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A new poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP) found that a surprising number of American voters would support bombing Agrabah (the country where Aladdin now lives happily ever after)

the group polled 532 people who said they would vote in the Republican primary elections in the two days

30 percent of the national respondents said they’d “support bombing Agrabah,” 13 percent said they’d “oppose bombing Agrabah” and 57 percent said they were “not sure.”

(now there was no option to say 'dude that's a made up place', but still the results are worrying suggesting that just sounding arabish might be enough to let a government do pretty much whatever they wanted to said country)

now before all you Democrats laugh too hard PPP also surveys people who said they'd vote your way

19 percent were in favour of bombing with 36 percent against it and 45% not sure

so while you're less warlike (or maybe better at geography or specialist subject Disney) you still have a worryingly high number of fools voting for you


http://www.mtv.com/news/2690960/aladdin-bombing-fictional-country-agrabah-public-policy-polling/?xrs=_s.fb_main


(I'm also disappointed that one of the most balanced stories I could find on this was on MTV, virtually nothing on Republican leaning news sites and a depressing number of Democratic leaning news sites conveniently ignoring the idiots on their own political side)

I wonder how many were in support of allowing in Agrabian refugees. Have they been properly vetted?

We also have Trump and Clinton as leading candidates, so it doesn't surprise me to see this level of idiocy.

Let's not forget that there are people who will always vote the obvious stupid answer just to troll people, and a solid percentage of the 19/30% probably mis-heard what the person was asking or just unconsciously assumed that they said "Iran" or whatever because that's the country they expected to be asked about.

 Peregrine wrote:
or just unconsciously assumed that they said "Iran" or whatever because that's the country they expected to be asked about.

That's probably the point that's trying to be made here. When you're asked if you're in favor of bombing a country, you really should be paying attention.

They can't bomb Agrabah! I hear there's a great party going on there.

 Alex C wrote:
We also have Trump and Clinton as leading candidates, so it doesn't surprise me to see this level of idiocy.

Sorry
Saw a....petition signing happen on Yale grounds of doing away with the 1st Amendment...Yale......Even the Dean was "WTF are these kids on..."

 Spinner wrote:
When you're asked if you're in favor of bombing a country, you really should be paying attention.

Why? It's a survey, not a policy decision. Most people just hang up immediately when someone starts to ask a survey question, and most of the ones who don't probably aren't paying much attention and are just answering because they feel that it's rude to hang up immediately. Asking a trap question like this is almost guaranteed to get results because those low-interest people are thinking "ok, let's get this over with so I can get back to what I was doing" instead of paying careful attention to the conversation. Of course any decent survey designer knows this and has to be very careful in their work if they want to get accurate results instead of a nice dramatic number to support someone's political argument.

Were they just given the name of the country? Seems rash to bomb a country just from the name

How about bombing Latveria? I hear the jade-loving tyrant that rules there is a bit of a dick. He's also very vain and self centered. Pretty sure only a nuke could handle that guy.

 Peregrine wrote:

 Spinner wrote:
When you're asked if you're in favor of bombing a country, you really should be paying attention.

Why? It's a survey, not a policy decision. Most people just hang up immediately when someone starts to ask a survey question, and most of the ones who don't probably aren't paying much attention and are just answering because they feel that it's rude to hang up immediately. Asking a trap question like this is almost guaranteed to get results because those low-interest people are thinking "ok, let's get this over with so I can get back to what I was doing" instead of paying careful attention to the conversation. Of course any decent survey designer knows this and has to be very careful in their work if they want to get accurate results instead of a nice dramatic number to support someone's political argument.

Why not? The point of a survey is to collect relevant data, and in theory these are the people who support policy makers. I know when I'm asked a survey question I try and give an honest answer instead of just brushing them off. Because, again, this is a question about dropping explosives on another country. Again, part of the point is that people don't pay enough attention and/or remember enough about Disney movies. Watch them with your children, guys! Don't just leave them unattended!



Latveria, though...Latveria, I can get behind that. It's clearly a global threat. Bombs might not be enough, though. How about bio-weapons? Say, the introduction of squirrels?

30% of 532 - 159, round up to 160 people.

Last presidental election according to a quick wikipedia search gives us a voter turnout of about 129 million, for quick and easy numbers.

So we've got a whopping 0.00000124% of voters here.

