So, what are you, really?

[FirstLight]

I keep hearing the words Libertarian and Paulbot getting thrown around here at thsoe who, like me have a general distrust of Govt and maybe some cynicism toward the current Administration...

so here's a cool test to see where we all stand...

www.politicalcompass.org


In my case, I guess my naivete and idealism is good for something, I am more liberal than Nelson Mandela and Ghandi!

Economic Left/Right: -8.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.74

Enjoy....discuss...

[burnodo]

1. People at this site have been doing that test for years

Most score in the lower left quadrant, far less authoritarian and far more left than any sitting Democratic politician. It's really meaningless at this point.

[FirstLight]

2. not really

If we see that a chunk of our own liberal population is more left than sitting politicians, shouldn't we try and find some people to represent us that align more with our views?

Wonder where Occupy leaders fall? my guess is they are very nearby...

this could be a call to action if we think about it.

[burnodo]

3. we're told that Dems wont win if they're "too far left"

So movements like Occupy are relegated to "extremist thinking" while corporate whores are encouraged to be the next nominee(s)

[FirstLight]

5. isn't it sad

that those with strong social leanings are thought of as extremists? For all the bluster, how few of us really do believe in helping eachother, community thought and action, empowerment and sustainability?

the cynicism is staggering

[LWolf]

7. And those that allow themselves to be dictated in that way

enable the status quo of nominating and electing corporate whores.

[burnodo]

10. yeah, but what are you gonna do?

Put together several billion dollars for a campaign? I've heard about "grassroots" activism now for a decade and seen it go nowhere. I protested the Iraq war 10 times with thousands of other people to see my protests did jack-diddly sqaut. I know what you're saying, but I'm too cynical and jaded to think that anything will happen outside the mega-money campaign structure or outright revolution.

[LWolf]

11. Critical mass.

Those willing to stand up, to refuse to be dictated to, have to reach critical mass.

I don't base my votes on who has the most money, or the most support from the 1%. I decide which politicians to support based on their positions and record on issues, and on nothing else.

Of course, what I do matters nothing what soever in the big picture. Not until enough people to reach a critical mass begin to do the same will we ever make a difference.

But that will never happen if we give up and get in line because we'll "never win."

I don't expect to "win," but at least I'll know that I didn't enable the losses. And maybe someday, in my lifetime or not, enough people will decide to put their feet down.

[Scootaloo]

16. Well, they won't

It's not becuase people won't vote for them, though. People will vote for the left, no problem. It's that the party decision-makers won't let such people make it to the ballots in the first place.

[Agschmid]

4. This website is not an accurate reflection

Of the electorate of the United States.

We are a small part of the population, most with like minded views... It's hard to really compare us to the US.

I agree it would be great to have more liberal politicians. I have yet to be called anything...

[LWolf]

6. I'm in the lower left-hand quadrant.

I'm the libertarian left, which I've never denied.

Of course, so are most other DUers. This has been posted for years, and I've yet to see a DUer out of the Libertarian Left quadrant, regardless of where their candidate of choice sits.

I expect, in the current climate, that will change. There are some who will follow Obama into the Authoritarian Right quadrant; they already have, based on the things they support because he does.

I've taken the test several times, and it never varies by much. A bit to the west of, and a bit more to the south of, Gandhi.

[FirstLight]

8. interesting, isn't it?

I personally have never seen this on DU before, so I am sorry if some are just too 'over it' to participate here.

If many of us are in that quadrant....wonder if that means we should move to some Socialist country...but I doubt if anywhere in the world is as liberal as that! I chose my answers because I tend to have a very 'tribal' mindset, I guess I'd be right at home with some of our indigenous friends, here or abroad

[LWolf]

9. Well, there are a lot of rationalizations by some.

It's not "accurate" because it's a global perspective, not a "uniquely American" perspective. Yes, I've read that argument many times here.

And, of course, the rankings are based on record, not speeches, so politicians who don't walk their talk, or whose rhetoric is so vague as to be difficult to pin down on issues will not appear where many of their supporters think they "ought" to.

The reality is that it makes it hard for some to claim that their favorite politicians are at all "liberal," except, of course, for neo-liberal.

If all the people in that quadrant rose up and refused to vote for those in the right quadrants, we'd see authentic, positive change.

[FirstLight]

15. +1000!!

Your last sentence! I could only hope....

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Left Libertarian. aka Anarchist (of the Gandhi type of Anarchist).

[madamesilverspurs]

13. What am I, really?

I'm someone who knows the difference between "holding his feet to the fire" and "burning him at the stake".

[FirstLight]

14. ?

...in regards to our dear POTUS?

well I may not believe in burning at the stake, but I sure don't think his feet are anywhere NEAR the fire yet, either. And they should be.

[LWolf]

18. What does that have to do with the political compass? nt

[burnodo]

17. I took the test again...it seems I'm getting lefter in my older age

Your political compass

Economic Left/Right: -9.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -8.00

[ZombieHorde]

19. I have taken the same test several times, and I get different results.

I think this is because I find the wording of some of the questions to be strange.

Economic Left/Right: I usually get something around -7.something to -8.something.
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: I always seem to get -8.something.

[burnodo]

22. a lot of the wording takes capitalism as a given rather than a choice

nt

[damnedifIknow]

20. Economic Left/Right: -4.50 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.90

Whatever that means. Guess it means I'm just cool.

[NRaleighLiberal]

21. I took this a few months ago - I am way, way lower left - to the SW of Gandhi!

-9ish and -9ish or something thereabouts.