The 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll
This month's 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll begins with tough questions concerning where the upcoming 9/11 trial should take place, as well as where the Guantanamo detainees should be relocated to. Then in deference to the holiday season, we lighten up and ask Americans which movie star they would like to co-star with, and in what type of movie. Then, what superpower they would most like to possess, how they watch TV, and some other dandies you might like to bring up at your too late, too loud, family holiday gathering. Here we go:
More than 60 percent do not think trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York will make the city any more of a terrorist target than it already is. Nearly 30 percent think it will and that it is just what al Qaeda wanted. If asked, we're confident that 100 percent of respondents would say they hope they never have to find out.
Staying with the detained terrorist theme, half of those asked would not want Gitmo prisoners in their state. The other half don't care or don't think they're any worse than the current prisoners. Do you think they'd still feel that way after a prison break?
New York, New York it's a wonderful town: 18 percent. My kind of town, Chicago, is 13 percent and so on down the line. By the way, didn't Sinatra sing both of those songs? The real twist was that a third of our intrepid interviewees didn't think that any of our choices best reflected our culture and values. For those nabobs of negativity, may we suggest a song for a city that might be up their standards? Camelot.
It looks like the men would rather have a "bromanse" with Clint than a turn with Cameron, Julia or Meryl. The ladies went big for the romantic comedy with George Clooney (why wouldn't you?). The two Wills (Ferrell and Smith) were each solid in their best known milieus, but not many people got a kick out of Jackie Chan.
No one can be sure of anything, but death and taxes are as close as you get. Ninety two percent of Americans will pay their taxes, and 90 percent plan to spend more time with their families. Eighty percent will vote in an election, (if that's true why are turnouts so low?). Thirty-four percent will take a dream vacation and 58 percent are sure they'll lose weight (we hope they're not dreaming). Do you wonder what percentage of the 58 percent are just as sure that they'll gain it back after they lose it?
Well the "60 Minutes" part of this poll is happy that 69 percent of Americans still watch TV the old fashioned way by sitting through lots of ads in real time. So why are we seeing more instances of product placements and the like during shows? Because about 40 percent of coveted younger viewers use a DVR or the Internet to watch their programs. As long as those kids are setting them for 7 p.m. on Sundays, we feel pretty good.
Let's face it, the NFL is one of the most successful commercial ventures in the United States, so don't look for any big fixes or game changers on this topic. Two thirds of our respondents make the very reasonable point that helmets may be able to be improved. Still, when a 260-pound linebacker that runs like a deer propels himself at you like a missile, making him miss is always going to be better than the safest helmet. A few soccer moms chimed in, supporting "football" as the new American "football." Check the Super Bowl ratings, mom -- ain't happening.
When given the chance to suspend all disbelief and enter a pure fantasy world (especially you people who thought they really had a shot to do a movie with Clooney or Streep), what better world than Superheroes? So what superpowers do people really want? Twenty-one percent would like to fly, 19 percent want invisibility, 13 percent want super strength. So which power is the big winner? If you're among the 35 percent that picked it, then you already know.
America has been a melting pot for a long time, but the ingredients tended to stick together (Italians with Italians, Polish with Polish etc.). If our poll is accurate, things are changing. Eighty-three percent of people say they have close friends or acquaintances from another race. Sounds like America's melting pot is being stirred up and having a little spice added to it.
Childcare in America has traditionally been taken care of by mothers and extended family members; when women joined the work force in droves, day care centers sprouted up everywhere. According to our poll results about 70 percent of respondents continue to or have gone back to caring for their children "in house," while only 12 percent are dissatisfied or worried about their current arrangement. It might be partially due to higher unemployment, but we prefer to think good old American self- reliance is making a comeback. Ralph Waldo Emerson is smiling somewhere.