csdf@mit-vax.UUCP (Charles Forsythe) (08/20/85)
THE LONG AWAITED SURVEY RESULTS:
I wish I had spent a little more time thinking about this survey, but
the results are still interesting. One question that I thought of
afterwards was "Do you think abortion is immoral or appalling and does
this change you stand on its legality?" Oh well.
There was so much text submitted with the responses, that I am
anonymously quoting some of the more interesting lines. Also, the "yes
or no" questions brought some divided answers so I'm tallying thus:
-2 "No."
-1 "No, but..."
0 "No opinion"
1 "Yes, but..."
2 "Yes."
For the questions, I will give an average answer by political affiliation.
Example:
Liberal -1.5
Moderate -.5
Conservative .75
AN OVERVIEW:
What was the outcome? Who won? Well, as is the history of net.abortion,
nobody won. In fact, this survey shows, if anything, the diversity of
opinion that can be found here. The real surprise is that just about
everybody agreed. Everybody considers themselves moral. While everybody
as a group seems split on whether this morality should be universal, the
overall lean is towards "yes". Everybody is basically agaist 3rd
trimester abortion. Everybody agreed that the age of consent should stay
where it is, if not be totally redefined. Finally, everyone, including
the conservatives, seemed to think freedoms more important than morality.
The only issue that people fell along predictable line on was the issue
of legalizing drugs.
The bottom line was that everyone seemed to espouse a "do what you want
as long as it doesn't hurt others" doctrine. It would seem that the
fundemental difference is whether or not "others" includes embryos.
Someone said,"the results of the poll should be interesting." Well...
they certainly don't decide any issues, but that may be interesting in
itself.
Here goes:
QUESTION 1: Are you Liberal, Moderate, Conservative?
????? Liberal Moderate Conservative Libertarian*
1 4 8 3 1
Total:17 answers. Most of the responses were from regular posters.
"Your poll shows ignorance of what is probably the fastest growing school
of political thought - libertarianism (with a small l, ie. not referring
to the fringe party.)"
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QUESTION2: Do you have a moral code that you try to live by?
(-2) (-1) (0) (1) (2)
#answers: 0 0 0 1 16
%answers: 0% 0% 0% 5.8% 94.2%
?????: 2
Liberals: 2
Moderates: 2
Conservative: 1.67
Libertarian: 2
"Yes, 'each to his own'"
"I don't harm or steal from other individuals, if you can call that a moral
code. (Seems pretty basic to me.)"
"yes - not inflicting mental or bodily harm on other people, and not enforcing
my views upon them."
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QUESTION3: Should this moral code be somewhat universal?
(-2) (-1) (0) (1) (2)
#answers: 7 0 1 4 5
%answers: 41.2% 0% 5.9% 23.5% 29.4%
?????: -2
Liberals: .25
Moderates: .57
Conservatives: .67
Libertarians: -2
"well, I believe that certain ethics and morals should be universal in
our society. I recognize that other cultures may have different
values..."
"Seeing as how it already is, and there's nothing that can be done
to change that except hardline brainwashing, this question seems
somewhat irrelevant. If what you are really asking, is do I think
that this moral code should be imposed by government legislation,
I would say NO only because I believe that it is not the governments
business to establish a universal moral code, just to try to keep
some individuals moral codes from interfering with others, which
in effect, is preserving the 'each to his own' code to which
I subscribe."
___________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION4: Do you supports 3rd trimester abortion?
(-2) (-1) (0) (1) (2)
#answers: 8 0 1 4 3
%answers: 47% 0% 5.9% 23.5% 17.6%
?????: -2
Liberals: -.25
Moderates: -.125
Conservatives: -1.67
Libertarians: 1 (answer vague)
"Absolutely not."
"I believe a baby fresh out of the uterus hasn't begun to "live" yet.
(but does, soon thereafter...)"
"What do you mean by "support"? I don't think it should be outright
outlawed."
