Yep, that sounds about right. Centrist. An open mind that opposes political extremes and looks for practical solutions.
posted by ToledoPlusPlus at 10:46 A.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
toledo++, just curious....would you consider "libertarian" to be a political extreme? just wondering what your view is.
posted by wholesaler1972 at 11:39 A.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
I to am a Centrist
posted by ToledoLatina at 12:21 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
Your PERSONAL issues Score is 70%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 30%.
The test states that I'm a Liberal. The test lies.
posted by madjack at 01:31 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
"LIBERTARIANS support maximum liberty in both personal and
economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one
that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence.
Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose
government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate
diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties."
From the website. Doesn't sound too extreme to me. Makes good sense.
posted by katie82640 at 01:34 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
Ok - what does the term "Goldwater Republican" mean?
posted by katie82640 at 01:37 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
madjack, if you don't mind me asking, how did you answer the economic questions?
posted by wholesaler1972 at 01:39 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
katie, i believe the term involves a blend of libertarian and conservative/ republican positions.
nonetheless, it's always hard to define the labels. is president bush a conservative? IMO, he isn't even close.
posted by wholesaler1972 at 01:45 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
I'm going on the basis of your political quiz. Libertarianism is supposed to fiscally conservative and socially liberal, as I've always read it so no I don't think thats an extreme (but they are more aligned with the right). The two extreme's would be Liberalism and Conservatism.
As stated in your quiz, a Centrist opposes the two political extremes and looks for practical solutions to things, say, by using logic rather than emotions. I guess, as stated, thats where I stand.
posted by ToledoPlusPlus at 02:52 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
Ok - I researched it. Goldwater sounds more as if he'd be termed a Libertarian by todays' standards to me.
That's right wholesaler.
posted by katie82640 at 04:34 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY I AM A CENTRIST.
posted by rooky at 07:31 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
Your PERSONAL issues Score is 100%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 40%.
Liberal with the red dot one line away from Libertarian.
:-)
posted by psyche777 at 11:15 P.M. EST on Fri Nov 03, 2006 #
Well, it says that I'm a liberal. I've always considered myself more of a Centerist though. (Didn't score too far off from that, either.)
posted by mom2 at 12:24 A.M. EST on Sat Nov 04, 2006 #
This is just silly.
...
OK, I took the test. End result was "LIBERTARIAN" (100% personal, 80% economic). Claiming fair-use, I'll repeat it here:
Personal Issues (Choose A if you agree, M for Maybe, D if you disagree.)
Government should not censor speech, press, media or Internet: A
Military service should be voluntary. There should be no draft: A
There should be no laws regarding sex for consenting adults: A
Repeal laws prohibiting adult possession and use of drugs: A
There should be no National ID card: A
Economic Issues (Choose A if you agree, M for Maybe, D if you disagree.)
End "corporate welfare." No government handouts to business: A
End government barriers to international free trade: D
Let people control their own retirement; privatize Social Security : A
Replace government welfare with private charity: A
Cut taxes and government spending by 50% or more: A
As usual with such surveys, there are many caveats to using simple language for inherently complex topics. Also, for now, let's ignore the clear problem of some of the questions using terms like "should" and the others having much more direct statements that imply "must". "Should" and "must" are different things.
Personal Issue #5: "There should be no National ID card"
The United States of America is obviously and historically a union of sovereign states under a federal government that is restricted in many ways outlined by the US Constitution. Although this design has been departed from in too many instances, it is STILL the design of the nation. Each state has its own ID-ing process. Hence, sufficient ID cards already exist and there's no need whatsoever for an NID.
Economic Issue #2: "End government barriers to international free trade"
Sovereign national governments are themselves international barriers, by definition. The US federal govenment has the explicit right to levy tariffs upon international commerce, as well defined in the US Constitution.
Anyone who agrees with this issue may as well just say that you're against national sovereignty. That's easy for a citizen of the USA to say, since the USA has been breaking other national sovereignties for about a century. THAT is morally wrong and must stop.
