Where are you on the political Compass

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants sharing their results from a political compass test, which measures economic and social orientations. The conversation includes reflections on personal political beliefs, comparisons to historical figures, and debates about the implications of their scores.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants report scores indicating a strong leftist orientation, often comparing themselves to figures like the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela.
  • Others express surprise at their scores, noting discrepancies between their self-perception and the results of the test.
  • There are discussions about the validity of the political compass test, with some participants questioning its accuracy and the definitions of political terms like socialism.
  • One participant mentions a shift in their political views after reading a book, suggesting that exposure to different ideas can influence one's political orientation.
  • Some participants express confusion about the placement of certain political figures on the compass, particularly regarding John Kerry and George Bush.
  • There is a mention of a perceived lack of representation for right-leaning individuals within the forum, with one participant questioning if the forum is predominantly socialist.
  • Discussions also touch on the relationship between corporate interests and government power, particularly in the context of war.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of political orientations, with many identifying as left-leaning, while at least one participant identifies as right-leaning. There is no consensus on the accuracy of the political compass test or the definitions of political terms, indicating ongoing disagreement and exploration of these concepts.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that their scores may not fully capture their nuanced views, and some express concern about the implications of their results. The discussion highlights the complexity of political identity and the challenges of categorizing beliefs within a simplified framework.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in political theory, self-assessment of political beliefs, or discussions about the implications of political orientation may find this thread engaging.

Smurf
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www.politicalcompass.org
click the "take the test" link at the bottom of the page and tell us where you are on the political compass!

Economic Left/Right: -5.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.28

About the same spot as the Dalai Lama :smile:
 
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Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -7.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.95

I'll just wait for the peace prize to appear on my doorstep :smile: . Right there with the Dalai Lama & Nelson Mandela.
 
Hey Smurfee, that's a great test, having always wondered about my orientation myself.

Score: Economic Left/Right: -3.62
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.41.

I am a cross between the reverend Dalai Lama and Ghandi.

Yes Polly, well done! :biggrin:

One worry though, we are all so liberal our cells bearly hold together! :smile:
 
Economic Left/Right: -7.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.10

Hmm, didn't know I was that much to the left...in Sweden I quite often agree with the right side...
 
Economic: -2.38
Social: 1.28

There's no international leaders that fall in the lower right quadrant? :confused:
 
Economic Left/Right: -7.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.56

I'm further to the left than Madiba and the Dalai Lama. That's a good thing right??
 
I'm further to the left than Madiba and the Dalai Lama. That's a good thing right??

Hope so ... there are quite a lot of us here below -7 and so :biggrin: . We can start having chats where we read "Das Capital".
 
BobG said:
Economic: -2.38
Social: 1.28

There's no international leaders that fall in the lower right quadrant? :confused:
err, maybe my graph reading skills are getting rough but isn't that score in the top left quadrant? You're just underneath Pope John Paul II
 
Economic Left/Right: -4.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.92

Right next to Mandela...
 
  • #10
I don't believe you. :biggrin:
 
  • #11
Smurf said:
I don't believe you. :biggrin:
Lol, and I would have expected you to be up and to the left..right up there with Stalin and Mugabe...and so I say...so?
 
  • #12
:-p Cheating bad bad :biggrin:
 
  • #13
Polly said:
:-p Cheating bad bad :biggrin:
wtf, is this aimed at me?
I'm right there with Cobb and Nader a well!
 
  • #14
I took this about six months ago, and it's interesting that while I now remain is the lower left quadrant as before, I have moved a little toward the center horizontally. I think that's due to reading the excellent litttle book The Market System by Charles Lindblom; it made me see more constructive things in the free market than I had before (but it is by no means a right wing screed!).

For the record, my current scores are Economic, -2.00, Social Lib/Auth -3.74. I still favor legal marijuana and abortion, though I personally have never had either :biggrin: .
 
  • #15
Economic Left/Right: -5.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.00

Right near Nelson Mandella and Gandhi.
 
