Yes, it's that time again, Vince! ACS Political Compass / 2005 edition!

[Ben Kenobi]

22. Abortion, when the woman's life is not threatened, should always be illegal.

Strongly agree. The unborn child should not be killed to convenience the mother.

23. All authority should be questioned.

Agree, weakly. You should question at first, but that doesn't mean you should resist all authority.

24. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Strongly disagree. But I say unto you, love your enemies, and do good to those who curse you.

25. Taxpayers should not be expected to prop up any theatres or museums that cannot survive on a commercial basis.

Agreed. Just say no to public funding for modern art galleries.

26. Schools should not make classroom attendance compulsory.

Disagree, weakly. Caveat being homeschooled kids. I think parents ought to be encouraged to teach their children at home. For those who decline this option, I think it should remain mandatory, just because this is the only way to make sure they are being taught.

27. 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. Birds of a feather may flock together, but opposites attract.

28. Good parents sometimes have to spank their children.

Agree. Cannot reason with very young children.

29. It's natural for children to keep some secrets from their parents.

Agree. Should they ought to? No. But naturally one is compelled to keep some things secret.

30. Marijuana should be legalised.

Strongly disagree. It is not in the public interest to make addictions easier to foster.

31. The prime function of schooling should be to equip the future generation to find jobs.

Strongly disagree. Schooling should be more about inquiry into how things work, rather than churning out grads.

32. People with serious inheritable disabilities should not be allowed to reproduce.

Strongly disagree. I have said inherited disability, and I would very much like to have children.

33. The most important thing for children to learn is to accept discipline.

Agree. Discipline helps you, rather than hurts you.

34. There are no savage and civilised peoples; there are only different cultures.

Strongly disagree. There are savage and civilised people, but they are not the ones we think they are. "This too was one of the dark places of the Earth."

35. Those who are able to work, and refuse the opportunity, should not expect society's support.

Agree. If the opportunity is there for them, they should work for their keep.

36. When you are troubled, it's better not to think about it, but to keep busy with more cheerful things.

Strongly disagree. This is an interesting question. If there are problems, is it better to try to solve them, or to sweep them under the rug? Solve them.

37. First-generation immigrants can never be fully integrated within their new country.

Agree, weakly. What do you mean by 'fully integrated'? I don't believe they should be 'fully integrated' into their home country. Rather they should bring what they have to contribute to the country.

38. What's good for the most successful corporations is always, ultimately, good for all of us.

Disagree. Always? No.

39. No broadcasting institution, however independent its content, should receive public funding.

Strongly agree. Just say no to the CBC, kids.

[Ben Kenobi]

40. Our civil liberties are being excessively curbed in the name of counter-terrorism.

Disagree. You are freer than we.

41. 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. Progress comes from discourse, not in the absence of it.

42. Although the electronic age makes official surveillance easier, only wrongdoers need to be worried.

Strongly disagree. Everyone is a wrongdoer of one sort or another.

43. The death penalty should be an option for the most serious crimes.

Strongly disagree. Death is the one irreverseable penalty.

44. In a civilised society, one must always have people above to be obeyed and people below to be commanded.

Strongly disagree. The greatest among you shall be servant to all.

45. Abstract art that doesn't represent anything shouldn't be considered art at all.

Agreed. Art should inspire people to emulate.

46. In criminal justice, punishment should be more important than rehabilitation.

Strongly disagree. Rehabilitation gets you one back. Punishment gets you none.

47. It is a waste of time to try to rehabilitate some criminals.

Strongly disagree. How can we determine who will repent?

48. The businessman and the manufacturer are more important than the writer and the artist.

Disagree. Over a long period of time, after the businessman has been forgotten, will be the artists, and writers.

49. Mothers may have careers, but their first duty is to be homemakers.

Disagree, weakly. Note, this says mothers, not women in general. I think they have a duty to care for their children, but is this their primary goal? No. They have duties that are more important than either their career or their children.

50. Multinational companies are unethically exploiting the plant genetic resources of developing countries.

Disagree. Do I look like a reader of national geographic to you?

51. Making peace with the establishment is an important aspect of maturity.

Agree. Which is why the generation in front of us is very odd.

[Ben Kenobi]

52. Astrology accurately explains many things.

Strongly disagree. Astronomy does a fine job.

53. You cannot be moral without being religious.

Disagree, weakly. There is no morality apart from God, but people can follow that morality without understanding the connection to God.

54. Charity is better than social security as a means of helping the genuinely disadvantaged.

Strongly agree. Charity given voluntarily is always more effective.

55. Some people are naturally unlucky.

Disagree. There is no luck.

