There ain't no sin, there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do.

[belladonnalin]

I'm still kind of amazed that anyone is even remotely surprised that Prop 8 passed in California. I'm not dismissing the hurt and harm that it puts out to people in California, hell to queer folk and allies all over the U.S

Comments

[secrethappiness]

Every single one of these posts and articles trying to tie the passing of the propositions and amendments to people of color voting makes me so sick. I hate to see this kind of racism even though I know it exists.

It's like we're saying to the POC community, "Good on you for voting and waiting in line for 4 hours and fighting to get registered. But here's the thing, we feel you didn't vote the way we wanted even though we have no proof of this so do us a favor and stop participating. Thanks!"

For fuck's sake, Amendment 2 passed in Florida, a state that derives its income from tourism and construction. Guess who makes up a large percentage of tourists and homebuyers in Florida? Gays. I know people who voted for and against it, and the color of their skin didn't really affect their voting.

[maudgonne]

Yes, this.

I think some of the "proof" is based on exit polls, which aren't always the most reliable sources of data, obviously. The thing is, I do think it's important to be aware of the reasons Prop 8 passed, in terms of funding and demographics and organization. But not because we need to know who our "enemies" are, or the best ways to "fight" them, or where to direct our rage. Blaming this setback on religious people, or PoC, is bigoted and not at all useful. The only constructive response is to figure out ways to reach out to other communities and individuals, and to figure out how to run a better campaign next time.

I keep trying to articulate my thoughts on all this and not doing it half as well as other people.

[fightingwords]

About those exit polls--170 black folks were asked how they voted, and that's what the "70%" is coming from. Hasn't anyone taken a basic stats class? That's not a valid sample.

[maudgonne]

As I pointed out, not always the most reliable sources of data, which is why I put "proof" in quotes.

[fightingwords]

Oh, I know. I just find it amazing how much that number's been bandied about with little analysis of where it came from.

[maudgonne]

I don't know how many articles I've read about this, and I'm pretty sure none of them have mentioned that the sample size was so low. That is pretty amazing, and also gross. I'm in favor of working with the information we do have (to accept responsibility, not to place blame), but not when the information is basically inaccurate.

[maudgonne]

(Which is to say, thanks for pointing that out.)

[secrethappiness]

so my stats professor was talking this week about exit polls and how to get people to answer a question that they're afraid of answering truthfully. it's kind of a complicated process but it works better because instead of asking someone a direct question and taking the chance that they'll lie to avoid being "judged" by the poller, you're giving them an equal chance to lie to you and you can use statistical probability to figure the chances of getting either one.

i think it's safe to say that this method was not used for exit polling in ca. also, 170 people is only valid if you're asking that many people at numerous precincts.