Political Compass Test

[Lamrock]

http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

With all of the debate threads, many of which political, may as well post this test. While flawed, its something to do, and I thought my eventual score was fairly accurate.

My score:

[benji]

I still hate the questions on this test, and the chart they make, with a fiery passion.

In fact, looking at the first question the rage is already welling up and I've decided I'm not going to do it.

I'm still a hardcore liberal minarchist who plays a constitutional republican in real life because I love that darn thing.

[Oznogrd]

a very flawed test indeed but thats alright. gave me something to do. Other tests have me completely centrist, while some have me on the very edge of left. Its all about the questions asked, wording, and choices.

[benji]

a very flawed test indeed but thats alright. gave me something to do. Other tests have me completely centrist, while some have me on the very edge of left. Its all about the questions asked, wording, and choices.

Exactly.

Like this one: http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz

All of them are flawed in their results though, there is no difference between social and economic freedom, you cannot have one without the other. All you need is the spectrum model, you just have to properly define the ends of the spectrum, there is no need for a set of axis unless you want to introduce "type of government" to it.

[JaoSming]

yay im a hippy too

[Lamrock]

Why isn't there a difference? I'm extremely progressive socially, but pretty much moderate for most other issues.

[benji]

Well, I suppose I should say you can categorize liberties into different groups, but for the purposes of the scale it's meaningless. You're either for liberty or you're against liberty.

It's like food, we can divide foods into different categories, but in the end it's food. Bananas: food. Steak: food. Rocks: not food. Metal: not food.

Same thing with liberty. Being able to engage in trade with others on mutual terms: liberty. Being able to say what you want: liberty. Being able to believe in a religion: liberty. Forced to quarter troops in your home: not liberty. Being enslaved: not liberty.

So you only need a "left-right" scale. And you can define the ends however you want, it means the same thing:
No Liberty-Full Liberty
Totalitarian-Anarchist
Collectivist-Individualist

[buzzy]

meh i was bored:

[Lamrock]

Now I really want you to take the test Ben. There are some liberties I want, and some I don't. I don't think people should be prosecuted and filling our prisons for possessing marijuana and that people of the same sex should be able to marry. However, I don't believe that we should be allowed to commit murder. Does this mean I'm anti-liberty?

[benji]

Murder infringes on the liberty (natural right to life) of another person, your liberties stop when they infringe aggressively on another's. And why would you ever not want a liberty? Do you really want someone else to protect you from yourself by threat of fine, imprisonment or death?

Now I really want you to take the test Ben.

Here's the problem. I really can't because I can't even answer some of the questions, or they're so mindbogglingly stupid.

For example:

If economic globalisation is inevitable, it should primarily serve humanity rather than the interests of trans-national corporations.

I agree with this statement, but I don't agree with what they're going to score me on because of that.

What's good for the most successful corporations is always, ultimately, good for all of us.

This one is similar, except I disagree in this case.

A significant advantage of a one-party state is that it avoids all the arguments that delay progress in a democratic political system.

I agree with this absolutely, there is no reason you can't, but if you mark "strongly agree" the test takes it as not just agreement with the statement but a sign of support for the idea.

When you are troubled, it's better not to think about it, but to keep busy with more cheerful things.

What the fuck does this have to do with politics?

Abstract art that doesn't represent anything shouldn't be considered art at all.

Or this?

Multinational companies are unethically exploiting the plant genetic resources of developing countries.

And what does this even mean? What the hell are "plant genetic resources of developing countries"?

Anyway, the vapid results:


As for the smallest quiz I mark agree to every single one.

[Oznogrd]

If i can find it at some point ill post the link that said i was centrist...but benjis right: these quizzes ask things that have nothing to do with politics or you may agree with the idea but that doesnt mean you think the government should be involved in it etc.

EDIT: not the one i was looking for but Here's a different one folks:

http://www.nolanchart.com/survey.php

This one has me centrist libertarian and only slightly left

[benji]

Actually, I found a better one for people to do as the questions aren't as horribly stupid as the Political Compass one is, although there are a couple stupid ones:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/politics/politi ... -quiz.html



I thought this one was really good, but I didn't save my results and don't feel like doing it again, I was basically in the same area as on the political compass (the axis are changed though, like on the smallest quiz):
http://www.electoralcompass.com/page/0/thema+s/
It determined McCain because he was closer to my circle, both of them were outside of it though. Of the primary candidates only Ron Paul, obviously, actually lands in the circle.