56. I would not wish to send my child to a school that did not instill religious values.

Strongly agree. This is a horrible question. It should read, I want to send my child to a school that instills religious values.

57. Sex outside marriage is usually immoral.

Strongly agree. For the two shall become one flesh.

58. A same sex couple in a stable, loving relationship, should not be excluded from the possibility of child adoption.

Strongly disagree. This position has changed in the past year or so, from agree-disagree-strongly disagree. I have a better understanding now of how we are shortchanging these children by robbing them of a mother or a father. If there are no other willing parents, perhaps, but this is not how the adoption system works.

59. Pornography, depicting consenting adults, should be legal for the adult population.

Agree, weakly. How would you enforce a ban?

60. What goes on in a private bedroom between consenting adults is no business of the state.

Agree, weakly. The caveat being that abortions do not happen in the bedroom.

61. No one can feel naturally homosexual.

Agree, weakly. I do not deny their natural feelings. I deny that they ought to act on those feelings.

62. It's fine for society to be open about sex, but these days it's going too far.

Strongly agree. To counterbalance all the weak agrees. Couldn't have said it better when a 15 year old girl can get an abortion, but can't watch restricted movies in the theatre.

[Ben Kenobi]

These answers get you:

Economic Left/Right: 4.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.49

Which is about what they always are.

More to the edges, since I answered more questions strongly agree.

[Al B. Sure!]

Ben, I thought you were a Christian. What you doing with a negative social score?!

You got to stop listening to that hippie with sandles Jesus

[Al B. Sure!]

Ben, you nihilistic fatalist...

you aren't proud of your country? I dont know about Canada but i dont see how americans could not be proud of their country... we live in such a relatively affluent, strong, and free nation. America, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and a few other nations are down-right glorious compared to the horrible mess that most countries are. How can you not be proud of the American people or the Canadian people for making and keeping these lands bright beacons of freedom, tolerance, and equality?

taxpayers should not be expected to prop up museums, etc.? how about public libraries? should they be allowed to disappear? yes, I feel the public should have a choice over what they pay for (so they don't have to financially support crap) but museums, theatres, libraries, etc. are crucial for education and culture. in fact, i think we need to spend more money in such things and try to entice everyone to visit them. Here in Philly, we have superb museums like the Museum of Art (free on Sundays), the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and so on... if they were simply to go bankrupt and shut down it would be a tragedy.

classroom attendence should be compulsory weakly, ben? weakly? again, you seem to want the people to become illiterate, uneducated, uncultured fools. dumb, deaf, and blind...

first-generation immigrants can not be fully integrated? they, above all others, wanted to live in this country! they were the ones with the choice. I think immigrants can be some of the truest Americans, Canadians, or what have you. they fully realize the gifts that living in America entails.

Couldn't have said it better when a 15 year old girl can get an abortion, but can't watch restricted movies in the theatre.

it's not about a 15 year old getting an abortion that's the problem! it's that the 15 year old is pregnant in the first place!

[Kontiki]

Ben: Putting your cards on the table

Here's mine:

1. If economic globalisation is inevitable, it should primarily serve humanity rather than the interests of trans-national corporations.

Disagree. To me the key word here is economic. That serves the purposes of those companies going global. Doesn't mean humanity should be thrown out the window, though.

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

Disagree. I have a certain level of allegiance to Canada no matter what, but it's not like we're infalible.

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

Disagree. A country isn't just a chunk of land, it's what you collectively stand for and do. You can be proud and/or ashamed of it.

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

Disagree. Probably could go strongly, but if you think of "race" as "culture", it gets a little fuzzier.

5. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Disagree. A certain level of pragmatism prevents me from strongly disagreeing, but it cuts both ways.

6.Military action that defies international law is sometimes justified.

Agree. International law isn't terribly well defined and virtually unenforced. I don't think Iraq was illegal, just not smart.

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

Disagree. To echo Ben, why bother worrying about it? There is always purer forms of information out there.

