Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler
PART ONE:
I've decided to update my results. This is my third and final attempt to do so today, as I've so far spent literally my entire day trying to accomplish this feat. My computer froze just after I posted my detailed results here in the text box but before I could press the Post button to make them visible. That was two hours. I tried again afterward, only to accidentally press a button that made all the text I had written disappear. That was another two hours. I am extremely frustrated at this point and really hope that this effort is appreciated by somebody. This is my final attempt at posting my detailed results:
Economic Left/Right: -10.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.9
chart.jpg
It looks like I've gotten a little more socially permissive since last I took this test. Here's how I answered the individual questions, with some commentary included:
Page 1
"Just a few propositions to start with, concerning — no less — how you see the country and the world."
If economic globalisation is inevitable, it should primarily serve humanity rather than the interests of trans-national corporations. Strongly Agree <-- I think this is kind of a rigged question. It's trying to ask whether you prefer fair trade standards (i.e. international agreements that include protections for worker's rights, the environment, etc.) or unregulated free trade (and I prefer the former), but it's worded in such a way that even most opponents of fair trade would probably, incorrectly signal agreement with the statement.
I'd always support my country, whether it was right or wrong. Strongly Disagree
No one chooses his or her country of birth, so it's foolish to be proud of it. Agree
Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races. Strongly Disagree
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Disagree
Military action that defies international law is sometimes justified. Agree <-- I take this position mainly because I believe that revolutions can be justified.
There is now a worrying fusion of information and entertainment. Strongly Agree <-- Is style replacing substance in our media discourse? One word: Trump.Page 2
"Now, the economy. We're talking attitudes here, not the FTSE index."
People are ultimately divided more by class than by nationality. Strongly Agree
Controlling inflation is more important than controlling unemployment. Strongly Disagree <-- Many leftists get this one wrong. Economic progress is expansionary in nature. Economic growth is going to yield inflation. Notice that the statement doesn't specify price inflation, but "inflation" in the abstract. The value of currency is far less important to me than the ability of workers to make a living.
Because corporations cannot be trusted to voluntarily protect the environment, they require regulation. Strongly Agree
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" is a fundamentally good idea. Strongly Agree
It's a sad reflection on our society that something as basic as drinking water is now a bottled, branded consumer product. Strongly Agree <-- It's not only sad, it's dangerous in today's context of increasing desertification resulting from growing water shortages! Why is California exporting water, for example? Production for use rather than exchange could help with this problem!
Land shouldn't be a commodity to be bought and sold. Strongly Agree <-- A little real estate wheeling and dealing never hurt anyone...right? See the Great Recession.
It is regrettable that many personal fortunes are made by people who simply manipulate money and contribute nothing to their society. Strongly Agree
Protectionism is sometimes necessary in trade. Strongly Agree <-- It is absolutely necessary for countries with poor populations (like China, whose per capita GDP amounts to only about $9,000 in current American purchasing power) to protect their economies from being taken over by foreigners from countries like the United States that boast a comparatively large and growing class of billionaires because otherwise the loss of national sovereignty would be inevitable. First World protectionism, on the other hand, is intrinsically reactionary and elitist because it is calculated to arrest the development of developing countries and keep that immense majority of the global poor impoverished.
The only social responsibility of a company should be to deliver a profit to its shareholders. Strongly Disagree <-- That mentality sounds like a formula for such things as economic depression, ecological collapse, and the abolition of art and culture to me.
The rich are too highly taxed. Strongly Disagree <-- Many among them pay no taxes at all!
Those with the ability to pay should have the right to higher standards of medical care. Strongly Disagree <-- The ability to lead a health life shouldn't be treated as a commodity, but as a necessity.
Governments should penalise businesses that mislead the public. Strongly Agree <-- I think this should apply to news rooms as well as advertisements.
A genuine free market requires restrictions on the ability of predator multinationals to create monopolies. Strongly Agree
The freer the market, the freer the people. Strongly Disagree <-- No one in need is free, for necessity guides many of its subject's decisions. Freedom from necessity is the main aspect of human freedom.Page 3
"Now a look at some of your personal social values …"
Abortion, when the woman's life is not threatened, should always be illegal. Strongly Disagree <-- It's about autonomy; the same bodily autonomy that men enjoy by default.