"On payment, I would say [no] to avoid being confused with
pro-`choicers' who would force anti-abortionists to pay for what they
think is murder."
"I would have to say a qualified yes - counseling first, then abortion.
3rd trimester fetus's have a very good chance of living outside the
womb. I would not have a 3rd trimester abortion."
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QUESTION5:Legalize non-addictive drugs?
(-2) (-1) (0) (1) (2)
#answers: 4 2 0 3 8 (net.legal.drugs?:-)
%answers: 23.5% 11.8% 0% 17.6% 47.1%
?????: -2
Liberals: 0
Moderates: 1.4
Conservatives: -.67
Libertarian: 2
"Legalize all drugs, but get tougher on driving, carrying a weapon, or
just plain being `powerful' while under the influence of some."
"Only if legalizing them would not result in them being used much more
(for example, I think legalizing marijuana would not increase its use,
and would improve our trade deficit with with South American countries)."
"Yes, although I use none and do not associate with those who use the
psychadelics."
"No. But yes for marijuana, possible for some others."
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QUESTION6: Legalize addictive drugs?
(Note: I put caffiene, alcohol and nicotine on this list to point out
that our society is already rather drug-dependent [as I sit here and sip
my tea...])
(-2) (-1) (0) (1) (2)
#answers: 1 1 1 7 7
%answers: 5.9% 5.9% 5.9% 41.2% 41.2%
?????: 1
Liberals: 1.25
Moderates: 1
Conservatives: .33
Libertarians: 1
(Note: my analysis of the overall response was:"give up coffee,
cigarettes and booze? No way! Anything new, however....")
"All. I don't believe in laws designed to protect people from their own
stupidity. I do think that all these drugs definitely should be
required to come with literature describing exactly the bad things they
can do to you if abused."
"We have different definitions of addictive."
"Yes, the ones that are already legal."
"Caffeine & alcohol are already legal, and that is not likely to change.
I don't know about the others."
"Yes. Those which are legal are acceptable."
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QUESTION7: Should the "age of consent" be lowered?
(-2) (-1) (0) (1) (2)
#answers: 6 2 3 6 0
%answers: 35.3% 11.8% 17.6% 35.3% 0%
?????: -2
Liberals: -.25
Moderates: -.125
Conservatives: -2
Libertarians: 1
"In a more perfect society, yes. In our society, probably not."
"Frankly, I was an idiot at age 13; I don't see that others are much
different."
"I am interested in the unification of various ages of consent (driving,
drinking, sex, voting, etc)"
"I don't support a universal age. I would lower the age that somebody
could enter proceedings to gain this right."
"Yes. Kids will have sex. I prefer something along the lines of what
CA has done: it is not rape for children under the age of 18 to have sex
with someone who is within three years in age of the child."
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QUESTION8: Do personal freedoms transcend popular morality?
(-2) (-1) (0) (1) (2)
#answers: 0 1 1 5 10
%answers: 0% 5.9% 5.9% 29.4% 58.8%
?????: 2
Liberal: 2
Moderate: 1.125
Conservative: .67
Libertarian: 1
"Popular morality is often totally worthless."
"YES"
"maybe"
"as long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's freedoms. (ie. if this
is an attempt to legitimize abortion... forget it."
"Quick men, break out the fudge factors... Kind of an irrelevant
question since it's hard to go against popular morality; but I will say
this: I believe that popular morality sometimes needs changing, for the
sake of `personal freedoms' and/or other things."
"At present, except for incarcerated criminals, personal freedoms DO
transcend popular morality. (after all it IS supposed to be a free
country)."
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There you have it. Anybody who feels I quoted them/somebody out of
context is welcome to a full (or partial) copy of the answers I
received. I deleted all signatures and headers upon receipt, so it is
all anonymous.
--
Charles Forsythe
CSDF@MIT-VAX
"We pray to Fred for the Hopelessly Normal
Have they not suffered enough?"
from _The_Nth_Psalm_ in _The_Book_of_Fred_