Economic Issue #3: "Let people control their own retirement; privatize Social Security"
This is an antiphrasis.* NO plan to "privatize Social Security" actually privatizes it and gives you real control over your money, since all plans involve some agency taking your money and keeping it under their roof (not yours) and refusing to give it to you until your retirement. TRUE privatization of Social Security would mean stopping taking SS contributions out of your paycheck. YOU can then decide what YOU want to do with YOUR money. There is no more properly private place for your retirement money than your own pocket.
However, the question said "people control their own retirement", which can only mean that you can ALSO take your SS money and "blow it on fast cars and loose women". Depending on this literal definition of "control", I chose to Agree. If this issue statement is instead an antiphrasis, where the implied definition of "control" instead actually means "some cartel of brokers get to play with your money", then my answer changes to a very hard DISAGREE.
Economic Issue #4: "Replace government welfare with private charity"
Once again, that depends upon your definition of "replace". If by "replace" this test meant "remove government welfare and allow private charities to replace it if they want", then my answer is Agree (which was my assumption). If the test instead meant "subcontract government welfare over to private charities", then my answer changes to a very hard DISAGREE.
I note that if both Economic Issues 3 and 4 are their semi-hidden meanings instead of the literal ones, then my answers change such that my red dot falls into the LIBERAL zone (with LIBERTARIAN leanings).
* I had to look that one up. Wiki has an excellent page on naming figures of speech. Caution: Very geeky!
posted by GuestZero at 01:56 A.M. EST on Sat Nov 04, 2006 #
gz, silly enough for you to respond with over 600 words?
anyhow, i don't think it should be taken so seriously. there's no need for anyone to throw out their posters of mao or stalin because you landed in the "centrist" box.
posted by wholesaler1972 at 07:17 A.M. EST on Sat Nov 04, 2006 #
Centrist for me, red dot one line away from conservative.
.
posted by Darkseid at 09:37 A.M. EST on Sat Nov 04, 2006 #
I think that this test is better at identifying your "placement" on the politcial/economic scale.
posted by MaggieThurber at 04:31 P.M. EST on Sat Nov 04, 2006 #
I think that this test is better at identifying your "placement" on the politcial/economic scale.
Now that one made a little more sense to me, since (as mentioned above) I'd describe myself as a centerist. On this test, I was exactly in the center (0,0) for economic issues, and slightly liberterian (-1.18) on social issues. About as close to the center as you can get.
(Not to mention that 6 pages of multiple choice questions vs. a few questions total should give results that are a little more accurate/in depth.)
posted by mom2 at 12:36 A.M. EST on Sun Nov 05, 2006 #
wholesaler1972 said: “gz, silly enough for you to respond with over 600 words?”
Please note the literary device that I used:
"This is just silly.
...
OK, I took the test."
The "..." is used in literature to indicate a period of reflection or hesitation. On top of that, the [STATEMENT + "..." + CONTRADICTORY STATEMENT] structure is often used as humor, or intentional irony. You might well find structures like this in things called "books".
If you're interested, I'd be glad to explain anything further to you ... at length. :^P
posted by GuestZero at 04:49 P.M. EST on Sun Nov 05, 2006 #
In the first paragraph when you get done taking the test that Maggie posted a link to you see the names: Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot,
Scared the hell out of me. My results were:
Economic Left/Right: -3.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.97
posted by katie82640 at 05:49 P.M. EST on Sun Nov 05, 2006 #
Wholesaler:
Government should not censor speech, press, media or Internet
Strongly agree.
Military service should be voluntary. There should be no draft
Maybe. It depends on why the country is drafting soldiers.
There should be no laws regarding sex for consenting adults
Agree. What I am is my business, what you are is yours.
Repeal laws prohibiting adult possession and use of drugs
Agree. Prohibition didn’t work for liquor, and isn’t working for drugs. Besides, who is responsible for me if not me?
There should be no National ID card
Disagree. Unfortunately, we are at the point where a national ID card is necessary for elections.
End "corporate welfare." No government handouts to business
Maybe. Most corporate welfare should be ended, with the exceptions being farm subsidies and the like.
End government barriers to international free trade
Disagree. This translates into more jobs being lost to slave labor overseas, which hurts the US economy, while prohibiting such items as the dictatorship believes to be dangerous toys.
