[QUOTE=redking;36931340]If the only government is the people, and it is ALL of the people, then what you are talking about is mob rule. There is no structure to what you brought up.[/QUOTE]
I didn't mean the government would literally 100% be the people, but that the line between government and people would be blurred
Some veeery interesting results I'm getting here. However, they are not in the least bit surprising.
[QUOTE=RobbL;36932227]I didn't mean the government would literally 100% be the people, but that the line between government and people would be blurred[/QUOTE]
Blurred how? Define your terms. Either there is a governing body or there isn't. That might mean that there's simply a council that listens to the peoples' interests and takes what they deem is an appropriate action, or there could be a complex government.
[IMG]http://www.politicalcompass.org/facebook/pcgraphpng.php?ec=-9.75&soc=-8.67[/IMG]
Economic Left/Right: -9.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -8.67
Welp, that's a lot further to the left than I thought.
I'd describe myself as a moderate. Moderate in the sense that I think most things the government does are ok as long as they don't over do it e.g., foreign intervention, subsidies, welfare.
I'm also about increasing people's freedom.
[img]http://www.politicalcompass.org/facebook/pcgraphpng.php?ec=-7.88&soc=-6.26[/img]
[img]http://www.politicalcompass.org/images/axeswithnames.gif[/img]
I might be closest to Ghandi but I wont shy away from calling you a dick :v:
[sp]Even if I'm 20 years old and have never been in a single fight[/sp]
[QUOTE=Kartoffel;36932499]Some veeery interesting results I'm getting here. However, they are not in the least bit surprising.[/QUOTE]
I can't be bothered to retake the test again but mine was basically dead-on centre for left-right, and about slightly more than halfway down into the libertarian part of the up-down scale
just another datapoint for you
I've honestly never heard of the political compass before this thread (you learn something new every day), so I took it just to investigate.
[img]http://www.politicalcompass.org/facebook/pcgraphpng.php?ec=5.00&soc=2.56[/img]
I always thought I was a little bit of a hard-ass! :v:
[editline]25th July 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];36928722']If you voted this then you are an idiot.[/QUOTE]
There are some people who just don't care about politics, either because there are no candidates that they like, or because they're not old enough to care. Give 'em time. They'll grow into it.
I don't have a political alignment. I honestly couldn't give less of a shit about politics if I tried and only pay attention so I can attempt to boot out someone I think is going to drop the hammer or something.
[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];36928722']
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38678023/dontcare.png[/img]
If you voted this then you are an idiot.[/QUOTE]
Want to explain why someone who doesn't buy into the bullshit shit-slinging clusterfuckery that is modern politics is an idiot? Some people look at politics and think to themselves ".....the left wants to ban everything I enjoy because it's not safe for the kids and the environment, and the right wants to ban everything I enjoy because God doesn't like it. Fuck this shit."
That's my logic anyway. I like big, monstrous, difficult-to-control muscle cars that require more skill to pilot than it does to breathe without suffocating, something the left doesn't like because said muscle cars get exactly 0 miles per gallon and spew loads of deadly evil CO2 out the back. The left thinks everyone should be in super-efficient super-boring hybrids because Johnny Polar Bear doesn't like V8s. Blah. I'm also an avid gun nut and genuinely enjoy taking my .22 rifle into the back yard and plinking. It's great fun and I enjoy attempting to shoot the pull tab off a soda can without damaging the can itself. The left thinks that .22 is destined to take a human life someday regardless of how wouldn't reach for it even in a home invasion(12 gauge > .22LR for that), and thus want to ban it, despite it never hurting a soul.
At the same time I also enjoy porn, sex before marriage and think gays should have equal rights, things the right thinks should be banned and are immoral because they think God doesn't like it. I also like the idea of being able to get healthcare, something I cannot do at the moment due to the economy being so shit nobody has the balls/time/whatever to call me back and say "We're sorry but we don't have any positions open" after I apply for a job. If the right had their way this would be how things stay for the rest of time.
[img]http://www.politicalcompass.org/facebook/pcgraphpng.php?ec=3.00&soc=-3.69[/img]
Huh, I'm less left than I thought I was.