This is what I think we can safely classify as a mountain out of a molehill. To say nothing of the fact of how hilariously biased and incomplete this poll is. I mostly vote Democrat, but jeez, have at least a SHRED of integrity before throwing these numbers around like they actually mean something.

Hell, I went to war against Krasnovia several times.


I actually fought for the Krasnovians on occasion too! (Kill Blue!)

I've helped defend Cortina against the evil aggressors from Arcadia (and the Cortinian rebels they sponsor)

I have supported war planning to defend Attica.

I currently live in Pineland.

 Spinner wrote:
The point of a survey is to collect relevant data, and in theory these are the people who support policy makers.

And, as this survey clearly demonstrates, this is not true. Many, if not most, of these surveys are intended to collect propaganda numbers. The people who did this survey didn't want an honest answer about how many people wanted to bomb a fictional country, they knew perfectly well that if they just slipped in the fake name without comment people wouldn't be paying close enough attention to catch it and they'd get a nice big number to support their "LOL PEOPLE ARE SO STUPID" article.

I know when I'm asked a survey question I try and give an honest answer instead of just brushing them off.

You're in the minority on this, I think. As soon as I'm aware that it's a survey (or political ad, marketing call, etc) I just hang up. And I think most people have a similar lack of interest in having people intruding into their lives.

Again, part of the point is that people don't pay enough attention and/or remember enough about Disney movies.

Well yes, people don't pay close attention when random strangers try to intrude into their lives and ask them questions. I don't think "people don't take anonymous phone surveys seriously" is a very controversial point to make. But it's far less clickbaity than "lol people want to bomb fictional countries".

Let's call this poll what it is. Peregrine is spot on in that it is a "LOL PEOPLE WHO VOTE REPUBLICAN ARE THE DUMB" poll. It began with its headline, and then went on from there until it found a 'sample' that supported it even slightly.

It's the same shameless, classless political name-calling that makes politics such a cesspool. And both sides are guilty of it.

 timetowaste85 wrote:
How about bombing Latveria? I hear the jade-loving tyrant that rules there is a bit of a dick. He's also very vain and self centered. Pretty sure only a nuke could handle that guy.

Latveria has nuclear weapons. It's got that whole MAD thing going on.

 Peregrine wrote:
Let's not forget that there are people who will always vote the obvious stupid answer just to troll people, and a solid percentage of the 19/30% probably mis-heard what the person was asking or just unconsciously assumed that they said "Iran" or whatever because that's the country they expected to be asked about.

Agrabah is supposed to be in Arabia, so there is that too. Also, it is reminiscent of "Maghreb", a part of which the US did bomb fairly recently. Of course it's probably named after Aqabah, because Disney writers like to veil their politics.

 Spinner wrote:

They can't bomb Agrabah! I hear there's a great party going on there.

If you're quoting the movie I think you're quoting goddam I can't believe I finally met the only other person on this planet who saw that movie.

Also I'm really not surprised at this. A good number of people in America seem to be very quick to jump to a decision without putting a terrible amount of thought into it. Then again, I love eating up these mock polls. There was this one poll that took a bunch of McDonalds, cut the burgers into cubes to look fancy, and went to some organic food convention and gave out samples of their "organic alternatives to McDonalds." All the critics loved it.

Smug bastards.

As long as the countries they bomb are fictional, I am not seeing any problems. Fictional wars are cool.

This got me thinking that Marvel should do some grassroots marketing and put out pollsters who will gauge citizens support/opposition to the Sokovia accords.

 Jihadin wrote:

 Alex C wrote:
We also have Trump and Clinton as leading candidates, so it doesn't surprise me to see this level of idiocy.

Sorry
Saw a....petition signing happen on Yale grounds of doing away with the 1st Amendment...Yale......Even the Dean was "WTF are these kids on..."

I saw that. People signing the petition were telling the guy he was doing something awesome.

 timetowaste85 wrote:
How about bombing Latveria? I hear the jade-loving tyrant that rules there is a bit of a dick. He's also very vain and self centered. Pretty sure only a nuke could handle that guy.

Or Sokovia. Place could do with some re-development anyway.

I see Disney is looking to become darker and edgier with their live action Aladdin remake

Eh, feth it. I didn't set my standards high enough before. Let's nuke the gak out of Metropolis. With a kryptonite casing.