All authority should be questioned. Strongly Agree
Taxpayers should not be expected to prop up any theatres or museums that cannot survive on a commercial basis. Strongly Disagree <-- When art and culture are not subsidized, the rules of commerce tend to take over and push risk-taking creativity out of the picture in favor of established formulas that guarantee profitability. We can increasingly see this in today's America, for example.
Schools should not make classroom attendance compulsory. Strongly Disagree <-- Advancements in social media technology may eventually render the classroom unnecessary, but right now most students who undergo schooling at home fail academically because they need the accountability that only an in-person, social setting can provide in order to perform their best. When social media technology is able to replicate that accountability, we'll talk. Until then, classrooms are still needed.
All people have their rights, but it is better for all of us that different sorts of people should keep to their own kind. Strongly Disagree
Good parents sometimes have to spank their children. Strongly Disagree <-- The studies say that children learn from their parents best when they respect their parents and that physical punishments earn fear, not respect. Reasoning with one's children earns respect. When penalties for misbehavior are truly necessary, groundings are more effective than strikes.
It's natural for children to keep some secrets from their parents. Agree
Possessing marijuana for personal use should not be a criminal offence. Strongly Agree
The prime function of schooling should be to equip the future generation to find jobs. Strongly Disagree <-- I am of the opinion that there is hardly such thing as "useless knowledge". Many things one learns in the course of schooling will not benefit one economically. So what? Studying history may not get you very far economically, but does that mean it's useless to know one's context in the grand scheme of things? Is that not of intrinsic value? Education shouldn't be built around engineering ideal employees for business corporations.
People with serious inheritable disabilities should not be allowed to reproduce. Strongly Disagree
The most important thing for children to learn is to accept discipline. Strongly Disagree
There are no savage and civilised peoples; there are only different cultures. Strongly Agree <-- Civilizations may tend to develop and progress over time, but that doesn't mean that the uneven nature of said development renders more basic societies inferior or suggest that they have nothing to teach us.
Those who are able to work, and refuse the opportunity, should not expect society's support. Strongly Disagree <-- Technological advancements are gradually moving us toward a jobless future. That can either produce the greatest level of freedom our species has ever enjoyed or condemn most of our species to eternal poverty and misery depending on whether we become willing to separate income from work, perhaps in the form of something like a guaranteed minimum income for all. I prefer the former road. We can find value in other things like the cultivation of hobbies and interests, not just labor.
When you are troubled, it's better not to think about it, but to keep busy with more cheerful things. Strongly Disagree <-- It might make you cry to think about troubles, but crying can make you feel better.
First-generation immigrants can never be fully integrated within their new country. Strongly Disagree
What's good for the most successful corporations is always, ultimately, good for all of us. Strongly Disagree
No broadcasting institution, however independent its content, should receive public funding. Strongly Disagree <-- If you can't see the merits of PBS's sobriety, depth, morals, and relative fairness in today's spectacle-driven media environment, you're a lost cause!Page 4
"… and how you see the wider society."
Our civil liberties are being excessively curbed in the name of counter-terrorism. Strongly Agree
A significant advantage of a one-party state is that it avoids all the arguments that delay progress in a democratic political system. Strongly Disagree <-- Lack of debate may result in your party's entire program getting enacted quickly, but chances are that program has flawed elements that only the accountability that democracy supplies can correct. It is in many ways the comparative flexibility and adaptability of democratic systems that renders them superior.
Although the electronic age makes official surveillance easier, only wrongdoers need to be worried. Strongly Disagree
The death penalty should be an option for the most serious crimes. Strongly Disagree <-- Even putting aside moral arguments about sentencing based on a desire for revenge rather than to secure the public from danger, how does execution preserve the possibility of exoneration for the wrongly convicted (and DNA testing is finding we wrongly convict a lot of (mostly black) people in this country)? Shouldn't just sentencing take our societal biases and fallibility into account?