[QUOTE=Kartoffel;36933434]
There are some people who just don't care about politics, either because there are no candidates that they like, or because they're not old enough to care. Give 'em time. They'll grow into it.[/QUOTE]
No there's not. That's like saying there are people who don't breathe. Whether or not you realize it, politics is basically everything in society. Not only do they give a shit, they're too stupid to realize that it's politics. People who think that politics is senators and presidents and paperwork have no clue what they know about politics and what they care about it. They may not care much for the bureaucracy or the paperwork or the policy (which they should, and if they don't then they're placing control of their lives into the hands of someone else with no say in what happens), but they care about politics, when it changes the taxes, and prices of food and gas, and what they can own and can't, and when that highway gets construction or when it doesn't- how much they pay for school and what's in their high-school lunches.
If you are ignorant to any of that then you don't deserve the benefits of politics either.
[editline]25th July 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=TestECull;36935090]Want to explain why someone who doesn't buy into the bullshit shit-slinging clusterfuckery that is modern politics is an idiot? Some people look at politics and think to themselves ".....the left wants to ban everything I enjoy because it's not safe for the kids and the environment, and the right wants to ban everything I enjoy because God doesn't like it. Fuck this shit."
That's my logic anyway. I like big, monstrous, difficult-to-control muscle cars that require more skill to pilot than it does to breathe without suffocating, something the left doesn't like because said muscle cars get exactly 0 miles per gallon and spew loads of deadly evil CO2 out the back. The left thinks everyone should be in super-efficient super-boring hybrids because Johnny Polar Bear doesn't like V8s. Blah. I'm also an avid gun nut and genuinely enjoy taking my .22 rifle into the back yard and plinking. It's great fun and I enjoy attempting to shoot the pull tab off a soda can without damaging the can itself. The left thinks that .22 is destined to take a human life someday regardless of how wouldn't reach for it even in a home invasion(12 gauge > .22LR for that), and thus want to ban it, despite it never hurting a soul.
At the same time I also enjoy porn, sex before marriage and think gays should have equal rights, things the right thinks should be banned and are immoral because they think God doesn't like it. I also like the idea of being able to get healthcare, something I cannot do at the moment due to the economy being so shit nobody has the balls/time/whatever to call me back and say "We're sorry but we don't have any positions open" after I apply for a job. If the right had their way this would be how things stay for the rest of time.[/QUOTE]
See above. Additionally, quit thinking inside the little centric bubble of happiness. There's an entire political spectrum that exists and it's 70% NOT liberals and conservatives in the United States, but instead of taking then ten minutes to find that out for yourself, you choose to eat the spoon fed horse shit that the media spews at you and decide that you know the entire left and right agenda. Instead of accepting this "bullshit shit-slinging clusterfuckery that is modern politics", why don't you DO something about it, then? If there's one thing worse than someone ignorant to politics, it's someone who bitches about it but knows NOTHING of the alternative to what they bitch about, and chooses to do nothing to further what they think is right.
[QUOTE]Your Political [B]Alignment[/B]?[/QUOTE]
Chaotic Libertarian.
[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];36937339']
If you are ignorant to any of that then you don't deserve the benefits of politics either.[/quote] Being ignorant and not caring are two entirely different things.
[quote]Additionally, quit thinking inside the little centric bubble of happiness.[/quote] I tried that. It just made my head hurt. I'm sorry, but if I want to see a bunch of apes throw shit at each other I'll go down to the zoo. At least that way I don't have to hear rhetoric in the background as well.
Sticking around in my own personal little bubble of happiness is all that's kept me sane, so to speak. As long as it doesn't upset my quality of life I honestly couldn't give less of a shit. The me that used to care about people outside his own friend and family circles died loooooooooong ago.
The constitution guarantees every man the right to the pursuit of happiness. It doesn't say a damn thing about every man having to be politically active. I'm going with the constitution on this one.
[quote]There's an entire political spectrum that exists and it's 70% NOT liberals and conservatives in the United States[/quote] That's nice and all but look who's running the joint. If you're not one of the big two you don't get anywhere in American politics. All those other idealogies floating around amount to fuck all where it actually matters, and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it. About the only way they'd actually get into office is if they pretend to be GOP or Dem long enough to get elected, and once they come out as something besides those two re-election becomes mighty mighty difficult.
