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ndrosenThe other day, I got a telephone call from someone who said that her organization wasn’t asking for money, just for me to answer a few questions. The first question was whether I was in favor of family leave, for example, enabling people to stay home with a sick child and be paid for it. I answered that I was quite OK with employers offering it, but I did not believe that it should be mandated by government, and that I could explain why such mandates could have harmful effects.
The woman who had called me said that the poll needed a definite yes or no answer, and requested that I provide one, to which I replied that neither yes nor no adequately fit what I thought. After a few more words, I told her politely but firmly that I could not provide an answer that the poll wanted, and said goodbye.
The next time you read about a poll reporting that 74% of the American people are for or against something, you might keep this in mind.
The woman who had called me said that the poll needed a definite yes or no answer, and requested that I provide one, to which I replied that neither yes nor no adequately fit what I thought. After a few more words, I told her politely but firmly that I could not provide an answer that the poll wanted, and said goodbye.
The next time you read about a poll reporting that 74% of the American people are for or against something, you might keep this in mind.
