Guest Post: Which Group is Most Identified With Being More Racist Than Others? The Answer May Surprise You

One of the goals of Progressive Soup is to allow people with differing viewpoints on a variety of issues to share them here. Last week, I came across a blog post (Which Group is Most Identified With Being More Racist Than Others? The Answer May Surprise You) about a recent Rasmussen poll on race. When I contacted the blogger (Teresa) to see if I could use it as a guest post here, she gave her consent. For a wording of the Rasmussen poll's survey questions, click here. 

This was posted by Teresa on her blog on July 6, 2013:

According to a poll more citizens believe blacks are more racist than whites or Hispanics. The poll revealed that a person's political affiliation played much more of a role in feelings towards various races rather than a person's ethnicity.

The poll's findings: "Overall, 37 percent of Americans feel that black Americans are the most racist among the three ethnic groups, 15 percent feel that whites are and 18 percent think Hispanics are." 

Do you think this poll is accurate? And accurately reflects the feelings and perceptions of the various groups of Americans?  The only thing I'll say is if blacks are brought up to believe they are a victim then they are buying into the false notion that they're not as good or can't be as good as people of other ethnicities. If blacks accept victim status then jealousy could breed resentment, which could ultimately lead to hatred and misconceptions about other races. But being taught to hate can happen within any ethnicity or race.  From my perspective I see a majority of the mob violence and hate coming from blacks and gang members which consist of a variety of races.

Please Take a Moment to Vote in the President Obama/Same-Sex Marriage Poll... Thank You

In an interview with GMA's Robin Roberts, President Obama confirmed something many of us believed for awhile: that he supports same-sex marriage. The announcement was historic because it marked the first time a sitting U.S. president ever publicly supported same-sex marriage.

In light of President Obama's announcement, the debate has begun regarding how his stance on same-sex marriage will affect him politically. Will it help him, hurt him, or not even matter? In addition to voting in the poll, please feel free to share your thoughts on why you voted the way you did in the comments section of this post.

Obama Affirms Support for Same-Sex Marriage | Video - ABC News

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the "Mitt Romney's VP Choice" Poll... Thank You

 

Now that it's become certain Mitt Romney will be the GOP's choice to face off against President Obama in the upcoming election, speculation has increased about who Romney will select as his running mate. Several names have been tossed around (see the accompanying poll in the sidebar). All of them have strengths and weaknesses. The question is, will Romney take the predictable route (for example, McDonnell or Portman) or will he attempt to move the needle by selecting a "game changer" along the lines of Jeb Bush or Nikki Haley? Let the vetting process begin!

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the "Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman" Poll... Thank You

In addition to taking part in the poll, please feel free to explain why you voted the way you did in the comments section of this post.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the "Game Change" Poll... Thank You

Ed Harris, Julianne Moore, and Woody Harrelson

Two nights after its 3/10 HBO premiere, I watched the movie Game Change. Based on the 2010 book of the same name, it details events of the 2008 presidential campaign. Although the book covers both the Democratic and the Republican sides from the primary races up to the election, the film narrows its focus by detailing the decision of John McCain (Ed Harris) and campaign strategist Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) to select Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore) as the vice-presidential running mate.

Simply put, I thought the movie was awesome! In terms of great political movies, it ranks up there with the 1949 version of All the King's Men. For the most part, I thought the performances in the film were solid. However, the one which obviously has most people talking is Julianne Moore's uncanny portrayal of Sarah Palin. Moore has talked about the research she did on Palin in preparation for the role and it shows. The mark of a great performance is when you forget you're watching an actor and instead feel you are seeing the genuine article. When the Emmys and Golden Globes roll around, Julianne Moore's performance as Sarah Palin is going to be damn tough to beat.

One thing that may surprise people about Game Change is that it's not a hatchet job on Sarah Palin. Although the movie doesn't shy away from Palin's flaws, she comes off as a sympathetic figure at times. Credit for that goes to Moore's nuanced performance. Even when it's clear that Palin is in over her head, it's easy to feel a bit of empathy for her as she drowns in a sea of note cards prepping for interviews and the VP debate. The same goes for the scenes in which Sarah watches Tina Fey skewer her on SNL.

