they represent the information gathered in a complete unbiased and honest way, or do they kneel to their paying master and do what is bid by them for whatever they wish to use a poll for. To remember money seems to be made more effectively when dishonesty is in the mix, so perhaps a multi billion industry knows how it can make money for basically old rope, use the data collected to influence others by careful manipulation of those results to achieve their employers aim.
But maybe it is me, perhaps I am jaded, but my understanding is where there is money, wealth and power, there is also dishonesty, corruption and manipulation, perhaps more so now than ever before, or at least more obvious in our media orientated manipulative world.
But here on Collarme, we have a poll function, but what does it serve beyond a bit of fun. Is the results going to change anything, the way people think perhaps, hardly I suspect, so what does a poll do apart from creating difference where there was none before. But of the polls on Collarme who polls, all the visitors to the relevant section or only those who are interested. The polls on Collarme illustrate my previous point exactly, polls do not represent everyone, only those that participate and of those that participate what representation are they of the entire forum, message board, website, internet community, political affiliation, religion, country, world etc. Polls at best are bullshit and people need to understand their use and purpose, for they are not as important as they are made out to be.
Believe nothing of what you hear unless you can verify it yourself and believe only half of what you see when it is presented by those that stand to gain.
< Message edited by Aneirin -- 8/15/2010 4:51:58 PM >
_____________________________
Everything we are is the result of what we have thought, the mind is everything, what we think, we become - Guatama Buddha
Conservatism is distrust of people tempered by fear - William Gladstone
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