Liberal Test - I work with a bunch of Freepers

[dr.strangelove]

One of my co-workers, a hardcore right winger, sent around the Madrabbit political quiz, if you've never seen it, this is a quiz which tests liberal/conservative views.

Its an old test which I've seen on DU before. It may not be accurate, but its fun to take. I pulled a 5, which is probably on the money for me.

What scared me is that my whole department took the quiz. The only other liberal in my group got an 8. The other scores all topped 30 and the right winger got a 38. I'm scared to work here. I thought at least a few of these people were moderate.

Anyway, a link to the test

http://madrabbit.net/webrabbit/quizshow.html

[Grillymom]

1. They're everywhere.

You can't hide! You can only hope to show them their stupidity!

[trotsky]

2. Eh, not scary.

That "quiz" is biased to the right. Left-leaning responses are worded in such a way as to make them extreme, while right-leaning ones are made to look more like "common sense".

Just one example - "The federal government is too big - true or false?"

Well duh, even a lot of liberals want to answer that true, but for wildly different reasons than a conservative would.

Bogus quiz.

[dr.strangelove]

21. I don't think so

First I disagree about the question of government size. I don;t agree its too big.
Second, other questions seem geared to the left, like the multi-cultural question.

Its not a perfect test, but I don;t think its a push test biased to the right.

[trotsky]

24. Oh, really?

Let's look at the questions

1. Generally, do you tend to trust or distrust government's ability to solve problems?

The popular view (though incorrect) is that government f*cks everything up. MOST people are going to answer this as "distrust" because they think of that. Yet if you were to go through with the facts - finding for instance that the administration of Social Security is a tiny, tiny fraction of the costs of an investment house or similar private industry - a lot of people would answer it differently.

2 (and 3). Which do you trust more?

These are all overwhelmingly simplistic, but the one that bugs me most there is the Executive vs. Legislative branch. It's not consistent. If people already identify with a party, they will naturally project their good feelings about their party on whatever branch they control. Go back to 1999 and Repukes would undoubtedly say Legislative. Now, they are Executive. Did their political philosophy change? NOT!

4. The fed gov should do more to fix problems even if it means raising taxes on:

Begs the question that taxes have to be raised, and oversimplifies the issue. Survey after survey shows that a large majority of the population, when asked the generic question, "are taxes too high?" says yes. Yet when they are polled on individual issues - "Would you be willing to pay higher taxes to make sure that elderly people can afford prescription drugs?" - they are in favor of higher taxes.

5. (Where to cut spending)

A ton of specific social programs, but only one "Cut defense spending" option. How about "cut weapons systems that the military says it doesn't need"? Repukes have pushed those through anyway.

6. What would make campaigns more competitive?

Again, and either/or question. Many other options exist, AND very few people know what public financing of campaigns would entail. They just see "public" and assume it would mean they would pay more taxes.

7. Who was a better president?

AT WHAT?!? If that isn't a biased question I don't know what is.

...

OK, I could go on but I think you get my point.

[ProfessorGAC]

45. You're Correct, Trotsky.

For instance, on the "Trust gov't" question, i don't trust the current gov't to handle foreign affairs. So, the answer it that i don't trust them to solve those problems.

I don't trust them to make the environment better, but i do trust them to regulate industry so that private enterprise has to figure out how to do it. Gov't can motivate business to solve problems, but doesn't solve that many.

My position is clearly a liberal position, but this quiz would call that a conservative position because of the black & white nature of the answers.

A quiz with black & white choices is clearly conservative leaning.
The Professor

[Ladyhawk]

54. You are a true liberal: QUESTION EVERYTHING!!!

Good for you. :)

[MercutioATC]

3. I'm a 10

Socially liberal/fiscally conservative...it's about right, I think.

[RubyDuby in GA]

23. Me too

If (god forbid!!!) the K/E team doesn't snatch the country back from the clutches of evil on Tuesday, there's going to be a Hillary/Rubyduby ticket in 2008.

[huskerlaw]

4. I got a 6!

Slightly less liberal than Ted Kennedy, LOL

[Lavender Brown]

5. Apparently, I'm Ted Kennedy

[Chovexani]

42. Me too.

I got a 5.

[w4rma]

6. I got an 8, also.

But alot of that test seemed like a push poll to me.

[LSdemocrat]

7. I got an 8, although I think this test skews views a bit

I think it would be difficult to score in the middle, unless you really were a very conflicted moderate.

[dr.strangelove]

22. The last time I sent this out, about half the people I knew

were in the high teens - low 20s.
I think its easy to fall in the middle of these questions.

[doubleplusgood]

8. I got a zero score

guess I'm a radical liberal (yippee !)

[nickinSTL]

9. i got a 6

Lower than I've had other times I've taken it, but I've always been between Hillary and Ted Kennedy.

I'm fine with that :D

[Reverend_Smitty]

10. yikes! Thats some crazy freepers you work with...

I took the test and got a 5 too (Ted Kennedy...woot!) However I didn't like the phrasing of some of the questions. Especially the trial lawyers one

[LynzM]

11. I got a 13....

Halfway between Bill and Hillary, LOL. I was surprised that I got a point for distrusting the government... apparently, 'liberals trust the gov't, while conservatives do not' :wtf:

[kick-ass-bob]

13. I thought the same thing... I got a 9.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

46. Yeah...

I think most liberals are very distrustful of the government, especially the current administration.