 CptJake wrote:
Hell, I went to war against Krasnovia several times.


I actually fought for the Krasnovians on occasion too! (Kill Blue!)

I've helped defend Cortina against the evil aggressors from Arcadia (and the Cortinian rebels they sponsor)

I have supported war planning to defend Attica.

I currently live in Pineland.

Had a lot of good fights in old Baladia...we lost a lot of good men out there.

Switching sides and selling out my IDF bros was probably the most fun part...sneaking into their triage via sewer and finishing off the wounded and doctors. Man...at no point did we really stop and think, "is this...wrong?"

Seeing it brings a tear to my eye.

 CptJake wrote:
Hell, I went to war against Krasnovia several times.


I actually fought for the Krasnovians on occasion too! (Kill Blue!)

I've helped defend Cortina against the evil aggressors from Arcadia (and the Cortinian rebels they sponsor)

I have supported war planning to defend Attica.

I currently live in Pineland.

HHmmm Ft Polk JRTC I add

The following is a fictional scenario used in conjunction with JRTC exercises. The training scenario at JRTC is built around operations on the island of "Aragon," which is divided into the countries of "Victoria" in the north, "Cortina" in the west and "Atlantica" in the east. Though each rotation is tailored to the needs of the visiting Blue Force units, the OPFOR normally conducts three main types of fights: the insurgent fight; the more conventional motorized regiment attack; and a defense.

The mythical Island of Aragon is located in the Atlantic Ocean between the West Indies and the Azores in the Sargasso Sea approximately 2,123 nautical miles from the east coast of the United States of America. The Republic of Cortina is located on the southwestern portion of the island, the Republic of Victoria is located on the northwest portion, and the People's Democratic Republic of Atlantica (PDRA) is located on the eastern half.

The player unit (BLUEFOR) is located in the operational area in the vicinity of Fort Polk conducting combat operations against enemy forces.

Cortina Liberation Front (CLF) insurgent forces have operated in Cortina for about 25 years. Recently, the CLF forces have expanded operations and escalated terrorist activities against the government of Cortina. The PDRA has increased its support to the CLF insurgency by providing arms, equipment and supplies, advisors, and training.

About a month ago, People's Revolutionary Armed Forces of Atlantica (PRAFA) committed the 140th Special Operations Brigade into Cortina to conduct combat operations in support of CLF insurgents. The brigade infiltrated into Cortina and is operating east of Fort Polk. PRAFA regular and reserve army divisions, brigades and combat support units have been moving to positions along the border between Cortina and PDRA.

Cortinian counterinsurgency operations have been fragmented and ineffective due to the deteriorating economic and political situation within Cortina. Political infighting within the Cortinian government and lack of political support to the Cortinian military have caused Cortinian counterinsurgency operations to be less than effective.

After the introduction of the PRAFA brigade, Cortinian forces began to lose the use of Fort Polk and their ability to continue counterinsurgency operations in the Department of Beauregard. Since Cortinian forces could not continue these operations against the CLF and defeat the 140th Special Operations Brigade, the President of Cortina requested U.S. military assistance. A US Joint Chiefs of Staff order transmitted national command authority directives to conduct military operations in Cortina. With Secretary of Defense approval, the Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Command directed deployment of Joint Task Force (Cortina) air, land, naval, and special operations forces to Cortina to conduct peacetime contingency operations and restore stability to the region as a deterrent to PDRA aggression.

US operations are intended to restore regional stability, support Cortinian internal defense and development efforts, protect the Cortinian government from aggression by the PDRA, protect U.S. national security interests, and demonstrate U.S. resolve in promoting the democracy of free nations. Deployment is pursuant to the:

a. Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and Republic of Cortina, May 1985.

b. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States of America and Republic of Cortina, May 1985.

c. Agreement between the United States of America and Republic of Cortina concerning Military Assistance, July 1985.

Conduct of operations is limited by the Presidential War Powers Act. Operations will comply with international law, and the Law of Armed Conflict.

Joint Task Force (Cortina) air, land, naval, and special operations forces conducted a rapid strategic deployment to Cortina in the past several days. U.S. special operations forces have been operating in Cortina prior to this deployment. Joint Task Force (Cortina) plans to conduct joint operations in the operational area to destroy enemy forces. Humanitarian and civic assistance operations are planned to promote the security interests of the Cortinian government. Meanwhile, the PDRA Ministry of National Defense continues to move combat units closer to the international border between the PDRA and Cortina.

