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In a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, whose function is to "put out highly accurate polling on key political races across the country," according to its website, 46 percent of Mississippians believe that interracial marriage should be illegal.
The poll also reveals that the majority of the poll participants are male (53 percent), very conservative (40 percent) and between the ages of 45 and 65 (36 percent).
One commenter wrote:
"I believe God made us a different color for a reason and should be honored by not marrying outside of the race that God picked for me, however the color of one's skin does not make him/her better than another color."
Right.
But before I even consider Mississippi's fascination with all things Jim Crow, let's explore the premise of the poll in the first place. The goal of the poll is to identify which Republican candidate Mississippians would vote for in the 2012 presidential election.
The infamously controversial Governor Haley Barbour is invariably the state's favorite among ignorant-media-whore Sarah Palin, the God-righteous Mike Huckabee, the-Mormon-most-refuse-to-embrace Mitt Romney, the-incessant-adulterer Newt Gingrich, I-think-the-founding-fathers-ended-slavery Michele Bachman, cap-and-trade-flip-flopper Tim Pawlenty and I-don't-believe-in-civil-rights Ron Paul.
What a lovely bunch.
So how on earth did Director and pollster Tom Jensen come up with that question? I mean, after asking about whether participants had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the named candidates and how they identified themselves, why ask whether they are for interracial marriage?
Is it because our President is the product of an interracial union? Is it because they consciously wanted to rile people up? Is it because, he, himself, or Public Policy, is biased on the issue to begin with? I just have a difficult time focusing on the actual poll, when this reeks of someone's shameless effort for media attention.
And if I am to focus on the findings of this poll at all, are we really surprised to see that Barbour, known for saying he doesn't think the slavery conversation is important, would be the front runner in this state? Or what about his equally progressive brother, Jeppie, who lit-er-ally said:
"I guess they're [blacks] just goin' through a state of being rebellious and hard-nosed and not listenin' to white people like they used to."
I wish I was making this up.
Good ole Mississippi, the state where Medgar Evers was murdered. Good ole Mississippi, the state where three civil rights workers were killed by the Ku Klux Klan. Good ole Mississippi, the state where after President Obama won the 2008 election, racial slurs and bigotry reigned supreme.
One thing the poll did make clear, though, is that the racism of the past largely lives with the old. I just hope that once much of that embattled generation passes away, they will take their archaic mind-set about interracial relationships with them.
But I won't hold my breath.
Comments: (101)
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By: pink on 4/10/2011 10:10AM
No offense Ms. Fisher: but this blog is a total waste of time. Who (really) cares what people in Mississippi think? t's my understanding that they are one of the poorest, and uneducated states in the country. And I might add backwards as hell. I don't think anyone is going to be making Mississippi a trend state.
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By: Chris on 4/10/2011 10:50AM
Very well said Pink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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By: gary on 4/10/2011 10:50AM
Pink, I have to agree with your opinion that this column is worthless. So too, I have to agree that there are plenty of redneck bubbas running loose and that you can get a divorce and still be brother and sister. Having said that, MS was (still is?) the only state with a Black majority. Could that be "a" reason why MS is backwards, poor and uneducated? Perhaps we all share in it's reputation! Sincerely, a well educated, patriotic, contributing, tax paying Mississippian
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By: SAY WHAT! on 4/10/2011 11:05AM
ALSO!...
4 out of 5 dentists recommend trident for their patients that chew gum.
Some dentists just cannot be persuaded otherwise.
Oh and this article doesn't mean anything either other than someone spent a chunk of time (they'll never get back) to investigate and report this unbelievable news.
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By: The Truth on 4/10/2011 11:10AM
Where did you take the poll,
A trailer park.
Depends who you ask and who's doing the asking.
Can't expect everybody to jump on the band wagon and whatever.
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By: Eugene on 4/10/2011 5:13PM
"I believe God made us a different color for a reason and should be honored by not marrying outside of the race that God picked for me, however the color of one's skin does not make him/her better than another color."
I love how these arse-backwards yahoos use God, but have probably never read His Word (the Bible) to see what He has to say about race. For those interested read Acts 10:34-35.
Have a blessed day.
