November 05, 2004
Get me, I’m Nelson Mandela
I lied about the no more politics thing. Sue me.
Yesterday I got a comment that accused me of thinking that anyone who didn’t agree with my political opinions was a Communist. I thought this was funny for two reasons:
1. I never expressed any opinion on people who didn’t agree with me. In fact, I never mentioned that such people existed.
2. Clearly, anyone who does not agree with me is a Fascist. I’m the Communist.
This made me wonder two things:
1. Are we no longer teaching the political spectrum in eighth grade Civics?
2. Just how much of a Communist am I?
So, I found this cool site where you can answer some questions and find out where you fall on the political spectrum and then compare yourself to other world figures. I am a nearly exact match to Nelson Mandela. I’m a little sad actually; it might have been fun to be a Communist.
Posted by Beth at November 5, 2004 04:03 PMHee. Me too. You commie pinko leftist!
Posted by: Oliquig at November 5, 2004 04:37 PMI'm Mandela, too! Yay!
Posted by: Dawnie at November 5, 2004 04:38 PMhi Mandela! *waves*
I was too lazy to do the test. What does that make me? :)
I'm unlike anyone All alone on the Libertarian Right side of the graph.
Posted by: wendy at November 5, 2004 04:48 PMMandela here too!
Posted by: amy at November 5, 2004 04:49 PMI believe, I was somewhere around Ghandi and the Lama the last time I took it. I like being able to say I am a Communist Anarchist. :-)
Posted by: gesikah at November 5, 2004 05:07 PMI'm somewhere between Ghandi, Mandela, and the Dalai Lama. Somewhere in that quadrant. I guess that makes sense. Cool site you found there!
Posted by: donna at November 5, 2004 05:20 PMum, i'm the daliai lama. call richard gere. and give me my damn country back.
Posted by: Granola Spice at November 5, 2004 05:27 PMWhen I was growing up in Texas, youth soccer had just started to spread its wings across the U.S. (outside of northern Virginia, New England and St. Louis). One time in 4th or 5th grade, a bunch of us were walking home from practice, when a man with a belt buckle roughly the size of a TV dinner tray called out to us in the thickest of drawls:
"Boys, now why do your daddies let you play a Communist sport?"
Our answer, not yet having taken Comparative Politics: "Uh, I don't know, sir."
Simply,
A Wee Bit Right of the Dalai Lama
Posted by: Patrick at November 5, 2004 05:37 PMI'm in the Nelson Mandela quadrant, but a bit closer to the middle. I like being in the middle. It makes me feel reasoanble.
Posted by: Heather at November 5, 2004 05:59 PMWow, I'm hanging with the Dalai Lama.
That's about as far away from George W. Bush as you can get... lol.
Posted by: erin at November 5, 2004 06:02 PMI didn't take the quiz, but your 'why it matters' thing ROCKED my socks off. So good, and so well done.
And does anyone else think that maybe we should learn about government when we really care - as adults? I know I learned about it in high school and it was faintly interesting, but it's not that big of a deal at that time, I think - for most teenagers. I just remember being bitter over the fact that I turned 18 in December and couldn't vote for the 1996 election.
Posted by: lady jane at November 5, 2004 07:08 PMA solid Ghandi! Got more hair than him though. :)
Posted by: Jon in Michigan at November 5, 2004 07:25 PMThe last two times I took the test, I was smack-dab in the middle. Like my fellow Heather said, that makes me feel reasonable. Or, in a way, tolerant of one side, while still considering the other, and coming to a happy medium.
Posted by: Heather at November 6, 2004 01:05 AMYeah, another Nelson Mandela, Ghandi figure here. Are you worried that your site will be shut down by Government as a meeting place for all us commies?
Posted by: Belgian waffle at November 6, 2004 06:29 AMWah, I don't have an exact match, I'm so sad. I am ever so slightly to the left and ever so slightly libertarian. I don't really know what to make of all of this, however.
Posted by: jacinthe at November 6, 2004 10:07 AMI got close to Ghandi. Of course, the questions were just a bit too much for me so I just started clicking away at anyhting that sounded good just to get through it. What does that say about me???
Posted by: Tjej at November 6, 2004 05:12 PMwww.sorryeverybody.com
i haven't read all the other comments, but if you haven't gone here, take a look!
=)
Posted by: Kayley at November 6, 2004 11:13 PMI'm between Ghandi & Mandela too. Wow! A meeting of like minds here or what!
Posted by: MoMMY at November 7, 2004 03:05 PMBeth, being Nelson is good, he's a great guy. My luck would see me aligned with the same political spectrum as Margaret Thatcher, or worse that Hitler bastard. Give me Nelson any day.
Posted by: aussiemama at November 7, 2004 08:38 PMIt's differences of opinion that make the US a great place to be and the very foundation of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
I wish for more of a structured voting situation, but, as far as the rest....
'Tis those that have no common sense bitch about those who do......
Posted by: Jade at November 7, 2004 09:56 PMNelson Mandela wasn't even on my list, but I was close to Gahndi. And considering the other people on the chart, I'm very glad. My numbers:
Economic Left/Right: -3.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.97
We're political compass twins!!
Posted by: Zoot at November 8, 2004 09:24 AMI'm right there with you, firmly in the Nelson Mandela/Dalai Lama range. I can't think of better company to keep!
Posted by: bad penguin at November 8, 2004 11:10 AMWow! I show up as Mandela AND I can't manage to put my comments under the correct topic.
Sad, sad, sad. I'm going to have to go home and crawl into bed. It's now a bad day. :-p
Posted by: doulazanie at November 8, 2004 01:10 PMWow.
I am chilin' over there with Ghandi and Dalai Lama.
Mandela is the biggest Commie I can think of. I guess that puts you in good pink company.
I'll be over here kickin' it with Ghandi.
Posted by: bmh at November 8, 2004 01:27 PMI'm somewhere over here between Ghandi and Mandela. Time for a party?
Posted by: Beth at November 9, 2004 04:21 PMI'm right there with you.
Posted by: laura at November 10, 2004 09:57 AM