[Tassadar500]

Originally posted by Albert Speer
Ben, you nihilistic fatalist...

you aren't proud of your country? I dont know about Canada but i dont see how americans could not be proud of their country... we live in such a relatively affluent, strong, and free nation. America, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and a few other nations are down-right glorious compared to the horrible mess that most countries are. How can you not be proud of the American people or the Canadian people for making and keeping these lands bright beacons of freedom, tolerance, and equality?

taxpayers should not be expected to prop up museums, etc.? how about public libraries? should they be allowed to disappear? yes, I feel the public should have a choice over what they pay for (so they don't have to financially support crap) but museums, theatres, libraries, etc. are crucial for education and culture. in fact, i think we need to spend more money in such things and try to entice everyone to visit them. Here in Philly, we have superb museums like the Museum of Art (free on Sundays), the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and so on... if they were simply to go bankrupt and shut down it would be a tragedy.

classroom attendence should be compulsory weakly, ben? weakly? again, you seem to want the people to become illiterate, uneducated, uncultured fools. dumb, deaf, and blind...

first-generation immigrants can not be fully integrated? they, above all others, wanted to live in this country! they were the ones with the choice. I think immigrants can be some of the truest Americans, Canadians, or what have you. they fully realize the gifts that living in America entails.



it's not about a 15 year old getting an abortion that's the problem! it's that the 15 year old is pregnant in the first place!

[Kontiki]

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

Agree, but one where I'd really like a "Neutral" option. I think it can be either roughly equally.

9. Controlling inflation is more important than controlling unemployment.

Agree. Ultimately controlling inflation helps to control unemployment. Doesn't always work, though.

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

Agree. Ideally, compliance with a decent environmental standards shouldn't need to be forced, but I'd rather have some regulations in place just to be safe.

11. From each according to his ability, to each according to his need is a fundamentally good idea.

Agree with the statement literally. I think it is fundamentally a good idea - done within reason.

12. It's a sad reflection on our society that something as basic as drinking water is now a bottled, branded consumer product.

Disagree. It's not like water only comes in a bottle. If someone can sell something so readily available, go crazy.

13. Land shouldn't be a commodity to be bought and sold.

Strongly disagree. Private ownership, baby!

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

Disagree. I'm pretty heavily involved in high finance, so obviously I don't have a problem with it. This is a question they changed, though. The "it is regrettable" is a relatively new add-on.

15. Protectionism is sometimes necessary in trade.

Disagree. Protectionism can sometimes help a newly developing economy, but I would say it's necessary.

16. The only social responsibility of a company should be to deliver a profit to its shareholders.

Disagree. Ben said it perfectly - "I believe a company ought to have some sense of social responsibility."

17.The rich are too highly taxed.

Disagree. Not here, anyway. In some Scandinavian countries, I'd agree.

18. Those with the ability to pay should have the right to higher standards of medical care.

Agree. As long as socialized medical care is kept to good standards (ie, at least what they are now), I see nothing wrong with another tier. It would also ease the burden on the socialized system somewhat.

19. Governments should penalise businesses that mislead the public.

Disagree, but really neutral. Agree with penalties for fraud, but generally in favor of "buyer beware".

20. A genuine free market requires restrictions on the ability of predator multinationals to create monopolies.

Disagree. This is the one question I would say should be a no brainer for anyone. A genuine free market, by definition, has no restrictions on anything. It doesn't necessarily make it desirable, though.

21. The freer the market, the freer the people.

Agree. It's not a perfectly linear relationship, though, and I feel it starts to curve back on itself at the outside end.

[RGBVideo]

Surprisingly good post there, AS

[Kontiki]

22. Abortion, when the woman's life is not threatened, should always be illegal.

Disagree. I don't think a newly fertilzed egg is a human being, so I don't have a problem with it. I don't think you should be able to terminate up till delivery either. I can't pinpoint the exact dividing line, but it's likely within the first trimester.

23. All authority should be questioned.

Disagree, barely. You should usually think about it, but sometimes effeciency and/or pragmatism demands quick action without reflection on the person giving orders.

24. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Disagree. You don't automatically kill someone that commits murder.

25. Taxpayers should not be expected to prop up any theatres or museums that cannot survive on a commercial basis.

Agree. I don't include libraries in this, though. There's no shortage of fine privately funded museums and theatres.

26. Schools should not make classroom attendance compulsory.

Disagree. I'm not with Ozzy at all. Children generally are not mature enough to make their own decisions, especially at a young age. And I don't hear alot of parents shouting about making their kids go to school.

27. All people have their rights, but it is better for all of us that different sorts of people should keep to their own kind.

Disagree. Could go strongly on this. There's no need to keep people apart just because they're different.

28. Good parents sometimes have to spank their children.

Agree. Again, like Ben - "Cannot reason with very young children."

29. It's natural for children to keep some secrets from their parents.

Agree. Natural and fine with it. Note the some, though.

30. Marijuana should be legalised.

I actually disagree with this. I'd be in favor of decriminalizing it, but I don't think I'd go as far as legalizing it.

31. The prime function of schooling should be to equip the future generation to find jobs.

Disagree. That will come naturally. Schooling is about inquiry and learning how to learn.