[quote] you choose to eat the spoon fed horse shit that the media spews at you and decide that you know the entire left and right agenda.[/quote]
Yeah, so I used exaggerations, big fucking deal. Everyone does. Get the fuck over it, you know damn well what I meant, and if you honestly think I meant that literally you're not the type of person I want to discuss anything with.
If I believed the bullshit I'd be voting down party lines. The media wants you to either vote GOP or vote Dem, depending on which channel you watch. They don't want you to read the platforms and think for yourself. I did exactly that, and came up with "Both parties make my head hurt so fuck this shit". I don't even partake of the 'media'. It's all too biased for me to get anything useful out of, and I honestly couldn't care less about the governor's cat getting stuck in a tree again. Fuck off, news networks. Left, right, you're all complete bullshit. The only thing I watch on TV at 7 in the morning is the F1 race.
[quote] Instead of accepting this "bullshit shit-slinging clusterfuckery that is modern politics", why don't you DO something about it, then?[/quote] Like what, exactly? There's two choices on the ballot. I can either choose a GOP shitslinger, or a Democratic shitslinger. There's nothing else. I can't 'vote in' someone of a different party because they're not on the fucking ballot in the first place. Oh, and don't say 'well derp write 'em in'. Yeah. That always works. I could write my lawnmower in for senator and it stands as much a chance of winning as any candidate that isn't GOP or Dem. Our election system is six kinds of fucked and just doesn't give you an option if you don't like one of the two. And honestly I don't like either choice.
What's truly sad is that my lawnmower could genuinely do a better job than many senators regarding what's good for the people. It wouldn't vote in favor of things like the PATRIOT act, the TSA, tax hikes on the people who can't afford them, tax cuts for those who could pay, and shit like SOPA. It also wouldn't levy bullshit accusations on colleague's aides based solely on that person's name and heritage.
If there was something I could do I'da already done it ages ago. There's nothing I can do 'sides not bother with it at all and save myself a lot of frustration. Petitions don't work, neither do write-ins on the ballot, writing senators only works if there's a check with six zeroes attached, and I can't afford a lawyer that could challenge the system in court. The system is more or less set up so that the only people with the ability to change it are the people who like it the way it is now. If I had a large enough bank account I'd have challenged it ages ago, trust me on that. I hate seeing how the left VS right bickering is ruining America day by day.
All I can do is not participate at all. So that's what I do. Fuck it. Saves money on ibuprofen anyway, listening to senatorial/presidential debates gives me a headache every single time. Also saves me about $15 in gas because I don't need to drive down to the polling place and back.
[quote] If there's one thing worse than someone ignorant to politics, it's someone who bitches about it but knows NOTHING of the alternative to what they bitch about, and chooses to do nothing to further what they think is right.[/QUOTE]And if there's one thing worse than someone who thinks anyone who has an opinion that they don't care is an idiot it's someone who thinks they're being ignorant by having that opinion.
Not liking it and not wanting to participate in it does not mean someone is ignorant. Many times it means that person looked into it and decided nobody's worth bothering with. I did plenty of digging and all I found was a bunch of childish "I'm better than you!" bickering right down party lines, with a nice dash of "IF you're not GOP or Dem you don't have a chance in November because lolbrokenelectionsystem" thrown in for good measure. American politics is a clusterfuck and I want as little to do with it as possible.
If you don't like that then that's your problem. I'm happy with my choice. You don't have to adopt it just because I did, but it would be nice if you realized that not everyone who doesn't have an alignment is an ignorant fool who eats up the media bullshit. Some people are just fed up with the entire mess and want nothing to do with any of it because of that.
[QUOTE=TestECull;36938594]Being ignorant and not caring are two entirely different things.
