[lbo-talk] Gallup on Hiroshima & Nagasaki (Re: SPIEGEL on Dresden)

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net, Thu Feb 17 
15:06:57 PST 2005:
>>>It is disturbing, however, to find out that, in 1995, 59% of 
>>>Americans still approved of dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and 
>>>Nagasaki:  [Yoshie]
>>Or is it encouraging?  How did the percentage get that low, when we 
>>lefties seemingly have so little access to the audience?  41 
>>percent disapprove! That's pretty amazing, and cause for hope. 
>>Think how little it would take to double that figure...
>>Michael Dawson
>
>I thought the same thing when I read this. I would have guessed the 
>approval number to be between 75% and 80% and was pleasantly 
>surprised. For every two who disapprove there are only three that 
>approve. This seems very encouraging to me since the school texts 
>I've read and museum displays I've read all speak of the bomb as 
>necessary to end the war and save more lives than it cost. I wonder 
>if this number has dropped any since '95?

It took 50 years (from 1945 to 1995) to achieve a decrease of 26% 
(from 85% to 59%) -- that's a 0.52% decline each year, if the decline 
had been steady, which probably wasn't the case.  Assuming, however, 
the continuous steady decline, it should take about 79 years 
(counting from 1995) to get to the point of doubling the proportion 
of disapproval to 82%.  Whether that is disturbing or encouraging 
entirely depends on your expectations of the American people.  :->

To complicate the matter, given the fact that rich white men 
overwhelmingly approve of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and 
Nagasaki, and disapprovals are higher among those who fall in the 
categories of Blacks, the poor, and/or women, it is safe to say that 
those who are the closest to the hot nuclear buttons are most likely 
among those who continue to think that the atomic bombings of 
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified.  :-|
-- 
Yoshie

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