Brent Nyitray
Fairlington Blade
Let the mutherfuker burn!
jnc4p
Kevin S. Willis
Michigoose
lmsinca
markinaustin
Arcanaut
novahockey
quarterback
ScottC
yellojktThe political compass attempts to isolate two different axes of thought. One ranges from “radical” to “reactionary” and one from “libertarian” to “authoritarian”. The questions allow for shaded answers rather than “yes” or “no”. I have found the website.
http://www.politicalcompass.org/
Here is the test.
http://www.politicalcompass.org/test
As I said, I was 3/10 libertarian and exactly on the midline between “rad” and “reac”. My 100% R voting friend, no ticket splitter he, was 2/10 libertarian and 1/10 reactionary. We were too close to even shake a stick at, but I am an inveterate ticket splitter. So I think it’s more fun and less demeaning than a pigeonholed test that puts the enlightened at one end [lib, if a liberal wrote it, conservative, if a conservative wrote it]. If any of you take it, I don’t care how you score, but I would like to know afterward if you think it was relatively fair and/or relatively surprising to you. In my case, my old friend and I were surprised we were so close. But on reflection, we noted that we had been friends for 50 years at the time and always were able to pick up where we left off. So maybe not so surprising.
Filed under: Uncategorized |
All Things in Moderation 
I was scared to take it out of fear of being branded a bleeding heart moonbat, but here are my scores:
Economic Left/Right: -2.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.62
I’m a much deeper libertarian than I am a liberal. I can live with that.
LikeLike
Right about where I thought I’d score: smack-dab in the middle of Left Libertarian:
Economic Left/Right: -4.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.51
Maybe we should post our scores in our WP profiles for future reference! 🙂
LikeLike
Economic Left/Right 5.25
Libertarian / Authoritarian -.67
LikeLike
Economic Left/Right: 2.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.26
LikeLike
Okay
Economic Left/Right: -4.62
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.46
LikeLike
Sorry, but I can’t take the test. Too many questions are impossible to answer sensibly. For example:
If economic globalisation is inevitable, it should primarily serve humanity rather than the interests of trans-national corporations.
The questions presumes that humanity’s interests (to the extent that has any meaning) do not coincide with the interests of trans-national corporations (or, more accurately, the owners, employees, and customers of them.) This is a foolish assumption.
And:
No one chooses his or her country of birth, so it’s foolish to be proud of it.
What does the “it” refer to? It matters significantly whether it means the country itself, or the fact of being born in it.
LikeLike
Did you think the questions were generally fair?
YJ, I take it you were only slightly surprised; and ‘Goose was not at all surprised.
LikeLike
Scott, the rest of us took the test. I didn’t like all the questions either honestly, I’m a lot more grey in some areas than the choices. But we’d all like to see your score anyway. 😉 Come on.
LikeLike
Scott, while I agree that some of the questions were poorly worded, could I ask you to just take it, answering to the best of your ability? I’m beginning to think that you were WAY too serious as a child. . . 🙂
LikeLike
Economic Left/Right: 4.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.00
LikeLike
Michi and I matched almost identically so it got something right.
LikeLike
C’mon, Scott!
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!!!!
LikeLike
The questions were interesting but I’m not sure how all of them apply to political ideology.
The test puts me slightly to the left of where I self-identify as a radical moderate. I suspect I have been slightly radicalized against big business over the past several years. I am a strong believer in a strongly regulated free market and the current business atmosphere is a little too slanted against consumers.
LikeLike
I also did not like the available responses as regards some of the questions, where something more noncommittal as regards the questions would be preferable.
LikeLike
‘Goose and LMS in the same place, and Kev almost exactly where my old friend was do not surprise me. Scott picking the imprecision apart was predictable [right?]. I assume everyone had Scott’s reaction to several questions. I strongly disagreed with the proud to be born is foolish question no matter what it meant and I somewhat disagreed with the transnationals serving human interests first, no matter what it meant, and I swallowed my critique of the questions in that way for all but a couple, but I do not recall which ones.