Blah blah[/QUOTE]
All of this can be responded to with this:
Simply put, there is no nothing to do with it. This statement has nothing to do with ideology or bureaucracy but the fact that [I]almost everything in your world is tied directly to politics[/I] and choosing to not care about that fact is a dangerous mindset that leads exactly to the situation that you oppose. You're aiding a vicious cycle by choosing to remain ignorant to politics. There are plenty of grass roots movements that make huge impacts that started by individuals and small groups, like OWS and the Tea Party, the latter of which now controls governor's offices, a senatorial caucus, and state congresses across the nation. By choosing to not care about politics, you are choosing to ignore politics. This is the point I was explaining that you missed entirely. By choosing not to be informed you are putting yourself at the mercy of others. So you don't like the mainstream political situation, okay, fine, most people don't. But the smart individuals get off their ass and organize and do something about that. At least give a shit enough to know about the situation while you're getting your balls kicked in by the politicians you don't care enough about to tell what to do. You really underestimate how easily influenced local politicians are and how influenced the rest of the chain of command is by local politicians and state political balance.
One right-wing lunatic won one of the larger Democratic counties in my state to the Republicans in the last state senatorial elections. This triggered a chain event that ended with a Republican majority in both house and senate and lead to Rick Snyder becoming governor. Besides meaning that Obama will not win Michigan, the first time since Reagan that Michigan will have not voted Democrat, this had an immediate effect. Rick Snyder influenced a Public Act that allowed for an unelected, Snyder-appointed council to remove local democracy in cities in economic despair and fire elected politicians in those cities. One woman pretty much caused the death of local democracy in Michigan, and now no one can say or do anything about it because no one cares. There is no loony right-wing woman who makes a speech at a town hall meeting. No one gives a shit. And when election time rolls around, no one will give a shit. And because no one gives a shit, nothing will ever change. We'll just get hit in the fucking balls again and again and we'll have people like you saying "Hey, whatever man. I don't like it so I choose to not care about it." A fat lot of good that does us. Does nothing for any of us. I swear, if ever person who chose to not care, be ignorant, or not be educated and abstained from "politics" all got together and did something, then we'd have the problem solved.
That's the problem with Americans- and it's not all just on the populace, the system is rigged and we all know it. The Left knows it very well. There's an organized effort on the Left in America to break apart the hold that the Democrats have over the Progressives and Social Democrats. This is an effort that has seen both the Socialist Party and the Green Party nominees get on the ballot in most of the states. This will be an effort that will see a surprising number of independent votes this election, I hope. But Americans as a whole who stick inside the centrist bubble of happiness and don't bother to step outside of it, or to remain inside but question motives and methods, will never change anything. I'm not saying abandon your views or anything, if you have views- I'm saying that the system is broke but Americans don't care to fix it because the only thinking ones all flock to the crowd of "I don't care, I don't want to deal with it." You listed your views and beliefs and interests, and yet you don't care enough to hold onto those.
How do you expect us to go anywhere without making tiny steps first? This defeatist attitude has killed politics in this country and it's people like those you're defending who do it. We'll end up like Greece before any real political change happens, and it shouldn't have to come to this.
Can't remember what I got, but I'm almost completely in the bottom left corner.
Medium Conservative. I'm a conservative mostly, but I have a soft side for the little guy just trying to get along. I also don't agree with some censorship laws.
Slightly left. I favor a government that doesn't stick its nose into what doesn't need it.
[img]http://www.politicalcompass.org/facebook/pcgraphpng.php?ec=-1.50&soc=-4.92[/img]
from an american point of view i'm probably left
however in denmark i'm very right-winged.
[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];36937339']No there's not.[/QUOTE]
I read the rest, but I am just going to sum it up by responding to this.
Yes there are, and I know them personally.
I remember at a Model UN conference last year we had a guest presentation from a poly sci professor. His points were basically a more formal version of "THE CORRUPT ARE CORRUPT AND BAD" but he left with a good point, "You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you."
Even if people don't like the whole "political" aspect of it, characterized by evasive question answering, formal suits and things of that sort, they should still try to get involved and help change the things they don't like.
I'm interested in politics, but I can also see what's wrong with the whole concept of our "politics", it consists of gray areas, semi-human leaders and come election time its not about ideas so much as "buying" votes based on time:votes.
I plan to hopefully run for some form of political office someday, and my goal isn't so much to fix individual problems but to set a lead for people to fix the whole fucking system. No wonder people aren't interested in politics, it's politics. Politicians shouldn't exist, that word shouldn't be in the dictionary; it should be viewed as it currently isn't, a service to the country rather than sitting around wasting time for $50,000 a year.
Big goal, but there is time.
