Is this poll worth our time?
Please 'splain to me how you can ask in a poll whether something was "worth" the effort before the benefits have even remotely materialized? This CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released today does just that. The poll asks rather negatively whether the war in Iraq was "worth" it. To which 49% responded "no".
First of all, any time you ask somebody whether something was "worth" the effort it automatically implies that the something wasn't worth it. For instance, if you and I were to have just plunked down ten dollars to see a movie and, after viewing it and walking out of the theatre, I turned to you and said rather hesitatingly, "Do you think that movie was worth ten bucks?", what would you want to say to me? Your inclination would be to say "no", no? Same applies here. Wouldn't the fairer question from me be, "So what'd you think?" Therefore, looking at this poll, the question is biased toward one particular answer.
Secondly, as mentioned above, how can you ask whether anything was "worth" the effort before its benefits have been fully realized? Setting aside the preliminary benefits the Iraq war has already yielded (i.e. elimination of a tyrannical, murderous regime, emerging democracy and stabilization in a very dangerous and unstable region of the world, etc.) , the benefits to America and the world will not be realized for years and years to come. If the spread of democracy in the Middle East continues and the elimination of terror is realized and the idea of "Al Qaida" is as foreign to our children's children as the "Soviet Union" is to ours, what will the answer be then? Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, what would the answer be to the question, "Was our nuclear buildup worth it?" If the city was digging up your street to fix the sewage line and making life hell for you to get in and out of your home and disturbing your peace with the constant din of clanking machinery for a couple weeks and in the midst of the mayhem the question was asked of you, "Do you think this is worth it?", I think everyone's answer would be a resounding, "Hell no!". The answer would be quite different a month later, however.
So let's drop the phrase "worth it" and let's ask the question ten years down the line, okay?
First of all, any time you ask somebody whether something was "worth" the effort it automatically implies that the something wasn't worth it. For instance, if you and I were to have just plunked down ten dollars to see a movie and, after viewing it and walking out of the theatre, I turned to you and said rather hesitatingly, "Do you think that movie was worth ten bucks?", what would you want to say to me? Your inclination would be to say "no", no? Same applies here. Wouldn't the fairer question from me be, "So what'd you think?" Therefore, looking at this poll, the question is biased toward one particular answer.
Secondly, as mentioned above, how can you ask whether anything was "worth" the effort before its benefits have been fully realized? Setting aside the preliminary benefits the Iraq war has already yielded (i.e. elimination of a tyrannical, murderous regime, emerging democracy and stabilization in a very dangerous and unstable region of the world, etc.) , the benefits to America and the world will not be realized for years and years to come. If the spread of democracy in the Middle East continues and the elimination of terror is realized and the idea of "Al Qaida" is as foreign to our children's children as the "Soviet Union" is to ours, what will the answer be then? Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, what would the answer be to the question, "Was our nuclear buildup worth it?" If the city was digging up your street to fix the sewage line and making life hell for you to get in and out of your home and disturbing your peace with the constant din of clanking machinery for a couple weeks and in the midst of the mayhem the question was asked of you, "Do you think this is worth it?", I think everyone's answer would be a resounding, "Hell no!". The answer would be quite different a month later, however.
So let's drop the phrase "worth it" and let's ask the question ten years down the line, okay?
posted by Wonderdog | 11:48 AM | Permalink
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2 comments
2 Comments:
Wonderdog, do you think that little rant of yours was worth it?
CIV, as to your poll question, I'm sure that at least 49% of our readers would have to say, "no."
However, the benefits of such a rant have likely not yet materialized. It will happen, though. One day soon you might be walking down the street, maybe bending down to tie your shoe, driving in your car...and it will hit you all at once..."Thank you, Wonderdog", you'll say. And suddenly life will have new and enlightened meaning.
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