One scenario for the exercise, dubbed Empire Peak, revolves around a show of force operation in the fictional country of Cortina. Its aggressive neighbor, Atlantica, is pursuing territory through guerrilla warfare and potential invasion. The US Brigade's mission is to deploy to Cortina and provide a deterrence to Atlantican hostilities, defeat any Atlantican attacks across the international border, and provide a stable environment for the Cortinian government and military to restore order in the countryside. It is a scenario that encompasses military operations other than war and offensive as well as defensive combat operations.

The core of JRTC's OPFOR is two companies of the 1st Bn., 509th Inf., supported by up to 500 additional troops and visually modified armored vehicles drawn from the Fort Polk-based 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and other FORSCOM units. This 1,000-strong OPFOR routinely engages Blue Force units four times its size.

There is one rotation a month for 10 months of the year, with the OPFOR troops in the field three weeks out of the month. The other week of each month is spent preparing for the next cycle. The June and December breaks in the cycle aren't really breaks, though, because those are the periods when they do weapon qualifications and all the other things any MTOE unit is required to do.

The OPFOR mission is to put as much pressure as possible on the troops that come here to train. And though they try to be successful in achieving our goals on the battlefield, success is not defined by beating these units. It's defined by doing everything we can to make sure they leave here better units than when they came. If they can beat the OPFOR, they can beat anybody.

The "Leesville Urban Group" is a band of some 20 soldiers drawn from Fort Polk's main OPFOR unit, the 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry. The LUG is a terrorist cell within the "Cortinian Liberation Front," the insurgent organization that plagues Blue Force units during their JRTC rotations, and it performs a unique and vital training role. Figuring out how to control the civilian population and identify and neutralize terrorists are some of the greatest challenges Blue Force units face at JRTC. They have to identify friend and foe, and at the same time develop and carry out civil-affairs operations aimed at winning over the local population. The LUG terrorists help make that aspect of the battle much more realistic here at JRTC than it is at any other training center."

To enhance realism and increase the value of the training Blue Force units receive, the LUG is organized in the classic cell pattern. The group's intelligence cell gathers information on Blue Force units; a direct-action cell conducts car bombings, drive-by shootings and other mayhem; a psychological-operations cell produces and disseminates propaganda; and a logistics cell supports the LUG and other OPFOR units. Wearing civilian clothes and MILES gear, the LUG members use any cover that will give them mobility and anonymity on the battlefield. By mingling with the "civilian" population of the several villages that dot JRTC's sprawling maneuver box, the terrorists are able to gather detailed information on Blue Force units, operations and movements. The LUG's intelligence-gathering activities don't go unchallenged, of course. Identifying and neutralizing the terrorists is a primary goal for Blue Force military intelligence and civil affairs units in the maneuver box.

Not neutralizing the LUG can prove disastrous for the Blue Force units, for the terrorists are equally adept at "direct action" missions. Though these can be isolated events like drive-by shootings or assassinations of key Blue Force commanders, they are more often concerted campaigns carried out to support larger OPFOR goals.

The LUG soldiers work seven days a week during JRTC's 10 annual rotations, and are on one-hour recall even when off duty. They might get a call at three in the morning to go into the box on a mission, and if caught by the Blue Force could be detained and interrogated for days. Putting up with the job's unique and constantly changing demands takes a special kind of soldier.



LOL thanks for the memories

 curran12 wrote:
Let's call this poll what it is. Peregrine is spot on in that it is a "LOL PEOPLE WHO VOTE REPUBLICAN ARE THE DUMB" poll. It began with its headline, and then went on from there until it found a 'sample' that supported it even slightly.

It's the same shameless, classless political name-calling that makes politics such a cesspool. And both sides are guilty of it.

Yup. It's designed as a hit-piece on Republican voters.

That's like having a survey on whether we should welcome Daleks as refugees and we'd find a majority (plurality?) of Democrats welcoming the Daleks.*

I will say what's useful about this survey... it makes you hink twice about the casual support for killing people... eh?

*Just finished the last season of Dr. Who, so I'm on a Time Lord kick.