Tuesday, April 05, 2011
50/48
Saturday I answer the phone and it's a girl working for some three letter acronym of a market research place and, unusually, I agree to answer some questions. I am not from the 18-26 age bracket in which they are especially interested but apparently they still value my data highly enough to bother talking to me. I'm expecting a series of questions about my favourite laundry detergent or something but instead I'm quizzed on a variety of subjects including general stuff about income brackets and specific stuff about internet usage and social networks. We're a good ten minutes in when I'm somewhat thrown...
"So, on a scale of zero to one hundred - zero being a very cold, negative feeling and one hundred being very warm and positive - how do you feel about the Palestinians?"
I take a moment. Consider. I do not laugh. I do not comment upon the validity of the question, nor the way in which it has been put.
"Um ... 50?"
"Okay. And, again, on a scale of zero to one hundred - zero being a very cold, negative feeling and one hundred being very warm and positive - how do you feel about the people of Israel?"
I take a longer moment. I still do not laugh. But I hope that my questioner might.
"Er ... 48?"
"Okay..."
The next couple of questions are also about Israel and Palestine. I opt for "don't know" as my answer and then, when it becomes apparent that more of the same is to follow I suggest that, perhaps it will save time to just mark me down as "don't know" for everything to do with Israel and Palestine.
"Oh, right. Okay. Hang on a moment ... There, that's done."
She returns to her script.
"Now then - Iran—"
"I think maybe it's best if you just mark me down as 'don't know' for anything to do with the Middle East as a whole."
"Oh, okay."
Happily, there isn't much more after that.
At the end I am thanked for my time and asked if I might be marked down as someone who would be happy to take part in further such surveys. I politely decline.
"So, on a scale of zero to one hundred - zero being a very cold, negative feeling and one hundred being very warm and positive - how do you feel about the Palestinians?"
I take a moment. Consider. I do not laugh. I do not comment upon the validity of the question, nor the way in which it has been put.
"Um ... 50?"
"Okay. And, again, on a scale of zero to one hundred - zero being a very cold, negative feeling and one hundred being very warm and positive - how do you feel about the people of Israel?"
I take a longer moment. I still do not laugh. But I hope that my questioner might.
"Er ... 48?"
"Okay..."
The next couple of questions are also about Israel and Palestine. I opt for "don't know" as my answer and then, when it becomes apparent that more of the same is to follow I suggest that, perhaps it will save time to just mark me down as "don't know" for everything to do with Israel and Palestine.
"Oh, right. Okay. Hang on a moment ... There, that's done."
She returns to her script.
"Now then - Iran—"
"I think maybe it's best if you just mark me down as 'don't know' for anything to do with the Middle East as a whole."
"Oh, okay."
Happily, there isn't much more after that.
At the end I am thanked for my time and asked if I might be marked down as someone who would be happy to take part in further such surveys. I politely decline.
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