My brother pointed me to a set of poll questions by the Pew Research Center about Wal-Mart and Christmas and the some of the results are pretty interesting.
I work in a technology company, so it's strange to me to see Microsoft rated so highly. I'm curious as to whether or not these are the only companies they asked about, because I'd like to know what other companies would be rated at less than 50% favorability. It's not surprising that people aren't too pleased with an oil company like Exxon/Mobil at the moment, considering recent gas prices, but Halliburton? Come on, that low rating is purely due to political persecution. Most people had never even heard of the company five years ago.
Despite the constant furor both ways over political correctness, many people prefer "Merry Christmas" and a plurality don't care. An earlier table showed that when people weren't explicitly given the "don't care" option, 60% said they preferred "Merry Christmas".
And despite the constant harping by the ACLU, a good majority of people think religious Christmas displays should be allowed on public property. Doesn't the ACLU's focus on this issue constitute an admission that there just aren't many legitimate threats to our civil liberties? I suppose I should be thankful that the biggest threat the ACLU can come up with is so innocuous.
And despite the constant harping by the ACLU, a good majority of people think religious Christmas displays should be allowed on public property.
The Constitution is there to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority.
I suppose I should be thankful that the biggest threat the ACLU can come up with is so innocuous.
Agreed. The ACLU should put more focus on a lot of other things than Christmas displays.
I'd also like to wish you and your fiance a happy and joyous new year.
Manish
I'm curious at what distinction they used to differentiate between "Evangelical" Christians and "Mainline" Christians. I'm a United Methodist, which probably would fall under "Evangelical", but I certainly don't consider myself to be part and parcel with the Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell crowd. I would consider myself and my church to be mainline.
Not to mention that only white Christians were part of that poll...what, everybody else in America is secular? How skewed a poll is that?
Normally I've found Pew to be very accurate and reliable (as accurate and reliable as a national poll can possibly be) but this is just odd...
Manish: Thanks, but she's my wife now!
Barry: Methodists are generally considered "mainline" I believe. "Evangelical" probably does include Robertson and Falwell, though many self-described evangelicals probably don't want to be lumped with them either.