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By: billW on 4/13/2011 4:32PM
can you blame the 46%?? givin the fact that negroes are racist and violent,not to mention where the negro descended from.
only negroes can be racist
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By: emetoua on 4/11/2011 8:41PM
To the dude stating that MS is a state with a Black majority, you just proved the point you're accidentally making. You're indeed an educated MS, and you prove how little that means. There are 4 states that are majority-minority in the U.S.: Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas and California and in each of these states, Whites are still the largest group... No need to say more
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By: Watcher Watchmen on 4/11/2011 12:30PM
@ billW,
Before we debunk you and those who share your foolish nonsense, we’ll capture your comment here, in case it “disappears” later’
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By: billW on 4/11/2011 9:59AMNeutral can you blame the 46%?? givin the fact that negroes are racist and violent,not to mention where the negro descended from.
only negroes can be racist
***************************************************
NOW, we’ll proceed.
In reference to your comment, at what point in history did you arrived to what you believe supports your statement?
Was it Before, During or After those blacks, in question, became the Products and Byproducts of YOUR ILKS unjust, unprovoked, unintelligent acts of racial belligerences?
Interesting how NONE of what you’ve said against blacks have ever existed until the like of you folks showed up and committed such Barbarian thuggery upon those blacks to “CAUSE” the problems you point out.
FACT:
None of which have otherwise existed prior, else YOUR KIND would have discovered them that way in the very beginning and given the nature of such a behavior, had they’ve been as you claim, they would have “ACTED IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOU PEOPLE” and slaughtered you as you’ve done them!
(Forgot about that part, right?….yeah, how convenient.)
But instead, they choused to befriend you Psychotically Racist Neuromelanin-Deficient Genetically-Recessive Xenophobic Imbeciles, prior to you people tearing their social order “APARTHEID” then pillaged them beyond recovery, resulting in them spiraling down to hell ever since.
This was NOT an act of GOD, it was an act of YOU PEOPLE!
And thus were the SEEDS planted and spouted that which has since grown into what you and those of your ilk now have the audacity to mock of them today!
Take time to KNOW (rather than avoid) your own history before you state what “You Think” (or brainwashed to believe) are the facts.
But unsurprisingly, YOUR KIND are known to only recount the resulting problems while conveniently excluding YOUR ROLES as the accomplices and the instigators of it.
Amazingly stupid how those of YOUR ILK are so quick to argue blacks as being racist and violent and even go as far as to claim this nonsense as a fact (in your view), while your own history dwarfs your claims with loads of confessions from YOURSELVES as the biggest ringleaders of all forms of crimes ever committed in the Human Kingdom.
From Homicides to Genocides, Child Molestations to Bestiality and more.
Then you have the audacity to reach out and use BLACKS as the doormats to wipe your own sins against humanity upon?
You mask your own internalized filth behind your daily negative portrayals of blacks?
(How pathetically psychotic of you people.)
But always know that there’s absolutely NOTHING you and your ilk can possibly say bad against blacks that could ever stand upon its own merits.
Because in doing so from you people, only makes you and those of your ilk ab embarrassing group of hypocrites.
For what you say bad of blacks did NOT occur by self-inflictions, else it would have been found that way at first contact.
The truth is, you’re only looking at the suffered byproducts of your own historical vindictiveness.
For what you mock of them, happen so as the results of your own sinful impositions, as clearly (although unwittingly) confessed within your own history, as so recorded by members of your race.
Observantly, this racist nonsense from you people still persists, indiscriminately, in such a way that demonstrates disrespect of anyone of color regardless of all they’ve done to do better and all they’ve accomplished to be better.
Such fundamentally racist abhorrence from you people even extends to the “Black” President of the united (So-called) states of America.
I apparently doesn’t matter what stage of life one may be, whether male or female, you folks will be racist no matter what.
You folks will seek and find excuses to hide your incompetence, insecurities and more, behind its practices.
Go Figure!
Perhaps indeed, some things will never change,
Without Force!.
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By: girlking on 4/11/2011 2:44PM
I don't know why any of you respond to billw. Most of the time his comments are juvenile and gratuitous.
Now, while I don't think interracial marriage should be illegal, I am a big proponent and supporter of Black/Black marriage and procreation for the simple fact of maintaining the Black race. We are slowly eliminating ourselves.
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