Whether or not you're a Palin detractor or a supporter, I think Game Change is a must-see film. However, I'm interested to hear what you think about the movie. In addition to voting in the poll (which is located at the top of the sidebar), please don't hesitate to share your thoughts about Game Change in the comments section.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Two Jeremy Lin Polls ... Thank You

Please note that this post is "future dated" because it's poll-related. For posts which were written after this one, but have their actual date attached to them, please scroll down. Thank you.

Ever since "Linsanity" took the world by storm, I've been planning on writing a post about the man who inspired the term... New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin. As of this writing, the New York Knicks are 8-1 since February 4 (the date Lin began playing substantial minutes for them). The superb numbers Lin has put up in his first eight NBA starts had the crew on NBA Sunday comparing his stats to the first 8 pro starts of Hall of Fame point guards Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and John Stockton.

Lin's success hasn't gone unnoticed by the non-sports media either, receiving coverage on regular newscasts, inspiring jokes by late night TV hosts, as well as a skit on the 2/18 edition of SNL. The meteoric rise of Jeremy Lin and the way his success has captured the imagination of sports fans and non-fans alike is a combination we don't see too often in sports. The other similar instances in my lifetime that come to mind are Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and William "The Refrigerator" Perry.

Jeremy Lin's "out-of-nowhere" success is all the more amazing given his previous "underdog" status:

• Despite being named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year during his senior year in high school, Lin failed to receive any college athletic scholarship offers. He wound up attending Harvard (which like other Ivy League schools, does not offer athletic scholarships)

• Although he had a successful hoops career at Harvard, Lin was undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft

• After his first year, he was waived by the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets in the preseason before joining the Knicks early in the 2011-2012 season. 

• The Knicks considered releasing Lin before his contract became guaranteed on February 10 so they could sign a new player.

Because Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, his phenomenal success has brought the often uncomfortable subject of race into the conversation. On Lin's Wikipedia page, there already is a section on the racial issues that have come up before and after Lin's rise to prominence in the NBA.

Two of the stories which have arisen in the wake of "Linsanity" are the subject of the two poll questions I've posted. One involves whether or not the Jeremy Lin hype is caused by race. The question first arose after heavyweight boxer Floyd Mayweather wrote the following on his Twitter page, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."

The other poll deals with ESPN firing one employee and suspending another over the use of the term "chink in the armor" in relation to Lin.  On the night of February 18, Anthony Federico posted the following headline on ESPN’s mobile website: "Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin's 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-Snapping Loss to Hornets." By Sunday afternoon, Federico was cut loose by ESPN. Also on 2/18, ESPNews television personality Max Bretos posed the following question about Lin live on the air: "If there is a chink in the armor, where can he improve his game?" As a result, Bretos was given a 30-day suspension.

After voting in the polls, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this post. In the clip below, the panel of ESPN First Take discuss the role that race plays in the Jeremy Lin hype.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the GOP Nominee Poll... Thank You

On Tuesday November 6th, one of these four men (Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul) will go up against President Barack Obama in the general election. Who will it be? I think it's a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Although his impressive showing in the South Carolina primary could be an isolated incident, I'm leaning toward Newt Gingrich getting the nomination. I say this because I think the Republican base wants an angry candidate who they believe can go toe-to-toe with President Obama. They couldn't care less about all the baggage that makes up the personal and political life of Newt "Samsonite" Gingrich. What they want to see is the political destruction of President Obama and they think Newt is the man for the job.

If you want to share your reasoning for why you feel the person you selected will win the nomination, feel free to do so in the comments section.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the "Would You Vote for an Atheist?" Poll... Thank You

When deciding which political candidate gets our vote in any election, there are many things to consider. For some,  a candidate who believes in a higher power is very important. However, I couldn't care less whether or not a politician is a believer. Although I used to be an atheist, I converted to agnosticism several years ago. I can hear some of the conservatives who might be reading this say, "I knew that dirty progressive Malcolm had to be a Godless heathen! I knew it!" My feeling is that religious beliefs and a core set of values don't always go hand in hand. Just think of the countless number of elected officials who have been busted for all sorts of crimes and misdemeanors. I'm willing to bet that a majority of them professed to believing in a higher power.

Although it's obviously not mandatory, I'd love to hear what reasons you have for voting the way you did in the blog poll. If you'd like to share your reasons, you can do so in the comments section of this post.