In a civilised society, one must always have people above to be obeyed and people below to be commanded. Strongly Disagree
Abstract art that doesn't represent anything shouldn't be considered art at all. Strongly Disagree <-- Nonrepresentational art attempts to evoke emotion directly rather than indirectly. That is something that only gifted artists can do!
In criminal justice, punishment should be more important than rehabilitation. Strongly Disagree
It is a waste of time to try to rehabilitate some criminals. Strongly Disagree <-- Not everyone can be rehabilitated, but it's never a waste of time to try!
The businessperson and the manufacturer are more important than the writer and the artist. Strongly Disagree <-- Not all value is tangible. (Not that the typical businessperson creates value of any kind, tangible or otherwise.) One who feels that exchange value matters more than art ought to be right at home in today's America, wherein commercial considerations usually win out over creative ones when it comes the production of music, movies, video games, television shows, etc.
Mothers may have careers, but their first duty is to be homemakers. Strongly Disagree
Multinational companies are unethically exploiting the plant genetic resources of developing countries. Strongly Agree
Making peace with the establishment is an important aspect of maturity. Strongly DisagreePage 5
"If you got through that okay, you'll find these propositions on religion a breeze."
Astrology accurately explains many things. Strongly Disagree
You cannot be moral without being religious. Strongly Disagree <-- Hey I'll have you know that I live by most of the Ten Commandments! For example, I don't covet my neighbor's ox, donkey, wife, or slaves. I don't worship other gods or bronze statues. Haven't killed anyone yet either. I think I'm on a roll!
Charity is better than social security as a means of helping the genuinely disadvantaged. Strongly Disagree <-- Yeah I mean look at how charity got us out of the Great Depression. And every other economic crisis we've faced. Seriously, the generosity of the rich cannot be underestimated.
Some people are naturally unlucky. Strongly Disagree
It is important that my child's school instills religious values. Strongly Disagree
Last edited by IMPress Polly; 09-19-2015 at 05:44 PM.
part two:
page 6
"finally, a look at sex." <-- where? I don't see any!
Sex outside marriage is usually immoral. strongly disagree
a same sex couple in a stable, loving relationship should not be excluded from the possibility of child adoption. strongly agree
pornography, depicting consenting adults, should be legal for the adult population. strongly disagree <-- here are some stats: 88% of today's pornography includes acts of aggression and 94% of those acts are directed specifically against a female party. The fact that some of those female parties are adults who are paid to feign enjoyment of real suffering and that some of the material may only be available to adults and not elementary school children doesn't make the contents anything other than misogyny. Is it any wonder that the studies find that the more exposure one has to the this material, the more negative their opinion of women tends to become and the more tolerant their attitudes get toward real-world sexual violence up to and including rape? And this material is having a huge impact on the way women are represented in the broader media landscape as well, including films, tv shows, songs, video games, etc.
What goes on in a private bedroom between consenting adults is no business of the state. disagree <-- i feel that the buying and selling of people's (mostly women's) bodies, even in the minority of cases where slavery isn't involved, is still exploitative enough to be the state's business.
No one can feel naturally homosexual. strongly disagree
these days openness about sex has gone too far. strongly disagree <-- on the contrary, it hasn't gone far enough! We're conceding the sex education of our youth to the sex industry!
kilgram (09-19-2015)
Update in OP.
The problem with retaking the test is you learn how to answer. That simplest quiz all you have to do is take the first option for each question to be a pure libertarian.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler
IMPress Polly (09-19-2015)
You need a new computer Polly.
ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
Wearing a mask with your nose sticking out is like wearing a condom on your testicles.
When out walking, look out for PROBlems. You know: maskless Plague Rats On Bicycles who blow past you without giving you time to get out of the way.
Ah, CONServatives, the Masters of Projection (MOPs). With CONServatives, every accusation is a confession. Weird, that.
............Oh, what fresh hell is this?
,,,........¯¯\_(ツ)_/¯¯
....... Not my circus, not my monkeys
OP updated. Mention me or PM me that you have posted score and I'll try to keep OP up to date.