Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

It's likely the importance of the various items on the list. If you rated it as very important in the past, but only as important now (perhaps because things have improved in that area, in your opinion), that will move your score more towards the center than last time. Or, of course, the opposite would be true if you're moving further from center on a rating. Now, if you've moved from somewhere on the left to being on the right, then you've got other considerations, but that's not something we've seen out of people reporting their results here.

My thoughts as well.

[Kepler]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

It's likely the importance of the various items on the list.

Easy to test it. Set up two tests with identical answers, keep one as a control, then start moving individual answers around, either the answer or its weighting. The algorithm should be pretty obvious after a few manipulations.

[St. Clown]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

Easy to test it. Set up two tests with identical answers, keep one as a control, then start moving individual answers around, either the answer or its weighting. The algorithm should be pretty obvious after a few manipulations.

Yeah, but this is an internet thing that's only somewhat interesting. I'm not putting that much effort into it.

[Kepler]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

Yeah, but this is an internet thing that's only somewhat interesting. I'm not putting that much effort into it.

I've always thought it would be neat to try to design "critical test" questions that both left and right (and statist-ish and anarchist-ish) people could agree on. Too often, these tests are transparently trying to frame thinking to produce the "correct" answer ("Should the FDA control heroin or should 6-year-olds be permitted to shoot smack at recess?"). We would need a diverse panel of honest hard-left, soft-left, middle of the road, soft-right, and hard-right people to design non-leading questions. Then, the calibration of the answer space (the place where you put the origin) would also have to be non-leading. Is "middle of the road"ness operationally defined as the centerpoint of all answers, or is it theoretically pre-determined and then let the answers fall where they may -- perhaps predominantly in one sector?

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

centrist social moderate.
Left: 0.59
authoritarian 0.96
foreign policy: -0.96
culture: 2.8


so, slightly non-interventionist and somewhat socially conservative. Sounds about right.

lol!

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

To Bob's credit, unlike many Christians I'm pretty sure he believes in actually helping the poor, just through tithing and charitable donations, instead of government means. That makes him more bleeding heart than some would think, and certainly more liberal than most pro-corporate neoconservatives.

[Bob Gray]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

To Bob's credit, unlike many Christians I'm pretty sure he believes in actually helping the poor, just through tithing and charitable donations, instead of government means. That makes him more bleeding heart than some would think, and certainly more liberal than most pro-corporate neoconservatives.

Tithing and charitable donations are obviously good, but if that's all one does, to me that falls short. To me one should also get out there and first hand help with things. As Americans, many of us have the means to financially contribute, but to just write a check and then think one has done all there is to do is to me falling short of what one can do. There's tons of places out there to volunteer at, etc.

And I'll trot out there my usual comments about how my stances on things like the death penalty are hardly in lock-step with what people think of as conservative. But, that's part of the problem of labeling people and sticking them in a box. There's usually a lot more nuance to things, but nuance doesn't fit in boxes well.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

And I'll trot out there my usual comments about how my stances on things like the death penalty are hardly in lock-step with what people think of as conservative. But, that's part of the problem of labeling people and sticking them in a box. There's usually a lot more nuance to things, but nuance doesn't fit in boxes well.

Yeah, you're right. I didn't bother playing with the "importance" sliders on each question and kept them all at medium, because I couldn't be bothered to take the time. If I had to go through and rank each question, instead of being Right: 0.77 and Libertarian: 2.46, I'd probably be around Right: 1.0 and closer to Libertarian: 1.0. I care more about spending and guns than I do gays and God.

[Kepler]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

Tithing and charitable donations are obviously good, but if that's all one does, to me that falls short. To me one should also get out there and first hand help with things. As Americans, many of us have the means to financially contribute, but to just write a check and then think one has done all there is to do is to me falling short of what one can do. There's tons of places out there to volunteer at, etc.

This should be a whole other dimension on the political quiz: active vs passive. It's uncorrelated with social or economic views. Just as there are socially active conservatives (tons of church groups doing great charitable work) and socially passive conservatives (the Randian "let them eat concrete" types), there are liberal equivalents (socially conscious volunteers vs those who are content to pay their taxes and do nothing more). At their best, both the religious conservative and secular liberal traditions stress the importance of going out into the community and directly serving the poor -- not just because it helps them, but because it germinates something inside the giver that is also "blessed."

[FreshFish]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

At their best, both the religious conservative and secular liberal traditions stress the importance of going out into the community and directly serving the poor -- not just because it helps them, but because it germinates something inside the giver that is also "blessed."

and also because it germinates something inside the receiver as well. One hopes that it gives the recipient a sense of "hey, maybe I am worthwhile after all, if these people are coming here to help me out. Maybe they see something in me I haven't noticed inside myself yet." One hopes further that it helps encourage a greater sense of both self-reliance and also a "pay it forward" reciprocity in the recipient:

"what do I owe you?"

-- you don't owe me a thing.
I've been there too.
Someone once helped me out
the way I'm helping you.

If you really want to pay me back
Here's what you do.
Don't let the chain of love
End with you.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

"what do I owe you?"

-- you don't owe me a thing.
I've been there too.
Someone once helped me out
the way I'm helping you.

If you really want to pay me back
Here's what you do.
Don't let the chain of love
End with you.

Ahh yes, Flyover Country's "Kumbaya".

[FreshFish]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

Ahh yes, Flyover Country's "Kumbaya".

Reminds me of that famous New Yorker cartoon, that has a map: NYC / Hudson River / San Francisco.

[ericredaxe]

I am f*ed. I'm hardcore hawk and economy, but socially very liberal. I have no home. Once upon a time I thought Arnold was going to lead us into new times. the trashy bum. him. and then Romney seemed so upright and upstanding, handsome Michigan boy (not that they are not a dime a dozen back here in DeToilet, oops, I mean Michigan. now who do I vote for? Hillary? or some right wing whack job that the Republicans run?

You are sort of what Romney campaigned as when he ran first for senate and then successfully for Governor of Massachusetts. He may not have been socially "very liberal", but was certainly moderate / left leaning on many social issues. That was of course before he had to move right to secure the nomination.

[Kepler]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

and also because it germinates something inside the receiver as well. One hopes that it gives the recipient a sense of "hey, maybe I am worthwhile after all, if these people are coming here to help me out. Maybe they see something in me I haven't noticed inside myself yet." One hopes further that it helps encourage a greater sense of both self-reliance and also a "pay it forward" reciprocity in the recipient

I completely agree.

State welfare programs are necessary but they have a pernicious effect where neither giver nor receiver feel they are connected. The receiver feels no responsibility which just deepens his anomie, while the giver feels his contribution is wasted which allows opportunists to career-build by tub-thumping resentment.

[burd]

Re: Your Political Stance - 2014 Edition

You are sort of what Romney campaigned as when he ran first for senate and then successfully for Governor of Massachusetts. He may not have been socially "very liberal", but was certainly moderate / left leaning on many social issues. That was of course before he had to move right to secure the nomination.

I thought McCain was a good viable candidate before he felt the need to move there too. This dynamic must be driving a lot of fiscally conservative, socially moderate Republicans crazy.