  • #16
EL said:
Economic Left/Right: -7.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.10

Hmm, didn't know I was that much to the left...in Sweden I quite often agree with the right side...

Economic Left/Right: -8.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.23

I never knew I was that much to the left... and I live in the U.S.! I guess I should take it easy on the "Strongly Agree/Disagree" responses. I am way off on the chart.
 
  • #17
Smurf said:
err, maybe my graph reading skills are getting rough but isn't that score in the top left quadrant? You're just underneath Pope John Paul II
What makes you think there's any connection between my score and my questions? Just something to wonder about - no famous right wing libertarian leaders? Doesn't that combination work?

kat said:
Economic Left/Right: -4.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.92

Right next to Mandela...
Smurf said:
I don't believe you.

Well, I have to admit, I'm surprised, as well. You're directly opposite George Bush. How did you ever wind up supporting him?

For that matter, how did John Kerry wind up in the top right quadrant? I'm not even sure Kerry's views were closer to mine than Bush's. I supported Kerry more on my impression of the competency level of the two than anything else. I would never consider him a right wing candidate.
 
  • #18
BobG said:
Well, I have to admit, I'm surprised, as well. You're directly opposite George Bush. How did you ever wind up supporting him?
It seems anyone in the left lower quandrant is the opposite of Bush...and Kerry. at any rate, if I didn't feel that Kerry was such a huge threat to our country and the Iraqi people (greater then Bush) I probably would have voted Cobb. I didn't vote for Bush the first run around, BTW.

For that matter, how did John Kerry wind up in the top right quadrant? I'm not even sure Kerry's views were closer to mine than Bush's. I supported Kerry more on my impression of the competency level of the two than anything else. I would never consider him a right wing candidate.
I think the test is deeply flawed, great fun..but deeply flawed. A lot of questions I answered "agree" when that agreement would have been conditional or given with deep reservation.
 
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  • #19
Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -3.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.92


This was fun! :smile:
 
  • #20
Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -0.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.10

Guess I'm in the middle!
 
  • #21
Economic Left/Right: 6.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.85

Am I the only person on the right side of the economic scale? Is this forum really that socialist?
 
  • #22
so·cial·ism (ssh-lzm)
n.
1. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.
2. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.


The problem with politics today is political terms are being so degraded by the media that no one knows what they mean anymore, just because someone is left-wing doesn't mean they're a socialist. I am not a socialist.
 
  • #23
Economic Left/Right: -3.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.03
 
  • #24
Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: 3.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.13
 
  • #25
Smurf said:
so·cial·ism (ssh-lzm)
n.
1. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.


That's the one. I said no to just about every government control over the economy. Apparently not too many agree.
 
  • #26
loseyourname said:
That's the one. I said no to just about every government control over the economy. Apparently not too many agree.

probably due to the fact that corporate profits are the main incentive for the current war in iraq.
 
  • #27
Kerrie said:
probably due to the fact that corporate profits are the main incentive for the current war in iraq.

Note that corporations don't go to war. If you didn't give the government so much power, we likely wouldn't have as many wars.
 
  • #28
Economic Left/Right: 6.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.85

Am I the only person on the right side of the economic scale? Is this forum really that socialist?

I would have thought this would be going seriously the other way around, biased to the right ... the fact that many Europeans get to the left in a test like this isn't that much of a surprise, but other than that an interesting result (sure this ain't too accurate or anything but nonetheless). Makes think how well does this represents the composition of the board.
 
  • #29
loseyourname said:
Note that corporations don't go to war. If you didn't give the government so much power, we likely wouldn't have as many wars.

the corporations give those in power lots of incentives for voting in laws that help their profits.

anyway, maybe we can continue this in another thread? i can always have more to say regarding this topic.
 
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  • #30
I'm 0.50/-0.51. I'll have to look around for an older thread about this site, because I think it (me and the site) changed a little. I think last time I was a little more to the lower right.

loseyourname, I'm pretty much in the middle, but that's partly because I don't like answering "strongly agree" or "stronly disagree" because I think the questions are too vage/loaded. But yeah, the people on this site lean strongly left.
 
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