What is your political compass?

[vaeevictiss]

but as i said above, i can see how this was written to favor one side. As well as the definitive answers of "Agree" or "Disagree". At least half of the questions could never morally be answered like that. There is a lot of grey areas and various situations.

Tho this is probably about where i land, i had to actually try to get there.

[Ryme]

knew most people on this board are left leaning libtards before even looking at this thread, now i have confirmation

Test is total shit, but I'd wager the majority of people who regularly use the internet socially are left leaning libtards.

[tuesday the paladin]

Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races.

what kind of bullshit is this?!

I assumed that meant human race, which I strongly agreed too.

[StayTuned]

I assumed that meant human race, which I strongly agreed too.

it certainly means race as in Caucasian, African, etc.

[Deleted]

How about yours MMO-Champ?

Didn´t came as a surprise^^

[Fullmetal89]

just started this and i already dont like how some things are worded.

I'd always support my country, whether it was right or wrong.

I served in the military, as did the majority of people in my family. I fully support and defend my country...however i feel here this is trying to imply the government, and i do not support the government nearly as much as i support the country.

Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races.

what kind of bullshit is this?!


that's just the first page and enough to know its bullshit and obviously written to a preferred side of the compass.

Yeah I know right? What the fuck is up with the questions, they are all either gotcha questions or down right ridiculous. Yeah this one had me facepalming too:

Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races.

I mean really? Who wrote this crap.


Anyhow I finished that ridiculously worded test, results below:

[LilSaihah]

I assumed that meant human race, which I strongly agreed too.

Humans are actually pretty shit. Pretty much every other race has better racials. Versatility as a favored stat? Up your game humans.

[Beery Swine]

Hmph, apparently I'm not the only one who sees flaws in the methodology here.

[Kujako]

I assumed that meant human race, which I strongly agreed too.

If we're so great, why can't we retract our genitals?

[Beery Swine]

knew most people on this board are left leaning libtards before even looking at this thread, now i have confirmation

Well, better than being a republicunt. XP

[wheresmywoft]

Maybe he isn't on the left? Let's dogpile him!

Clearly that was the only thing evident in his statement. /s

[Deleted]

Wait what, I'm supposedly far left extreme libertarian. So because I distrust large corporations and think people can be naturally homosexual I'm now far left libertarian?

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knew most people on this board are left leaning libtards before even looking at this thread, now i have confirmation

Thanks but no, I'd rather not be affiliated with leftist libtards nor their republitardian counterparts.

[GennGreymane]

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questioning felt off and more situation than a yes or a no.

[Wildtree]

Hmph, apparently I'm not the only one who sees flaws in the methodology here.

It's very flawed, and manipulative sentencing.
Some sentences purposely try to trick you into a false answer by their wording.
And it's extremely nonsensical. Since the result is basically an opinion reflection what the creator of the survey deemed to be the scale figures.

[Total Crica]

Some sentences purposely try to trick you into a false answer by their wording.

can you give examples? i want to see what i was tricked into answering falsely! maybe i really do like monopolies and want to force pregnant women to carry babies to term?

[Wildtree]

can you give examples? i want to see what i was tricked into answering falsely! maybe i really do like monopolies and want to force pregnant women to carry babies to term?

Don't make me read that nonsense again.... it was enough to read all the questions once. lol

Although.. It would be interesting to which extend one can manipulate the end result.
Strongly agree with everything, strongly disagree etc.
See how that moves the dot around.

[Byne]

More left than the test is equipped to handle apparently...

[GennGreymane]

OMG U LEFTIST MONSTER! U BROKE THE CHART!

lol wow.

[Mahourai]

The Political Compass is a test designed to get you to "realize" that you are a left-libertarian, in contrast to US politicians who it posits as being virtually identical data points in the right-authoritarian sense. You would have to roleplay as a Nazi to get Barack Obama's hypothetical "position" on the political compass, for example.

Many of the questions are spurious, tautological, or nonsensical for certain ideologies. RationalWiki breaks down some objections about the test:

The writers seem to conflate libertarianism with cultural liberalism. There also seems an implicit assumption made by the writers of this test that all leftists are against a free market. Particularly the left "libertarian" quadrant seems reserved for those who want government control over economy and are socially liberal. This is a progressive viewpoint and not a left-libertarian one. Modern market-oriented left-libertarians are staunch supporters of a laisez-faire economic system supporting free trade and property rights that are taken to be "rightist" viewpoints by the writers. Their position is leftist only insofar as they believe that "workers" are exploited by their "bosses" and are deprived of their fruits of their labour. Interestingly the early socialist movement heavily overlapped with the classical liberal movement. The compass works from the unstated assumption that any critique of corporate power is somehow “anti-business” or “anti-market.” There is no way for modern-day left libertarians to answer many questions without giving a false impression.

Furthermore it is questionable whether being supportive of more government intervention in the economy is exclusively left-wing. For instance the writers dismiss the idea that the BNP is a far-right party because they are supportive of tariffs and the welfare state but it is entirely possible to be "right-wing" (i.e. more accepting of inequality) while supporting government intervention so long as the motive is consistent with far-right beliefs (i.e. nationalism, racial superiority, etc.). The writers eschew the more traditional and academic definition of "far-right" in favor of equating it with neoliberalism, which can also be favored by the centre-right. Overall their definition of far-right and far-left is somewhat unorthodox and in some cases may not give you a very accurate position of your beliefs on a more traditional political spectrum.

I decided to look at some of the questions myself, avoiding ones that Rational Wiki already addresses.

"I'd always support my country, whether it was right or wrong. "

Who would answer yes to this? Even a Nazi or a fascist would disagree.

"No one chooses his or her country of birth, so it's foolish to be proud of it."

It's possible to disagree with this assertion while still believing that it's foolish to have national pride, or that it isn't foolish. Note that you cannot refuse to answer the question.

"Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races. "

What political alignment does being a racist imply? None, really.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. "

A political alliance of convenience is not a partisan or ideological move. There is nothing about agreeing or disagreeing with this that aligns you with one ideology or the other.

"There is now a worrying fusion of information and entertainment. "

What political alignment is supposed to approve of infotainment?

"Because corporations cannot be trusted to voluntarily protect the environment, they require regulation."

What if you don't believe it's a matter of "trust"? Then the question gives no insight into your political alignment.

"It is regrettable that many personal fortunes are made by people who simply manipulate money and contribute nothing to their society."

The factuality of this assertion is dubious, no matter your politics ("many" people contribute nothing to society?)

"People are ultimately divided more by class than by nationality. "

In my eyes, the two factors are inextricable.

"Controlling inflation is more important than controlling unemployment."

This is a very unsophisticated way of talking about economics. What if you support broader changes that control both inflation and unemployment and view them merely as symptoms of a greater problem? A Communist or a free-market libertarian might feel the same way.

It continues on in the same vein. It's just really bad.

[Deleted]

These threads come up a lot, but it's still interesting to talk about.



I'm a Left Libertarian, though I'm decidedly more hawkish than most. I've apparently grown slightly less anti-capitalist since I last took the test. Maybe they changed the way questions are worded.

I'm pretty sure I'd be listed as more libertarian if it weren't for the cultural/moral relativism of some of the questions ('no civilization or savages, just different cultures' or w/e). Something which I reject.