If a poll falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it mean anything?

Richard Fernandez at the Belmont Club discusses a BBC survey that asked people in eleven countries whether they thought a conflict between the West and Islam was inevitable. Because this is the first time the poll has been surveyed, there is no historical perspective in the change of opinion. We don’t know what they would have said a year ago, or 10 years ago, or 1,000 years ago during the Crusades. So, let’s make stuff up.

According to the poll, currently, 39% of Germans believe that "violent conflict was inevitable", as do 31% of Americans. Indonesia has a high degree of belief that a conflict is coming. Lebanon has a low degree of belief.

Then Richard curiously asks what the number of Americans, New Yorkers say, might have thought about an “inevitable conflict” with Islam six years ago. Good question, as far as it goes, but let’s take it a little farther. Let’s assume the question is really about “inevitable conflict” leading to penultimate destruction instead of about a paltry disagreement between Islam and the West.

Substitute “Russia” for “Islam” and ask the question again. The percentages would have been higher previously than now. In fact, it is now to the point that practically NO ONE thinks any longer that “a conflict between Russia and the West is inevitable.” Sure, there are some dead-ender anti-Communists that won’t let go, or those who think that a conflict is inevitable between any two different entities. You could suppose that you might get the same answer by asking if conflict was inevitable between Teddy Bears and the West.

Let’s ask another question: Is it likely that an asteroid will lead to the inevitable destruction of humanity? Yes, of course, asteroids wiped out the dinosaurs. No, don’t be ridiculous, that only happens once in 200 million years. “Umm, I don’t know,” is the correct answer.

Or, “Will anthropogenic Global Warming destroy the world?” Of course, don’t be stupid, you read the papers don’t you? Besides, Al Gore says so. Hysteria obviously throws much greater weight than a private, reasonable opinion does.

So, let’s suppose one more question, and let’s ask it of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Taoists, Marxists, Zoroastrians, Muslims, everyone. “Should [insert your religion here] be the world’s one true religion?” And maybe there should be one follow up question. “Should your religion destroy the world to do that?” All it takes is one sect to say, "Yes," and it's 'game on'.

Now that would be a poll we could use! But when the answer is known, the question changes to: “What are YOU going to do about that (or them)?”

What DO you do about people who would destroy the world in the name of their religion? I think he who shoots first, most often, loudest and biggest wins this one.