[Archslater]

I came across this article in the morning paper and it was startling. Has anyone else ever heard this?

Quote:A significant proportion of U.S. blacks believe that government scientists created AIDS to control or wipe out their communities, according to a study released Tuesday by the Rand Corp. and Oregon State University.


http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/212450-1251-010.html

 

[Toshi]

yeah, these beliefs are widespread enough that training programs for "cultural awareness" or the like directly address them. it's tragic, since current therapies are not half-bad (or half-good), and are certainly better than nothing.

 

[$tinkle]

given the sample space (12% of u.s. population), 500 opinions aren't that relevant; & 50 who believe the boogie man [cia] did it is even less so.

 

[Toshi]

given the sample space (12% of u.s. population), 500 opinions aren't that relevant; & 50 who believe the boogie man [cia] did it is even less so.

are you saying that all polls where n < total population are invalid?

 

[$tinkle]

are you saying that all polls where n < total population are invalid?

no, but rather where n <<< total pop
nonetheless, there still polls.

 

[Silver]

Slept through stats class, did you?

 

[N8 v2.0]

Remember the highly accurate 'exit-polls' of 2004....?

 

[$tinkle]

Slept through stats class, did you?

and this is the part where you 'discect' my analysis

(alternatively, you could correct my spelling of 'discect')

 

[Silver]

There is nothing to dissect. A poll that has a small sample size compared to the population size is not automatically invalid because you say it is.

There are reasons why polls can be inaccurate, that isn't one of them.

 

[$tinkle]

i bet i can find 500 "baptists" in topeka kansas who claim that god hates fags.

mind you, that's a smaller sample space (less than 12% of us population), and therefore may have more statistical credence.

 

[Silver]

i bet i can find 500 "baptists" in topeka kansas who claim that god hates fags.

mind you, that's a smaller sample space (less than 12% of us population), and therefore may have more statistical credence.

That's a non-random sample, and it's totally different from the sample size. A non-random sample is a sure way to screw up an analysis. Like I said, you must have slept through stats class.

 

[$tinkle]

That's a non-random sample, and it's totally different from the sample size. A non-random sample is a sure way to screw up an analysis. Like I said, you must have slept through stats class.

you & i were never candidates for the poll, whitey.

 

[Silver]

you & i were never candidates for the poll, whitey.

Are you trolling, or do you really not understand how this works?

 

[$tinkle]

Are you trolling, or do you really not understand how this works?

what...i can't be both?

 

[Silver]

what...i can't be both?

N8 could...you're too smart for that.

 

[ohio]

We conduct a lot of polls. We conduct a lot of surveys. I took stats. 500 people is plenty for the results to be statistically significant. We make reasonable assumptions about the population of the whole US based on 100 people. You just have to lower your degree of certainty.

However, that is no guarantee that the pollster did a proper job of correcting for factors such as locality, response rate, poll type, age distribution, etc. At the same time, any professional research firm should be able to do all of that very easily.

 

[N8 v2.0]

However, that is no guarantee that the pollster did a proper job of correcting for factors such as locality, response rate, poll type, age distribution, etc.

Or the pollsters agenda's either...

 

[N8 v2.0]

N8 could...you're too smart for that.

..are you calling me bi..???

 

[Echo]

Seems to me that the questions in this poll could easily be leading. How many of those polled actually thought the CIA was distributing AIDS to black people before the pollster offered it as a possible answer? My guess is almost none.

 

[Silver]

I give up.

 

[N8 v2.0]

I give up.

Thanks for playing!

 

[Toshi]

Seems to me that the questions in this poll could easily be leading. How many of those polled actually thought the CIA was distributing AIDS to black people before the pollster offered it as a possible answer? My guess is almost none.

i'm not saying that the questions were neutral, but your guess is way off base. this rumor/paranoid fantasy has been around for years.

 

[$tinkle]

sen. kerry sure didn't elevate the discussion

 

[Changleen]

sen. kerry sure didn't elevate the discussion

Supressed by ABSOLUTE EVIL?

 

[$tinkle]

so it's finally out: the one thing that changleen can be absolute on:

bush = evil

 

[biggins]

didnt they say the same thing about crack?

the government designed it to be highly addictive and began distributing it to blacks in the ghettos and public housing to get them hooked on it?

then came the movie "new jack city"