LikeLike
Economic Left/Right: -1.62
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.56
About what I figured. There was a different test I took at some point which sorted people out by a different scale. I’ll have to find it. Perhaps Mike, Brian or Mark remembers.
I shared some of Scott’s reservations, though a lot of these types of questions are designed to force choices even if you dispute the some of the premises. For example, the globalisation question. If it doesn’t serve humanity in some way (which I believe it does, just not evenly), then what’s the point? I’d say the same is true of an economic or political system. Now, that question would mark me on the more liberal side of that question.
I do believe the it was the country of birth would have to be the reference. Otherwise, I think the sentence would have to read No one chooses his or her country of birth, so it’s foolish to be proud of having been born in it. I suspect it’s an odd critter who is proud of having been born somewhere, but not proud of the place. If you’re not proud of the place, why are you proud of being from there?
BB
LikeLike
Scott,
You are overthinking the questions.
What does the “it” refer to? It matters significantly whether it means the country itself, or the fact of being born in it.
The former, not the latter.
LikeLike
The objection I have with the test is that it perceives the fault lines over libertarian and authoritarian to be in social issues like gay marriage, drugs, and abortion. Unsurprisingly, everyone (so far) is libertarian.
I would rather have seen some questions like (SD/D/A/SA):
The government is right to force people to use more energy-efficient light bulbs by banning incandescents.
The government has a responsibility to protect people from second-hand smoke, so smoking should be banned in all restaurants and bars.
The government should be allowed to prohibit you from investing in certain securities.
Candy and soft drink machines should be banned from high schools.
The drinking age should be 21.
Adults who allow their teenagers to drink in their own house should be prosecuted.
Cigarettes should be illegal.
The role of taxes should be to fund the government, not a to encourage / discourage bad behavior.
Environmental rules to protect wetlands are sometimes abused in order to prevent development.
AGW is an incontrovertible fact and the government should use every method at its disposal to reduce our carbon output, even if that means restricting people’s rights.
“Lexus Lanes” are an affront and should be illegal.
Countries which ban private medicine have better health care systems.
It is a shame people don’t have diving boards on their swimming pools anymore for fear of litigation.
LikeLike
Brent:
The objection I have with the test is that it perceives the fault lines over libertarian and authoritarian to be in things like gay marriage, drugs, and abortion. Unsurprisingly, everyone (so far) is libertarian.
Quite right. It ignores a whole slew of issues on which I would imagine certain people will score quite highly on the authoritarian scale, but who, without them, seem to be libertarian.
LikeLike
Yikes! I must be the “extremist” on this board! My secret is out.
Economic left/right: -7.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritrian: -5.64
Scott, I too found many of the questions perplexing in that I could think of scenarios where I could both agree and disagree with the statement.
LikeLike
okie:
Social Libertarian/Authoritrian: -5.64
Hmmm. okie -5.64, Scott -2.00. Methinks there may be a scoring error somewhere.
LikeLike
Those are all great questions, Brent. I like the way you phrased some of them.
Scott,
Now that wasn’t so hard. And it turns out you aren’t as wingnutty as the “Plum Girls” are moonbatty, so it all evens out.
LikeLike
Mich:
Are you surprised (or not) with your scores.
Not particularly. I am probably much more libertarian than the score indicates, but as Brent points out it missed out on a lot of relevant questions.
LikeLike
Yea, Scott! Are you surprised (or not) with your scores.
And I agree with you and Brent: maybe you need to create an ATiM version. Brent’s list of questions seems like a fair starting point.
LikeLike
bb, I have that other test, too, but the questions were way more subject to criticism, IMO. That test had a 0-400 scale, conservative to liberal, and JimD and I compared our scores, 199 for me and 220 for him and decided that we agreed on everything, which we already knew. I can direct you to the group page where that test can be found, as well as the extensive criticism of the questions by Brian, me, and others. A few folks who took that test would not tell their scores because they were so high in the 300s [liberal] that they were surprised and did not agree with the result. JimD observed that the questions skewed to try to force the more liberal reply, and I thought so, too. I think Dave! was the only one who scored more conservative than I on that test. It was March 11, 2009 at the FA website. If you think it is worth a shot here, after having run through the questions, you post it. I really thought it was a bad metric.
