Your political compass

Michaelm · Post by **Michaelm** » Fri May 30, 2008 12:51 pm

Check out this site for the test.

Here's my result

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Fri May 30, 2008 12:56 pm

For example, who are the 'conservatives' in today's Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher ?

Both.

On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It's not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them

That made me laugh.

btw, we need a 3D compass, I lack another axis for things like "anarchist" and such.

My result:

http://www.politicalcompass.org/printab ... &soc=-7.69

http://www.politicalcompass.org/images/ ... lchart.gif

Well, it's something to be closer to the Dalai Lama rather than Zapatero or Brown - it tells how pathetic is the left these days.

Oh and Benedict XVI is waaay too left in that chart. I do like the fact that only Bush can do worse than Berlusconi however.

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Fri May 30, 2008 2:16 pm

This is bullshit, of course, because it incorrectly assumes that there are only two opposing political views/possibilities.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Fri May 30, 2008 2:25 pm

I wonder who'd fit the fourth quadrant... Heinlein perhaps?

Michaelm · Post by **Michaelm** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:02 pm

@Ceph: Why is it bullshit ?
It atleast tries to take that into account.
I thought it was a nice short test.

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:11 pm

Michaelm wrote:@Ceph: Why is it bullshit ?

Because all 6 billion of us are unique snowflakes.

As for me: http://www.politicalcompass.org/printab ... &soc=-3.64

I'm pretty apolitcal, though.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:42 pm

We're all a bunch of left leaning hippies brainwashed by the liberal media: http://www.politicalcompass.org/faceboo ... &soc=-5.95

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:49 pm

http://www.politicalcompass.org/faceboo ... &soc=-0.21

I answered as honestly as possible and frankly this result surprises me. (well.. not entirely, but somehow. I had a funny feeling while I took this test).
Seeing even your results, I have to think that those questions and the whole test isn't exactly balanced and the questions are too biased. Even the way they're asked is not all that great.

All in all, meh.

indstr · Post by **indstr** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:59 pm

http://www.politicalcompass.org/printab ... &soc=-2.56

I think most young men on internet forums lean left. I ran a preliminary presidential election on the ttlg forums in 2004 and Kerry won by a landslide.... too bad that didn't pan out in real life

I thought the most fascinating question was this one
"making peace with the establishment is an important aspect of maturity"

That's pretty deep. I'm going to have to think about that quite a lot more. My answer of course was strongly disagree. But to think that most people would probably answer "agree" somehow strikes a weird nerve in me.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:13 pm

http://www.politicalcompass.org/printab ... &soc=-5.90

We're all a bunch of left leaning hippies brainwashed by the liberal media

Liberal media? Does such a thing even exist?

antron · Post by **antron** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:22 pm

Communism as used here is what Marx meant.

That howerever is not its contemporary meaning. The USSR redefigned it to be void of democracy, which has nothing to do with its original meaning (how much you are forced to support your neighbour, i.e. taxes)

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:32 pm

Davey wrote:
Michaelm wrote:@Ceph: Why is it bullshit ?
Because all 6 billion of us are unique snowflakes.

If we are entertained by the same movies, and like the same games, chances are that we can even agreed on broad political statements such as these.

Take it as a net game - it obviously can't aim to any real accuracy. I mean, they used the words "Stalin" and "Gandhi" in the same sentence...

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:37 pm

there was one question that wasn't really clear:

"the death penalty should be an option for the most serious crimes."

I had to choose strongly disagree. But how will they interpret it? What I really meant is that there is no crime serious enough to trigger death penalty...

JoshF · Post by **JoshF** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:39 pm

http://www.politicalcompass.org/printab ... &soc=-8.00

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:40 pm

I already explained why I think this is nonsense. I (and assumingly most other thinking people) have a complex philosophy of what I believe would put humanity onto the right path to a bright future. My world view cannot be put into 4 simple categories (left/right,authoritarian/libertarian) - there are many more categories. This is like wearing tinted spectacles where one side is green and the other red and ignoring that there are more colors. And why must these categories even be opposed? Can't one believe that in certain aspects of life a libertarian stance is best, while in others an authoritarian stance would be preferable? I certainly think so.

Also, looking at these questions is a reminder of how the way you formulate a question influences or even predetermines the answer.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:42 pm

Ceph wrote:I already explained why I think this is nonsense. I (and assumingly most other thinking people) have a complex philosophy of what I believe would put humanity onto the right path to a bright future. My world view cannot be put into 4 simple categories (left/right,authoritarian/libertarian) - there are many more categories. This is like wearing tinted spectacles where one side is green and the other red and ignoring that there are more colors. And why must these categories even be opposed? Can't one believe that in certain aspects of life a libertarian stance is best, while in others an authoritarian stance would be preferable? I certainly think so.

What you say has a name: simplification, generalization. Not nonsense.

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:44 pm

Why is a certain way of thinking considered "left" and another "right"? There you go.

And also, trying to describe all political philosophies with only 4 categories is just nonsense. There is lots of stuff which simply doesn't fit in there.