[BJ]

12. Hooray, I scored a 7!!

[Skittles]

15. me too - between Kennedy and Hillary

I like it

[chicagojoe]

14. The test was fun. I got a 7.

[kcwayne]

16. The framing of some of these questions is way too right wing

They offer up a contrast of opposites that a thinking person has to object to and has difficulty answering because both choices are bogus. In other words, there are nuances, which right wingers don't get and liberals do.

For example, the question on whether we should spend more money on research for AIDS than heart disease becaused more young people are affected by it.

I voted no to that question, which puts me into the right wing camp, but the reason I voted no is because I think the rationale is not about age, but about danger to the most people. On that basis, I would vote that we should spend more on AIDS than heart disease because AIDS has the potential of being a catastrophic epidemic, and heart disease does not, and we have well developed treatments and preventative measures for heart disease.

[realisticphish]

25. i did the same thing on that question

this whole test seems way too simplistic; i know its just a time-waster test, but still

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Bertha Venation]

17. Could be worse. You could work here.

;)

[kanrok]

18. 10 here

Me and Hillary.

[tjwash]

19. It's a bullshit test.

Most of the answers are in the neo-con "with us or against us" format.

Example: "Which do you trust more? Professional athletes or team owners?" WTF kind of question is that, and what if you don't think either is trustworthy?

Also "Where should government be cut?" is all hot button topics for single issue voters. No entries on reducing corporate welfare, slashing no bid contracts to special interest contributers, or getting rid of these corporate pork filled bills clogging the legislation.

It's just poorly written, and not representative of true balance.

[SarahB]

30. also true

:thumbsup:

[ComerPerro]

48. I know, its complete Bullshit

"Who do you trust more, doctors or trial lawyers?"

Well, lets see, in what spirit is this question being asked? Do I have to trust them on a medical opinion, or is it a doctor who lost a patient during unnecessary surgery based on a misdiagnosis. Because, in that case, you bet your ass I will more likely trust the trial lawyer.

This is one of those bullshit tests designed to convince people "see, you are a conservative."

And, furthermore, what is all this bullshit about liberals trusting the government and conservatives being independent? Aren't conservatives the sycophants with the "support our president" signs and the "my president, my country, right or wrong" attitudes?

Quite frankly, I don't trust the executive OR legislative branch right now.

[NewJeffCT]

20. I scored a 2

I'm between Teddy Kennedy & Jesse Jackson.

[rot0r_head]

26. 12 - I feel like such a fascist n/t

[BigMcLargehuge]

27. I scored a 4

to the left Ted Kennedy

[qnr]

28. I'm a 6, but to be honest, I could have gone either way on a few

of the questions.

[SarahB]

29. 4

And proud of my bleeding heart, tree-huggin', socialist self thank you very much. :7

[dr.strangelove]

35. I feel Reaganesque compared to you

I got a 5, something must be wrong with me.

[WoodrowFan]

31. 8 (whew) nt

[bif]

32. I'm a 5

About what I figured.

[Commendatori]

33. 12 here (n/t)

[Nikia]

61. Me too

As with any quiz, there are some questions where the options don't really fit, where an essay would seem more appropriate. 12 is between the Clintons, which is somewhat accurate.

[mrbassman03]

34. I got a 3...

Cool.

[dr.strangelove]

37. 3 is good, but someone claims a 0 here.

[mrbassman03]

50. Well, that's a little TOO far to the left... j/k

They might believe in equality for everyone or some la-la land fluff like that.

[MissMillie]

36. I scored an 11

.

[Downtown Hound]

38. That was a really stupid test

Who do you trust more, the IRS or the FBI? These are the options? I scored a 4 though, but I place about as much value in these results as I do fortunes in cookies.

[CAcyclist]

39. I scored a 2

I hadn't seen this quiz, thanks for posting. I wouldn't be scared working in company with a lot of right-wingers, though. What are you scared of?

[artboy]

40. 14

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

41. I got a 10.

I'm in Hillary Clinton's category. I can live with that.

[Dzimbowicz]

43. I'm a 10

[La Lioness Priyanka]

44. i got a three

[eris]

47. I got a 10

some of the questions were kind of odd. I needed more options!!

[MrScorpio]

49. I got a 4

That's good, right?

[Cats Against Frist]

51. I think that test is kind of misleading

You're only going to score extra low if you're an authoritarian leftist. If you're a radical or libertarian leftist, some of the things you have to check would make you score higher, even if you're just as left as an authoritarian leftist or state socialist.

Just my opinion.

[AbbeyRoad]

52. self delete

sorry, responded to wrong post

[AbbeyRoad]

53. 5 n/t

[Maiden England]

55. 12 - Not bad for an ex-con

conservative that is!

[UdoKier]

56. I'm an 8.

Funny they put Hillary as more liberal than Bill. I always perceived her as the more conservative one. She certainly has been in the senate.

[BlueJazz]

57. Damn!..I got a 2 .... I'm almost a Freeper!

[Queen Jane]

58. I got a 5...fun!

[Hello_Kitty]

59. I'm 11. Hillary Clinton territory. I can definitely live w/that! n/t

[BlueJazz]

60. mjf3 Damn...Youir Co-Workers sound like a...

..pack of right-wing nuts....idiots.

[Dukkha]

62. 6 but the test is biased

some of the questions are too black & white

[serryjw]

63. I'm a 7...but it written so poorly

Typical RW propaganda the questions and answers were silly. Nothing is that symplistic except in republican minds

[mikedemocrat]

64. 6

wish a couple had had one or two more choices to be more specific