Let people control their own retirement; privatize Social Security
Disagree. The vast majority of people are completely incapable of making money by investment. Moreover, the Government has made the civilians certain promises regarding social security, and the Government must be forced to keep those promises.
Replace government welfare with private charity
Maybe. If you want to see a real armed rebellion, just remove the necessities of life from the poor and disenfranchised. When the populace begins to starve, they’ll revolt. Work fare instead of well fare is a viable option.
Cut taxes and government spending by 50% or more
Agree. Military spending should be cut by much more than 50%. Federal fat should be cut by 100%. By shifting government spending to social services and giving half of that money back to the middle class, we will see the economy grow in a way that benefits everyone, even the super rich.
posted by madjack at 09:45 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
If you're interested, I'd be glad to explain anything further to you
gz, thanks for the offer, that's completely unnecessary. ;)
posted by wholesaler1972 at 09:53 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
And on the second test:
Economic Left/Right: -3.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.95
If you're interested, I'd be glad to explain anything further to you ... at length.
I have any number of things I want explained at length. How about Tuesday at The Distillery?
posted by madjack at 10:03 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
maggie, thanks for the link to the other test. here's my score....
Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: 6.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.79
it basically placed me in the middle of the "libertarian right" section.
posted by wholesaler1972 at 10:07 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
madjack, it looks like we're on different sides of the tracks.
posted by wholesaler1972 at 10:09 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
Political Compass
Economic Left/Right: 5.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 0.92
I am economically mid-right and, socially barely off center.
Assuming this is an accurate test, it backs up something that I strongly believe. In America today, the generally accepted or popular image of the center is about, in my opinion, -4,2 on this graph. Anything south or east of that is considered right or, at the very least, rudely politically incorrect.
By the time you get to the 0,0 or further east, you are "far right". That, I see, as a serious problem.
posted by babbleman at 10:12 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
GZ, please do the political compass and report your coordinates - I'd really be interested in seeing them, especially contrasted to mine.
http://www.politicalcompass.org/composers
.
posted by babbleman at 10:51 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
Sorry for the spam - I find this fascinating.
Me and Angela Merkel are almost identical.
I'd love to see this graph plotted with TT posters. If anyone is interested, I'll make it and host it - just post your coords.
posted by babbleman at 10:57 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
posted by babbleman at 11:57 A.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
"Anything south or east of that is considered right or, at the very least, rudely politically incorrect.
By the time you get to the 0,0 or further east, you are "far right". That, I see, as a serious problem.
Ouch!!! posted by babbleman at 10:12 A.M. EDT on Mon Nov 06, 2006"
{hops excitedly from foot to foot hollering 'that's me!!! that's me!!!}
Now I can quit wondering what to put on my vanity tags!!!
posted by katie82640 at 12:21 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
My politicalcompass.org results from September 2004:
- Economic Left/Right: -3.62
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.44
Toledo Talk user Chaz also answered the survey back in 2004:
Chaz:
- Economic Left/Right: -4.5;
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.92.
Other users took the politicalcompass.org test last April.
AirTrainer:
- Economic Left/Right: 1.25
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 0.82
junta330:
- Economic Left/Right: -1.38
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.54
BrianInFlorida:
- Economic Left/Right: -7.75
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.00
psyche777:
- Economic Left/Right: -4.38
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.31
MaggieThurber:
- Economic Left/right: 5.5
- Social Litertarian/Authoritarian: -.72
jdmsbyrd:
- Economic Left/right: -3.88
- Social Litertarian/Authoritarian: -4.32
katie82640:
- Economic Left/Right: -3.63
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.03
DoknowDocare:
- Economic Left/Right: -5.25
- Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.03
Looks like katie82640's data changed some in six months.
posted by jr at 01:09 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
Spooky! I took the test at PoliticalCompass.org this afternoon and got:
Economic Left/Right: 0.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 0.77
My little red dot was nearly on the intersection of the axes.