In this group, I feel a bit left-center, btw, where I was definitely right-center in that one. Of course, that group had enough hostile left to make Dave! and Kevin give up.
LikeLike
I’m with Scott. Many of the statements are on a plane of reality I don’t inhabit. Seriously, I wouldn’t know how to agree or disagree with them.
For instance, I really don’t look at things on a scale. So right away, the idea of being assigned a number on a scale (or in this case, two) makes no sense to me. It’s fine if that’s how someone else wants to view me, but it’s not my reality.
LikeLike
Maybe another 50 questions..
From Michigoose: I agree, once MsJS finishes hers. Maybe you and Scott should start working on the questions, with Kevin figuring out how to analyze the answers (based on your Excel comment below)
LikeLike
Brent and Scott, I think your criticism is right on, but I also know that the skew for the author was Libertarian Party, originally, so the original of this test tended to make everyone skew libertarian in the result. Which is marginally better than what those other tests do.
LikeLike
You want Moonbat, I can give you Moonbat, yello! 🙂
LikeLike
The glowing eyes dog scares me.
LikeLike
Yello, you’re chicken.
LikeLike
” The glowing eyes dog scares me.”
He’s trying to tell you something.
Will test later; probably come out near FBs scores.
LikeLike
What is a “Lexus lane”?
LikeLike
the “Plum Girls” are moonbatty
Someone has to hold the fort down in this libertarian panacea.
Brent, you might be surprised at some of this moombats answers to the questions you posed. I told you guys I was 1/4 libertarian.
LikeLike
Wow, okie, just saw your score…………….I should just give you my avatar I guess.
LikeLike
What is a “Lexus lane”?
It’s a highway lane normally reserved for multi-passenger vehicles at rush hour, but allows single-passenger vehicles to use it for a hefty fee.
LikeLike
Then I think a “Lexus lane” is very cool. I want one for Austin. On I35 at rush hour.
LikeLike
My score of 5.25 / -.67 makes me the most conservative and authoritarian of the group. I guess I get the Hitler award.
LikeLike
Brent, QB has not been heard from…
LikeLike
Scott, there must be a scoring error. I’m going to retake in a bit (have to pick up my car at the shop right now). I did answer a few questions with “strongly” agree or disagree. I wonder if those skew things wildly?
Later.
LikeLike
More specifically, Lexus lanes are being built in western DC and northern Baltimore parallel to existing highways. They are often private/publicly financed and are in lieu of HOV lanes.
I-35 through Austin would be a great location for one.
LikeLike
we call them HOT lanes in the NoVA area — High Occupancy Toll. car pools are free and the toll is congestion based to keep traffic flowing. at least, that’s the plan. none are currently in operation, but should be by the end of the year.
LikeLike
Hmm.
Economic Left/Right: -2.82
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.50
I’m a little surprised about the Social score. I’ll bet I can’t replicate either score though.
LikeLike
“Yea, Scott! Are you surprised (or not) with your scores.
And I agree with you and Brent: maybe you need to create an ATiM version. Brent’s list of questions seems like a fair starting point.”
Ideally it would come from input from all, so we avoid the skew that comes from one person writing them. It wouldn’t be hard to come up with a test… equal number of L/R, L/A questions, of which 1/2 are worded from each perspective. SA / SD answers get 2 points, A/D get 1, base scale is # questions on each axis * 2. Total score then normalized to a scale of – 10 to 10. badda boom, badda bing.
How to code that outside of Excel? Absolutely no idea…
LikeLike
I guess I get the Hitler award.
We probably shouldn’t us that for your nickname though. Strangers dropping by might get the wrong idea. 😉 I think it would be fun to create our own test.
I’d like to see Banned’s scores, he thinks he’s such a mystery……lol
LikeLike
I guess it was inevitable that we would be comparing scores. So I went back and took it for the first time in four years. Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, I guess.
Economic Left/Right: -.33
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.33
compared to 0, -3. At least I’m stable.
LikeLike
Economic Left/Right: 3.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.21
LikeLike
Placing a comment here so I can look at an editing option. . .
