Political Compass and Political Discussion Thread

[Curufin]

Looks like I'm still the far-out-lefty freak. That -10 didn't help any.

[Mari]

*points and yells* LEFTY-FREAK!
...
Okay, that wasn't funny...
...

You think this indication has any validity?

[Curufin]

I think it has a bit of validity. I mean, I am far-left. It's right at least to that extent. Although I'd probably put myself a bit more authoritarian than it has me...

[BeardofPants]

[Mari]

Perhaps we should start a club: The L-Lefties... or something like that.

[BeardofPants]

Originally Posted by Curufin

Looks like I'm still the far-out-lefty freak. That -10 didn't help any.

It's not a competition.

I wonder if it will change when you're no longer a student? It's been my experience that university tends to drive peoples' political bents a little further to the extreme than non-uni students (myself included).

[hectorberlioz]

Has anyone caught on to the idea that all four of those colors can be used to insult?

If you're in red: "You red-faced liberal!"
If you're in blue: "You blue-faced conservative!"
If you're in purple: "You purple-faced libertarian!"
If your're in green: "You green-faced anarchist!"

[Curufin]

I wonder if it will change when you're no longer a student? It's been my experience that university tends to drive peoples' political bents a little further to the extreme than non-uni students (myself included).

I doubt it, actually. I'll be thirty in four months for one thing. I also dropped out of college in 1998 and was working 'in the real world' for six years before I actually went back to school, so I've had plenty of experience with 'life' (believe me, you learn a LOT about people working at McDonalds for six years). And anyway, I never really plan to leave the University setting - I want to be a professor when I'm done with school.

Love the insults, Hector!

[Earniel]

Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -5.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.44

Hm, if I look at their previous graph, I'm pretty close to where they've put Gandhi.

I'm still confused about that astrology question, though. What on earth does that have to do with political leaning?

[Nurvingiel]

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Not sure about your school, but if you walked into a class I was teaching with info based on a facebook application, you'd be fortunate if all I did was shower you in hatching eggs.

The Political Compass isn't a Facebook application, and it has also been around a lot longer.

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

I was surprised as to how "almost in the middle" my point was. I was expecting to be lumped with Hitler.

Exactly. Plus, he had an affair with his cousin and started a land-war in Russia.

Originally Posted by BeardofPants

I wonder if it will change when you're no longer a student? It's been my experience that university tends to drive peoples' political bents a little further to the extreme than non-uni students (myself included).

The Young Spartacus Society (a group of Marxist-Lenninists) at my university might indicate this. I once bought one of their newspapers. Needless to say, us "leftist" people are not very homogeneous. (Though after seeing my test results, I obviously don't have much in common with Marxist-Leninists.)

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -5.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.44

Hm, if I look at their previous graph, I'm pretty close to where they've put Gandhi.

I can totally see you hanging out with Gandhi.

Originally Posted by Eärniel

I'm still confused about that astrology question, though. What on earth does that have to do with political leaning?

It is irrelevant, as is someone's opinion of abstract art.


My own reaction to the questions

Another question that stumped me was this: controlling inflation is more important than controlling unemployment. The thing is, you can't make too many adjustments to the economy or the Bank of Canada's interest rate to influence either. Then you just have problems. You have to be subtle when trying to influence the economy.

Similarly, I have a massive problem with this question: the rich are too highly taxed. In Canada, they aren't in my opinion. But what if there are obscene taxes on rich people in a different country? A person from that country who says the rich are too highly taxed is not necessarily more right-wing than I am. This question is as much influenced by the tax rate as political leaning.

This one is obviously to weed out the nutjobs: all people have their rights, but it is better for all of us that different sorts of people should keep to their own kind. WHUT.

As a supporter of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), I clearly disagree with this: no broadcasting institution, however independent its content, should receive public funding.

Okay, this test was written for Americans, wasn't it? Evidence: our civil liberties are being excessively curbed in the name of counter-terrorism. I wonder how culturally relevant this test actually is.

