Is it elitist to be condescending toward all people who believe Obama is Muslim?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Is it elitist to be condescending toward all people who believe Obama is a Muslim?

Some people here seem to think so.

[minionofmidas]

It is elitist to be condescending towards anybody who deserves condescension. That is the definition of "elitist" in the political discourse.

[Stranger in a strange land]

no. Such people are willfully ignorant and almost certainly racist.

[Daniel Z]

Of course not.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Yes, it is.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Yes, it is.

The claim that Obama is a Muslim has been so thoroughly debunked so many times that the only reason one could continue to believe it is willful ignorance, or else citing this supposed fact, knowing full well that it's false, to mask the fact that they aren't voting for him because he's black.

[Keystone Phil]

Ugh...

Plenty of people think Obama is a Muslim because that's what they've heard. If someone told me, "BRTD is a Catholic" and I didn't know much about you and believed it, would that make me an idiot? I don't think so.

The people that I have a problem with are those that insist that he's a Muslim.

[MR maverick]

I have a guy at work who iam cool with , but his "Obama is a muslim" thing is getting on my nerves.

Ive had to shout it out with him over this many times.. one time at a dinner where 100% of the folks there are die hard white republicans who also believe hes Muslim.

I have did too much freedom fighting for Obama this year.

[Earth]

Condescension is just idiotic. It's better to explain to the person sincerely, than to take some imaginary high ground.

[Dr. Cynic]

I first present the fact to them with credible sources... If they fail to believe it and continue on with their idiocy, I respond by treating them like one.

[perdedor]

In a way, yes. To make light of one's ignorance to more effectively reflect your superior intellect is elitist. The real question to be posed here is: 'is all elitism bad?'. My answer to that question would be no.

[Хahar 🤔]

I have did too much freedom fighting for Obama this year.

Saying "he's not a Muslim" is freedom-fighting.

[Dr. Cynic]

I have did too much freedom fighting for Obama this year.

Saying "he's not a Muslim" is freedom-fighting.

More like statement of fact... There's a difference.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It's an information issue, isn't it. People who (for example) have access to the internet, know how to use it and use it a lot have no excuse, I think. Beyond that we start mocking people for their lack of education or for living in a remote area or whatever, and I'm not really comfortable with doing that.

[MR maverick]

It's an information issue, isn't it. People who (for example) have access to the internet, know how to use it and use it a lot have no excuse, I think. Beyond that we start mocking people for their lack of education or for living in a remote area or whatever, and I'm not really comfortable with doing that.

Heres the thing, the guy that I get into it with over this actually gets the misinformation from the internet.   He's a evangelical iam guessing ( from what I can tell ) , and really believes Obama is a sleeper Muslim/ anti- Christ. 

Now, I don't think its right to be condescending to people YOU THINK may have less education.  Obama supporters seem to be the main ones with that mind set, which is why most of the time the left loses.
( see Obamas bitter comments).

Both sides are acting like they are lacking in areas.

 The far right = Education on the issues - believe anything a neg ad says.

 The left  = Respect for others - condescending.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

No.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It's an information issue, isn't it. People who (for example) have access to the internet, know how to use it and use it a lot have no excuse, I think. Beyond that we start mocking people for their lack of education or for living in a remote area or whatever, and I'm not really comfortable with doing that.

My brother lives in North Dakota, and has not gone to college (though he'll probably go to a community college next spring.) and he is aware Obama is not a Muslim.

[Franzl]

It's an information issue, isn't it. People who (for example) have access to the internet, know how to use it and use it a lot have no excuse, I think. Beyond that we start mocking people for their lack of education or for living in a remote area or whatever, and I'm not really comfortable with doing that.

My brother lives in North Dakota, and has not gone to college (though he'll probably go to a community college next spring.) and he is aware Obama is not a Muslim.

Al was merely indicating that the probability to inaccurately believe that Obama is a muslim is higher in remote areas due to lack of access to information.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It's an information issue, isn't it. People who (for example) have access to the internet, know how to use it and use it a lot have no excuse, I think. Beyond that we start mocking people for their lack of education or for living in a remote area or whatever, and I'm not really comfortable with doing that.

My brother lives in North Dakota, and has not gone to college (though he'll probably go to a community college next spring.) and he is aware Obama is not a Muslim.

Al was merely indicating that the probability to inaccurately believe that Obama is a muslim is higher in remote areas due to lack of access to information.

We live in the "Information Age". Anyone can get internet now through satellite. Even the most remote areas still have TV and newspapers, and it's not like the Podunk Appalachian County Times is running front page stories claiming Obama is a Muslim.

Does anyone today have any less access to information than your average person in 1992?

One can also use their powers of logic and deduction. The media is frequently talking about Obama as the first black President. Yet, not a mention of him as the first Muslim President. Considering how big a deal that would be if true, there must be a reason for that...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

We live in the "Information Age".

You might do, I might do, everyone here might do. Doesn't mean that everyone outside does. Most people don't really follow politics, most people don't even really follow the news except in a very general sense. You can always multiply this in remote rural areas and (almost always) in working class areas.

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No, but that's beside the point. Back in 1979 no newspaper here ran front page stories claiming that schools would become monolingual Welsh if people voted for an Assembly (an idea as obviously absurd as "Obama is a Muslim"). But probably a majority of the electorate believed that (which is why devolution was overwhelmingly rejected). Word-of-mouth-rumours (these can spread very quickly) and "It Stands To Reason" were all that was needed.

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Oh, probably, though presumably a minority. Most people have access to more disinformation than they used to, though.

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Trouble with that is that it's only any good if the base is sound.

Btw, you mentioned that your brother didn't go to uni. I'm thinking more of people who didn't even make it out of school.

[MR maverick]

Hey... people

The muslim rumors didn't start at some barnfire.


They started on the internet!!!

Libreals =  condescending jerks.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

You do realize that under the parameters you're describing that many southern rural blacks would believe Obama is a Muslim?

As for people who didn't finish high school...the stigma attached to that in the Midwest is huge. Dropouts here are basically regarded as just people who'll either end up in jail or dead before 30. Basically the general consensus is only common criminals and gang members drop out.