32. People with serious inheritable disabilities should not be allowed to reproduce.

Disagree. I don't think people like this should reproduce, but I wouldn't put anything into law.

33. The most important thing for children to learn is to accept discipline.

Disagree. Important? Yes. Most important? No. We don't live in a military dictatorship or theocracy.

34. There are no savage and civilised peoples; there are only different cultures.

Agree. If you don't like every aspect of western civilization, you don't need to live by it. I think there are (or should be) some universal norms, though.

35. Those who are able to work, and refuse the opportunity, should not expect society's support.

Agree. I like welfare as a temporary safety net until you get back on your feet, not a permanent affliction.

36. When you are troubled, it's better not to think about it, but to keep busy with more cheerful things.

Disagree. Work your problems out, don't just ignore them.

37. First-generation immigrants can never be fully integrated within their new country.

Disagree. I'd say it's common, but I wouldn't say it never happens.

38. What's good for the most successful corporations is always, ultimately, good for all of us.

Disagree. Non-business life often works better with a more communal structure. Economically, communism blows.

39. No broadcasting institution, however independent its content, should receive public funding.

Agree. I don't hate the CBC, BBC et al, but they're a product of a bygone era. Don't really need that anymore.


Edit - oops - forgot to change #31.

[Kontiki]

40. Our civil liberties are being excessively curbed in the name of counter-terrorism.

Agree, if only because there are better ways to go about making us safer than some of the ham-handed things we're doing.

41. A significant advantage of a one-party state is that it avoids all the arguments that delay progress in a democratic political system.

Disagree. The only reason it's not strongly is because on a literal level, there's some truth to the statement.

42. Although the electronic age makes official surveillance easier, only wrongdoers need to be worried.

Agree, slightly. I'm thinking public video cameras here, though, not indiscriminant wire taps.

43. The death penalty should be an option for the most serious crimes.

Agree. I'm against the death penalty now only because of the room for error. But I see no benefit in keeping a psychopathic confirmed serial killer alive.

44. In a civilised society, one must always have people above to be obeyed and people below to be commanded.

Disagree. Don't want a dictatorship.

45. Abstract art that doesn't represent anything shouldn't be considered art at all.

Strongly disagree. Art is art. Like it or leave it.

46. In criminal justice, punishment should be more important than rehabilitation.

Disagree. Rehabilitation is more desirable....

47. It is a waste of time to try to rehabilitate some criminals.

...but doesn't always work. Agree.

48. The businessman and the manufacturer are more important than the writer and the artist.

Disagree. What a boring world that would be.

49. Mothers may have careers, but their first duty is to be homemakers.

Disagree. Your first duty is to be a good mother. You don't have to be a homemaker to do that. Same deal with men.

50. Multinational companies are unethically exploiting the plant genetic resources of developing countries.

Disagree. Conspiracy theory realm.

51. Making peace with the establishment is an important aspect of maturity.

Agree. You don't have to always agree with it, but be a grown up.

[Kontiki]

52. Astrology accurately explains many things.

Strongly disagree. No explanation required.

53. You cannot be moral without being religious.

Stronly disagree. That some people seem to require the religious connection to be moral scares the hell out of me.

54. Charity is better than social security as a means of helping the genuinely disadvantaged.

Disagree. Nothing against charity, but social security is better able to address the broader group.

55. Some people are naturally unlucky.

Disagree.

56. I would not wish to send my child to a school that did not instill religious values.

Strongly disagree. I flat out wouldn't send my child to a school that tried to instill religious values - at least, those that aren't generally shared across most religions like not stealing or murdering.

57. Sex outside marriage is usually immoral.

Strongly disagree. Sex outside marriage is fun!

58. A same sex couple in a stable, loving relationship, should not be excluded from the possibility of child adoption.

Agree. There should be the same high standards for straight and homosexual couples. One of which should be marriage (hint - I'm for gay marriage too!)

59. Pornography, depicting consenting adults, should be legal for the adult population.

Strongly agree. If it's consentual, then the only issue left is religious morality.

60. What goes on in a private bedroom between consenting adults is no business of the state.

Strongly agree. If everyone agrees, go for it.

61. No one can feel naturally homosexual.

Disagree. You don't choose to be gay.

62. It's fine for society to be open about sex, but these days it's going too far.

Disagree. Are we Puratins? If we collectively don't like it, it's not going to be around for long.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
After all, the point is that we are showing how according to this test, I am considered more socially libertarian than you.

So you buy the test as if it were gold? It focuses on some topics far too much and not enough on others. Therefore the score is skewed. In reality, I'm far more socially libertarian then you are.

[Urban Ranger]

Economic Left/Right: -7.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.64