“Who do you look up to the most?” (CHOICES: Politicians, athletes, businesspeople, artists, or scientists)

I think part of what makes it interesting is how abstract the question is in relation to former questions. (i.e. “boxers or briefs?” “Is global warming a concern?” “What’s your favorite burger joint?”) What do they mean by “look up to”? Admiration? Respect? Most valuable to society? Most interesting? Closest to matching personal goals? Stereotypical, desirable personality traits associated with each career path? Successfulness? (As measured in happiness or monetary gain?)

Has this abstraction of query affected the results of the poll? Let’s take a look at the responses. (NOTE: Facebook does not claim statistical significance with these polls. Keep that in mind.)

Ok. So at first glance it appears that–on average–Facebook users look up to artists the most, with athletes coming in second. What about demographic breakdowns?

No surprises with the percentage of age groups. Facebook poll responses have generally followed this pattern. But wait! The male/female response ratio is a surprise. (Though only if you’re geeky like me and remember past ratios.) If I remember correctly, most previous poll responses have been dominated by women. Why was there a higher male response to this poll? Do women have a harder time answering a question like this? And is it because they don’t look up to others as often, disagree with the method of categorization, or because they recognize the high level of subjectivity in the question, which makes a thoughtful response more difficult? And why is this question so easy for men to answer? Does this simple bar graph indicate a meaningful difference in gender-related thought processes and societal influences?

Oooh! The only two categories in which females exceed males in vote percentage are, oddly enough, two occupations we (society) generally consider to be opposites: artists and scientists. What is it that we’re supposed to be getting out of this graph? That women place a greater value on art and science while men favor sports? I certainly don’t think we should jump to that conclusion; it’s probably unfair to men. But what does it mean? I think it ties back to the issue of subjectivity. How flexible is the question being asked? (It’s plastic, Dr. C.) Perhaps what happened is that, due to differences in cognitive directions, men interpreted this question in one way while women interpreted it in another. Likely?

This last one is interesting too. It seems that the oldest age group looks up to scientists more, whereas the youngest idolize artists. Naiveté vs. practicality? 18 to 24-year-olds also chose artists, and 25 to 34-year-olds went for athletes. Do age differences contribute in the same way as gender differences, or is it a bit more random?

The only observable, significant uniformity was general loathing for politicians. Unsurprising.

www.serenae.com

What does everyone else think of this video? I saw it (partially) as a statement on the media’s influence over us, but perhaps it’s also saying something about human nature. What makes it so sad? The very end, or everything leading up to it? (Or do you even think it is sad?) Just something to think about.

“Finding a Czech wife

Every day we meet men from various parts of the world who are looking for a wife, a women for life, in the countries of Eastern Europe. They are often tired and even disgusted by the manner the women in their home country behave. That is why they have begun to search their bride in Eastern Europe. We have many times heard quite unbelievable stories and experience of men, our customers, with women from Western Europe and the USA. Stories of how women in their countries are mostly after money, their car, house, and property. It has become a standard that women spend a lot of money for plastic surgeries, in cosmetic salons, psychoanalysts etc.

Example: “John from the USA told us about his experience. The women he knows in his home country do not cook at all, they buy ready-made food or go out to a restaurant to eat. Someone else has to take care of cleaning up, John has never seen such a woman washing dishes or cleaning up the household, and still it is he who works and brings money home.”

We are always surprised to hear stories like that although we have heard them many times. Such behavior is not common in the Czech Republic. With your decision to go for a Czech bride, you may have taken the best first step for your happy life. Czech women are brought up in the traditional way, they are not so emancipated and influenced by feminism. A Czech wife is usually caring, loving, sincere, and faithful. They like it to be caressed and taken care of by you, and in reward they will take care of you and give you love. If you are looking for a partner, bride or woman for life, we will be very glad to help you in this quest. Just select one of our programs and register! And leave the rest up to us…”

After the initial shock of “I can’t believe there are still people who think this way”, the anger settled in. Now, I’m probably a rabid feminist–I’ve been raised that way by my dad, who is definitely a rabid feminist (yes, that always gets laughs)–but doesn’t this seem a little old-fashioned and even more than slightly offensive? Am I just overly sensitive, or are any of the other women out there outraged by this too? I don’t care what country you’re from or even your gender; being “not so emancipated” SHOULD NOT be a desirable characteristic in ANYONE.

What does everyone else have to say about this?