Posted on 11/26/2004 10:44:08 PM PST by Eccl 10:2
There's abundant evidence for the need of it. The old one-dimensional categories of 'right' and 'left' , established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today's complex political landscape. 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 ?
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 the old categories on their own can't explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as 'right-wingers', yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook.
That's about as much as we should tell you for now. After you've responded to the following propositions during the next 3-5 minutes, all will be explained. In each instance, you're asked to choose the response that best describes your feeling: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree or Strongly Agree. At the end of the test, you'll be given the compass, with your own special position on it.
The test is entirely anonymous. None of your personal details are required, and nothing about your result is recorded or logged in any way. The answers are only used to calculate your reading, and cannot be accessed by anyone, ever.
The idea was developed by a political journalist with a university counselling background, assisted by a professor of social history. They're indebted to people like Wilhelm Reich and Theodor Adorno for their ground-breaking work in this field. We believe that, in an age of diminishing ideology, a new generation in particular will get a better idea of where they stand politically - and the sort of political company they keep.
I was a 5.25 Right, 1.18 Authoritarian. About halfway between Margaret Thatcher and Milton Friedman. OK by me.
Pretty cool site! Did a search, hadn't seen if it was posted here yet.
Enjoy!
I don't like this political compass thing. I believe it was invented by old-time collectivists to try to make LIEberals look good. The most ridiculous thing of all is how it seems to put live-and-let-livers right next to control-freaks. THAT makes me smell something really fishy right off the bat. I think there might be some better compasses and such at http://freedomkeys.com/partychoosing.htm and elsewhere, if you look hard enough, IMHO.
"The most ridiculous thing of all is how it seems to put live-and-let-livers right next to control-freaks."
Not sure what that means here.
And would there be some relation between your preferred site and your handle?
I felt I got a pretty accurate read here on me.
Oh my, I'm Milton Friedman. This will be a shock to my mother.
I mean they've got Hitler next to Thatcher. That's ridiculous!
Me too; mine too!
Great minds think alike
Economic Left/Right: 6.38 and Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 3.33.
The wording of the question is confusing.
You are right. I just went and took "the test" and it's rigged with leading questions.
4.62 Right, 3.38 Libertarian. The quadrant is right but I thought I'd be further along both axes. Guess I'll have to try to be more extremist.
This compasshas been around since mid election season. The libs were using it to "prove" you are more left than John Kerry and try to get you to vote for him. I hated it.
It really frosts my butt when their questions are like, "Should corporations be allowed to..." INSTEAD OF "Should POLITICIANS be allowed to shake down private businesses," etc. So you KNOW where they're coming from; they're just kind of hiding where they want to go. And THEN they have those stupid cartoons of Gandhi and Castro, fer criminey sake! Vomitous!!!
Oh, my God... I'm Milton Friedman
Any quiz that has John Kerry being a right-winger is bunk. I am a right-winger, and John Kerry is no right-winger.
It puts me close to Friedman as well, which I think fairly accurate.
But I agree with those who think this test devised by leftists, judging by some of the questions (and the cartoons).
I notice they have some socialists, like Tony Blair, listed as right wingers. Thatcher is listed as authoritarian, but I'd have thought she could have gone with Friedman as well.
Maybe the writers are "idealistic" and haven't figured out yet that leftism is inherently authoritarian.
Actually, I think they're the same kind of actual Communists who rewrite all the Wikipedia political pages to help you distinguish between Troskyites, Leninists and Bakuninists as if anybody ever gives a rat's ass any more, and as if WHICH kind of collectivist is more important than whether you're a collectivist or NOT (Repeat: NOT)!
>But I agree with those who think this test devised by leftists
It's based on the ideas of Adorno and Reich - two major post-war communist intellectuals. I believe the latter was incarcerated by the US government towards the end of his life (1950's).
I don't know who those guys are, but am not surprised if you are right.
This was posted before. I recall scoring close to Gerhard Schroeder (uh, yeah, right...), so it is without a doubt a meaningless "compass". Notice how they show John Kerry as "right wing"--anyone with 1/10th of a brain knows that's ludicrous.
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