In a way, this is like saying: There are only two types of living organisms on this planet: Flying and non-flying.

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Fri May 30, 2008 5:45 pm

Like the whole Myers-Briggs thing the test was entertaining and good for a laugh but not much else. Apparently I fall right in line with Gandhi's politcal outlook. Better than Stalin or Hitler!

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Fri May 30, 2008 6:13 pm

I seem to be pretty close to Ghandi myself does that mean I can get away with wearing a bedsheet in public?

Michaelm · Post by **Michaelm** » Fri May 30, 2008 6:14 pm

Ah common Ceph !
Look at it less seriously.
It's just a fun internet test that takes you 5 minutes or so.
I'm still interested in your graph

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Fri May 30, 2008 6:35 pm

Ceph wrote:In a way, this is like saying: There are only two types of living organisms on this planet: Flying and non-flying.

There are only five kingdoms of life, right? Granted, there are several layers of subcategories, but all organisms ultimately fall under one of the five kingdoms. Two plants can be vastly different from one another, but they'll still share characteristics that are fundamental to all plants.

Likewise, two libertarians (or communists, or whatever) will probably disagree on some things, but they'll agree more often that not.

Acid King · Post by **Acid King** » Fri May 30, 2008 6:54 pm

From the last time I took this quiz.

Ceph wrote:Why is a certain way of thinking considered "left" and another "right"?

Why is left "left" and right "right"? Why directions at all? Why is anything anything? WHY!?!??!

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri May 30, 2008 7:31 pm

My Results wrote:Economic Left/Right: -7.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.26

Obviously this thing isn't intended to be any sort of "authoritative" reading here, but hey, it's short enough to try once.

Liberal media? Does such a thing even exist?

Short, simplified answer: No.

does that mean I can get away with wearing a bedsheet in public?

Never know till you try!

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:03 pm

Acid King wrote: Why is left "left" and right "right"? Why directions at all? Why is anything anything? WHY!?!??!

Well, that's because some random Frenchmen decided to sit in one arbitrary location and those opposed to them sat on the other side.

Anyway, it seems I'm close to nobody...
http://www.politicalcompass.org/printab ... &soc=-1.08

Post by **system11** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:32 pm

Always surprises me how many 'lefties' there are. You know, they should carry the following details on -all- tests such as this:

1) Age
2) Working status

Because once you have to go out, grow up, and earn a living, it gives you a somewhat more realistic view of the world. My result surprised me, in a good way. I'm so used to whining 'lefties' that I started to think I was hardline right, and I'm not:

http://www.politicalcompass.org/printab ... 8&soc=0.15

Probably the best place to be.

Oh - before I forget - the people who made the test are socialists. The wording of many questions is such that one answer is 'good' and one is 'bad'.

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:51 pm

A "don't know/care" option would have been nice for some of the questions.

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:58 pm

FIL wrote:A "don't know/care" option would have been nice for some of the questions.

Then you'd need a third dimension arrow, the one that goes through the back of your screen, to the pits of hell where only cooling vent dust and lint balls dare survive.

antron · Post by **antron** » Fri May 30, 2008 10:04 pm

bloodflowers wrote:Always surprises me how many 'lefties' there are. You know, they should carry the following details on -all- tests such as this:

1) Age
2) Working status

Because once you have to go out, grow up, and earn a living, it gives you a somewhat more realistic view of the world.

you're right. here in the US, once you are grown, you forget all about that pathetically underfunded public school you went to and say, "you're not getting any of my money, or my rich boss's money because that is going to 'trickle-down' to me" not realizing your boss is laughing all the way to the bank and will be supplied with a never ending stream of cheap labor (your kids in that same school)

Post by **system11** » Fri May 30, 2008 10:11 pm

antron wrote:you're right. here in the US, once you are grown, you forget all about that pathetically underfunded public school you went to and say, "you're not getting any of my money, or my rich boss's money because that is going to 'trickle-down' to me" not realizing your boss is laughing all the way to the bank and will be supplied with a never ending stream of cheap labor (your kids in that same school)

Sigh.

No, you learn that it /can't/ be all happy and rosy with limitless free rides for all. Are you going to raise raxes for the school? Ok - now what about those people who were just scraping along managing to pay the bills? Ok - lets take more money from the slightly better off people. Oh wait, what's this? Now they've stopped buying goods or saving for their retirement because the tax burden is too high - and oh shit, there's not enough money in the pot to pay them all state pensions.

My point was, to students (somewhat) and the poor - people with average incomes appear rich. They are in comparison, but not in the wider scheme of life. It's all a balancing act and eventually Robin Hood runs out of people to rob. People in working life tend to have a more mature understanding of this.

antron · Post by **antron** » Fri May 30, 2008 10:26 pm

@bloodflowers
All good points to consider. It's just that when schools put out students that cannot even read, nothing can convince me that people above the middle class (like me) need to be taxed more to get the schools in order. This is basically Obama's message.