The test at theadvocates.org turned out like this:
Your PERSONAL issues Score is 50%
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 80%
posted by AirTrainer at 01:57 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
here's another test/ survey. this one is called "candidatematch". this is for the race for governor. They also have a "compare to senate candidates" towards the bottom.
http://www.ohioelects.com/?story=thirdparty/election/candidatematch.php
posted by wholesaler1972 at 05:25 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
The most recent test I took was:
Economic Left/Right: 5.45
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -.45
very similar to my results last April...
posted by MaggieThurber at 05:35 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
Maggie, your change was negligible other than a slight nudge up.
I don't know what I did, but there is no way that I am social positive - there is something wrong with that for me. Must have been a trick a question :)
posted by babbleman at 06:07 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
OK:
Economic Left/Right: -7.13
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.67
So, if I'm readin' this right, the only guys more (slightly) commie than me so far are Gandhi and Brian?
LOL, why the hell is it that we can't get along?
posted by NookularDon at 09:07 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
Economic Left/Right: 2.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 1.18
And to think I voted for Carter in my first election. :)
posted by SherryET at 11:11 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
Whew, thanks Sherry - someone more fascist than me, lol.
So, if I'm readin' this right, the only guys more (slightly) commie than me so far are Gandhi and Brian?
Yes, but there is no greater anarchist than you :p
posted by babbleman at 11:34 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 06, 2006 #
The test's leading questions where extremely annoying; for example, the one about "even with a career, a mother's main duty is to be a homemaker". I agree with that statement, but I'd never use force to make it true.
Per babbleman's urging I gritted my teeth and got through it:
Economic Left/Right: -2.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.72
posted by GuestZero at 07:26 P.M. EST on Wed Nov 08, 2006 #
The test's leading questions where extremely annoying; for example, the one about "even with a career, a mother's main duty is to be a homemaker". I agree with that statement, but I'd never use force to make it true.
I also agree with that but the word homemaker should have been more on the order of mother or parent raising the kids. The questions were very leading.
posted by SherryET at 10:25 P.M. EST on Wed Nov 08, 2006 #
I thought so too on a couple Sherry. Lots of the 'homemakers' I know are fathers. So that was a little leaning as well. But pobodys' nerfect
posted by katie82640 at 11:12 A.M. EST on Thu Nov 09, 2006 #
Thanks, GZ. That is about where I thought you would be. It is fairly unique territory. Closer to center than the rest of the pack, but the furthest south.
posted by babbleman at 10:21 P.M. EST on Thu Nov 09, 2006 #
Sorry about the bandwidth. T2 doesn't allow editing of posts an flickr doesn't allow overwriting images.
posted by babbleman at 10:36 P.M. EST on Thu Nov 09, 2006 #
Suddenly I'm struck by deja vu of sorts. I was studying "alignment" like this back in early high school, from my introduction to RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. The game initially used a single-scale alignment, but soon settled upon a standard alignment grid based off of the game's two great ethical or behavioral beliefs: Good vs. Evil and Law vs. Chaos. Generalizing my understanding, I now call any such belief scale an "ethos".
From there, by the age 17 or 18 I realized that we could construct rather arbitrary ethos grids, forming an n-dimensional structure with which to rate people. Obviously, beyond 2 or 3 axes, these become undisplayable and largely cannot be visualized.
For those who are curious, I consider myself roughly Chaotic Neutral on the D&D ethos system. (The term "neutral" is used for the middle range of an axis. Those who are neutral on both scales are called "True Neutral".) I'm neutral on the Good/Evil scale since I have aspects of both in my thoughts and deeds. I'm definitely chaotic on the Law/Chaos scale, since I tend to be quite disorganized in many of my thoughts and deeds, and of course my apartment and workplace are unholy messes. (Come to think of it, most places I touch end up messy, lived in and delightfully disorganized.)
I note that personality testing relies heavily on ethos scales, or whatever the hell they call them for their own purposes. Any personality test generally tries to place you at a single point on a n-dimensional space.
Finally, I note that I've had significant verbal fights with people across the graph. I find myself often aligned on issues with certain individuals, but largely unaligned in spirit in all cases.
posted by GuestZero at 05:03 A.M. EST on Fri Nov 10, 2006 #
Economic Left/Right: -5.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.41
posted by anonymouscoward at 07:55 A.M. EST on Fri Nov 10, 2006 #
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