Are AB posters representative of the wider population?

[ruby27]

I realise that not all the posters here are British or resident in Britain but they make up the majority, yes? So I apologise to those who are not, if this post appears to exclude you.
I wonder if the political and ideological views that are demonstrated here particularly in News and S and C are an accurate snap shot of the opinions of the wider population of Britain.
The reason I have wondered about this is that in my own personal and professional world I do not meet with such statistically large numbers of people who hold such extreme views, particularly racist and homophobic. I know that there are plenty of posters here who get castigated as PC, do gooder, liberal or just plain stupid.
Is there something about AB that is especially attractive to the right wing, hang em high? If so what is it?

[dot.hawkes]

errr who are you calling wide!!!!!!!!!

[bobtheturkey]

never been in here before dont like the setees

[IggyB]

i've wondered this too - as i very rarely meet people with some of the opinions expressed on this site in the real world... but maybe the internet is used by those with views outside the norm as a way to express their feelings (be they right or wrong) in an atmosphere where they are anonymous and in some cases will find lots of other people that might even agree with them when they would usually be in the minority should their feelings be expressed in public

[dot.hawkes]

errr who are you calling anonymous!

[BBWCHATT]

I am not British - but I think people are more likely to express their true feelings when they have the anonymity of the internet.

In the real world we have gotten so politically correct a lot of people are afraid to express their true opinions/feelings.

[ruby27]

I think for some it probably is the anonymity of the Internet. I hadn't taken that into account, but now that you mention that it makes sense. Out in the 'real' world there are potential repercussions for expressing extreme views in the work place, you don�t risk this unless you are secure that your views will be accepted and validated, that being in a recognized social grouping that has already �rules� about what is acceptable or not.
In social groups there is the same usually unwritten rules which allows you to become a member, excludes you if you do not fit in, or you decide the group is not for you. Given my age and profession I am not constantly meeting new people so I am probably not as regularly exposed to the continuum of opinions as I am on AB.
So AB allows you to have free reign without inhibition because there is no real public sanction or condemnation. Wonder if this is a healthy outlet or not.

[Bellringer]

The circles I move in people express their feelings without predjudice or regards to the PC blockheads. We call a spade a spade not a "non mechanical soil transference device". If we mean to insult some they will damn well no they have been insulted but that is almost unknown.
Although I admit most of my friends support suspend sentences
Hang the ba$$tards"

[jno]

yes, I think it's the anonymity. One byproduct is that minority people (race, sexuality) sometimes leave in disgust, so that the racists are statistically overrepresented. This seems not uncommon in chatrooms generally, where young men (it seems to be mostly men) with limited social skills relish the chance to shout others down without people sniggering at them as they might in the real world.

[jno]

PS you may find this thread heartening

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question30 2932.html

[ruby27]

jono
that's interesting. This is my first foray into Internet forums (only found it by accident when looking for crossword answer). I had been shocked at the overt vitriolic racism expressed and amazed that anyone black ethnic minority remained here in communication with some of the posters. Recently there was a thread about B Manning which brought out the persecuted powerful majority in force bleating about how there human rights have been attacked when they are not allowed free reign to enjoy (sic) racism. They then went of and formed a little thread where they moaned about how the pc brigade had prevented them from enjoying their harmless fun whilst allowing, even encouraging the black and ethnic communities to make racist jokes at every opportunity and suing innocent white people for bonanza payouts at drop of the hat. My initial response was to call for a programme of ethnic cleansing/ eugenics starting here on AB with a few choice posters. Then remembered that isn't a nice response, in fact its the knee jerk reactionary response that I have been complaining about!!!

Yes that link was very heartening, thanks.

[Theland]

Maybe the government read AB and are therefore scared of offering the public true democracy in referenda.
Then again, maybe AB gives ordinary people a voice they are denied elsewhere. We are literally told to pay up and shut up.
The question of immigration is a case in point. I don't want it, in its present form, but I'm a racist if I say so. But I'm not a racist, so how can I express my opinion?

[Oneeyedvic]

Spooky, as I was reading this I thought of exactly the post that jno linked to.

Can only agree with what has already been said.

And thankfully AB is not representative of the country

[flip_flop]

Right wing hang em high? That's somewhat stereotypical isn't it?

I'm right of centre and against the death penalty.

I don't particulary (unless I've missed it - can you post links please) see any racism or homophobia on this site, but then again I genuinely believe that most people here don't acutually know what racism of homophobia is.

Let me, if I may, ask a question - why are there so many liberal leaners on this site who get upset over perceived racism or homophobia where no such ism or obia exists?

[flip_flop]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Society-and-Cul ture/Question415461.html

A classic example of people not understading racism if ever there was one.

[jake-the-peg]

Yes and No.

I think Britain is in general a deeply conservative country and tends to to be resistant to any change on a pretty knee-jerk level.

Immigration - change -bad
EU - change - bad
Global warming - change - don't believe it - bad
...repeat until bored

It's probably one of our less endearing aspects as a nation.

However one factor is that people don't tend to shout liberal values from the roof-tops, nobody storms the barracades shouting "live and let live" - well not until it's too late anyway.

I'd suggest that we see a vocal minority in those sorts of posts but that they reflect a majority who are a bit to the left of them.

[NJOK]

I doubt that AB is all that representative of the UK.

As an estimate I'd say almost 10% of posters here would vote or have voted BNP, and the wider statistics in the UK just don't bear that out.

[Oneeyedvic]

A classic example of people not understading racism if ever there was one.

Actually, one person. Everyone else agreed that it was not racism.

I don't particulary (unless I've missed it - can you post links please) see any racism or homophobia on this site, but then again I genuinely believe that most people here don't acutually know what racism of homophobia is.

It is very difficult to provide links, as if a post is racist, homophobic etc, then they tend to get reported and banned by the AbEd.

I have certainly seen plenty of ignorance on this site - and ignorance is where racism starts.

[Oneeyedvic]

Oh and here is an interesting (provoking) thought (which I know has some mass generalisations in it).

The news section seems to be used mostly during the day. Therefore the type of person who can post tends to fall into the following categories:

1) semi professional (middle class) people who have a fairly cushy job and can use the internet at work without anyone looking over heir shoulder.

2) Retired people (who will tend to believe that this country has gone to the dogs and it was better in my day - this has been the attitude of the 'older' generation since the dawn of time).

3) Professional people who are pretty well off and have lots of time and money (usually conservative voters).

4) Students - who tend to be more idealistic and not as cynical.

The typical 'workers' include teachers, nurses, police officers, armed forces, shop workers, factory workers etc cannot use the internet during the day (we will conveniently not talk about shift patterns as it may not help my argument ;-0 ) These are the people who will tend to be more centre or left wing - ie people who do a job to actually help other people rather than just concentrate on making money.

Oh dear - bet it is time to duck for cover ;-)

[flip_flop]

Yep, two very fair points vic (your post timed at 9.42am) - but you see the see the point, some people do not understand racism and yet it is these very people who appear to be the quickest and loudest to scream racism where no such racism exists.