For the record, though I picked the artists because I feel they are often a sign of a free and happy society, I think that none of these jobs are more important than the other: the businessperson and the manufacturer are more important than the writer and the artist.

A huge problem with this test is it uses a Likert Scale, but without the neutral option. Now, that doesn't make the scale wrong or biased, but it really annoys me. I always choose neutral on subjects that I lack knowledge on, value both choices equally, or simply don't have an opinion. By forcing a choice to one direction or another, this is going to make my position more extreme, or possibly incorrect altogether.

This is a proper Likert Scale, for those interested parties:
__ Strongly agree
__ Agree
__ Neither agree nor disagree
__ Disagree
__ Strongly disagree

And my last reflection, right before I get my answer, is, "If they lump me in with Augusto Pinochet I'm going to have to shoot myself."

Economic Left/Right: -3.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.49

In the end, I'm more to the right economically and more libertarian than Gandhi. I feel like this describes me very well, though it reflect my rebellious nature more than my actual view of the role of government. Economically though that is more or less how I feel. Still, just because I think astrology is a load of crap doesn't mean I'm an anarchist or something.

Fun test though, and great discussion!

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

I'm still confused about that astrology question, though. What on earth does that have to do with political leaning?

That's sortof the determinitive question that decides whether to place you at the far-end corner of purple or green.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Mari

Who wants to be with Hitler anyway? He had a creepy moustache...

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

Exactly. Plus, he had an affair with his cousin and started a land-war in Russia.

Seriously folks, I don't want to be lumped with Hitler.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by BeardofPants

You're significantly more conservative than me! I never thought that would happen...fascist pig.

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Seriously folks, I don't want to be lumped with Hitler.

What? You don't?

[hectorberlioz]

Actually, fascism sprung from leftist roots. Ask H.G. Wells.

[BeardofPants]

Gwai, I'm pretty centrist on some things, but not so centrist on others. F'r instance, I agree that a business' prime objective should be to make money for shareholders. However, and where this question doesn't cover my political inclinations, I think govts & local bodies should work to keep businesses in line with other factors such as ecology, etc.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

The Political Compass isn't a Facebook application, and it has also been around a lot longer.

Nurv. It was a J O K E. I noticed this one was from facebook, and I thought it was funny. I think Mari's reply indicated that she thought I was joking, too.

[Nurvingiel]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Seriously folks, I don't want to be lumped with Hitler.

Of course not. And besides, you're one of the more centrist people in the thread so no one's going to say that.

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

You're significantly more conservative than me! I never thought that would happen...fascist pig.

Well, the test doesn't cover everything. I never thought that would happen either, you commie.

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Nurv. It was a J O K E. I noticed this one was from facebook, and I thought it was funny. I think Mari's reply indicated that she thought I was joking, too.

Ah. Yes. I didn't get it, you see.

[The Gaffer]

It seems that the test may have some sort of validity. If we plotted all of our scores on one sheet, it seems that they would be accurate relative to each other. It may be that the origin is in the wrong place. Also, I did this test about 5 years ago, then did it again about a year ago, and got the same results. That suggests it may have internal validity.

So, it's probably measuring something.

[Mari]

Every test is measuring something...
Question is: is it measuring what you think it is measuring?

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

It is irrelevant, as is someone's opinion of abstract art.

But somehow in my mind I made some sort of connection to funding of abstract art museums but the astrology question failed to bring any link with politics to mind.

Okay, this test was written for Americans, wasn't it? Evidence: our civil liberties are being excessively curbed in the name of counter-terrorism. I wonder how culturally relevant this test actually is.

Only if we were voting in the American elections, I think. I'm pretty sure, that if this test was tailored to my own land's politics, I'd be in the purple block, not the green one.

A huge problem with this test is it uses a Likert Scale, but without the neutral option. Now, that doesn't make the scale wrong or biased, but it really annoys me. I always choose neutral on subjects that I lack knowledge on, value both choices equally, or simply don't have an opinion. By forcing a choice to one direction or another, this is going to make my position more extreme, or possibly incorrect altogether.

It annoyed me too. Neutral is part of the spectrum and should IMO always be added as possibility.