Oh, on the trust part everyone got an F. I marked almost all of them in the red on every single question. (Except intelligence and caring. I have no evidence that Hillary is not intelligent and that Bush is wholly uncaring. Except about black people amirite.)

[Oznogrd]

That first one is much better but like you said: some of it's still mind boggingly bad. thats close to the one i was trying to find.

The second one had me basically same area though...and had me close to obama and furthest from mccain...

[benji]

The second one is stupid because it presents a binary choice for something that isn't, I like it more when you toggle in the primary candidates. Of course I'd quibble with the locations of the candidates obviously.

Both of them are far better than the Compass because they allow you to pick NEUTRAL. (For those born with a heart full of neutrality.)

[Andrew]

According to PoliticalCompass.org:



And the first one benji posted:



Which apparently makes me a center-left social libertarian (Left: 2.09, Libertarian: 4.18).

[J@3]

[Wall St. Peon]

http://www.politicalcompass.org/faceboo ... &soc=-2.00

Fairly apt...I'm self described as fiscally conservative, socially liberal. I'd love to take care of everyone, but I can't afford to, so I don't; utopias are impossible and an unrealistic goal to strive for.

[benji]

Your self-description should put you closer to a zealot like me, you're closer to Jae who would raise taxes to 200% while enslaving everyone to build enough armaments in order to eliminate the islands of the Philippines literally from the face of the Earth. And then hunt down any of them that escaped the islands to elsewhere.

At least that's three people on here not 100% completely in favor of stealing other peoples property for themselves and others.

EDIT: not the one i was looking for but Here's a different one folks:

http://www.nolanchart.com/survey.php

This one has me centrist libertarian and only slightly left

Missed this. It puts me in the same place as the smallestquiz and gotoquiz ones.

I actually like some of the questions in that one, but some of them could have used a few more options. Providing various choices to an issue are far better than making a statement and asking "agree/disagree" though. Just for example, on the Social Security one there needed to be an option for "pro-rate the program based on year born, eliminate all benefits for everyone born after 1995, require all funds to be set-aside untouchable from the general fund, and raise the tax to 25% while eliminating the cap until 2050 at which point the tax and program is eliminated except for those still living."

It did let me actually answer every question though.

[J@3]

I'm pretty sure at least 5 of my answers were contradictory to other answers. I was just happy my little dot wasn't over on the left like everyone elses.

[Wall St. Peon]

Yeah, I said it was fairly apt because I consider myself centrist in overall philosophies, but I realize that those philosophies don't sync with reality, which pushes me a lot further to the right. In terms of the questions asked...it's accurate, but there are so many gray areas it can only be vaguely close to being almost accurate...so not accurate at all.

[benji]

I like that gotoquiz test, I think it'd show far more of a spread on the NLSC plot than the Political Compass one would, since it's not complete bullshit like the PC test.

I may only be thinking this because people who term themselves moderate/centrists or "pick whatever is in the middle of what you have offered me" are almost exclusively scumbags.

But then again, I live in a country where 99% of people don't care that the rule of law is ignored.

[Wall St. Peon]

Ah, I'm a scumbug, but an opinionated one...I'm to the right or left of everything...but the average of all those places me in the middle leaning right, when in actual practice I'm far more conservative than centrist...

[J@3]

Ah crap. I think it's because I was strongly against not setting a minimum wage, pro abortion and didn't care about the environment. Also wanted to cut back on military spending.

[benji]

That doesn't make sense then. No-minimum wage would be on the right, everything else you mentioned would have moved you down in my direction as well.

Ah, I'm a scumbug, but an opinionated one...I'm to the right or left of everything...but the average of all those places me in the middle leaning right, when in actual practice I'm far more conservative than centrist...

I say that because people who instantly just say "I'm in the middle" are stupid, if their positions lead them to fall in the middle that is different, but it's usually used as a claim for someone who is a semi-totalitarian who refuses to admit it. "Centrist/moderate" is a warning flag for someone who is reasonable until you run into their pet peeves. They also tend to want to be left alone until their son wants to marry a male Mexican immigrant or someone wants to drink.

But then again, I'm a motherfucking extremist who thinks people should decide on principles instead of picking the "least of two evils" when pressed even if I would govern on a "wean off the fruits of others" system.

A vast majority of those so-called "centrist/moderates" absolutely would vote against the Constitution if we put it up for a vote. People just can't handle not being allowed to control others lives.

[Lamrock]

That quiz was better. There were a couple bad questions, but the importance and neutrality options rectified that. Finished in more or less the same place though. My political views are definitely liberal, but not polarizingly (is that a word?) so.