LikeLike
compared to 0, -3. At least I’m stable.
Those scores look well within statistical margin of error.
LikeLike
I guess I get the Hitler award.
Please adhere to Rule Of Engagement #6 even when being self-referential.
LikeLike
Mark – I was thinking of the one which had a little more nuance than left/right. I came down as technocratic as I recall. I’ll check the FA archives and report back.
BB
LikeLike
Brent:
My score of 5.25 / -.67 makes me the most conservative and authoritarian of the group.
Actually, it looks like you’re really close to Milton Friedman. Much better than that other guy with the funny mustache.
LikeLike
I was going to make a page with our scores in tabular form, but it kicked 50 Questions off the top bar. Maybe I’ll insert it into a post when others (like qb, John and ruk) have a chance to weigh in.
Oh, and yello, this Moonbat Daisy was created especially with qb’s help. I can’t remember what we PlumGirls were being teased about being moonbatty over, but we all switched avatars for a few days. I’d been waiting for a special occasion to bring MB Daisy back out, and this seemed appropriate.
Doesn’t if feel like the eyes are following you everywhere you go??? 🙂
LikeLike
I retook the test but was still surprised by my scores. But as I think about it, maybe I should not be since I strongly believe government should stay out of a lot of individual choices (sexual preferences, etc.) and do feel very strongly about civil rights.
Left/Right: -6.62
Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.33
Scott, looks like the scoring error must be yours. (Or the test is just wonky)
LikeLike
okie:
Scott, looks like the scoring error must be yours. (Or the test is just wonky)
The test is wonky.
LikeLike
I’d prefer our scores not be saved at the top. If we were to design a test of our own, that would be a different matter. My preference is for original material over someone else’s on the top banner. That and the fact I find many of the questions unanswerable.
I have been remiss on the 50 Questions. I’m out most of tomorrow, but hope to work on it again this weekend.
LikeLike
Hm. Further left than I would have self assessed. Further libertarian than scott.
Economic Left/Right: -3.88 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.72
I suspect a difference on the latter score had to do with social views.
LikeLike
Mike:
I’m a little surprised about the Social score
In which direction?
bsimon:
I suspect a difference on the latter score had to do with social views.
Perhaps. . . although we’re coming down more libertarian than not (even Brent’s score was only barely nudging up to the line into the authoritarian realm, and I wouldn’t have guessed that from reading his posts–I would’ve guessed him for a more libertarian score). I suspect that specific aspect of the results has more to do with the fact that we’re a self-selected bunch on a political blog who (generally) aren’t tearing each others’ throats out, so on some deep level we agree to disagree, even when the disagreement is pretty vehement.
There’s another political spectrum test from the 2008 Democratic primary competition that I’m going to have to see if I can unearth; it’s the first time I’d heard the term “Left Libertarian” and found out that that’s basically what I really am.
LikeLike
PolCompass results:
Economic Left/Right: 1.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 0.31
{hi Mich…saw yours @ PL. I’m almost a Bullseye on that grid! heh}
LikeLike
Thought that would lure you over, tao. Thanks! {{{onelove}}}
You’re more centrist than any of us so far!
LikeLike
Michi – I suspect the quiz scores anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage (or behavior) views as authoritarion, while pro choice & pro marriage equality are more libertarian. I agree, but suspect some
would not…
LikeLike
Please adhere to Rule Of Engagement #6 even when being self-referential.
Put a quarter in the Godwin Jar.
LikeLike
Economic: 4.75
Social: .56
I found this test very ill-devised, particularly on the economic axis. Questions are not well crafted at all. I would have agreed much more strongly with many of the libertarian positions if they had not been written problematically. I am about as rightward economically as you can get; that does not translate to, whatever is best for the biggest companies is best for all of us. That’s just dumb.
Geez, I could not believe what a commie/hippie lms was, then I saw Okie’s scores!
Michi, glad to see Moonbat Daisy. Nice!
LikeLike
Michi:
In which direction?
I didn’t expect to be that libertarian. My strict upbringing clearly has been shed in the past couple of decades …
LikeLike