Part 1 (In class): Head to The Political Compass and honestly take the 6 page political ideology (click on "Take the Test"). When you are done, respond to the findings of the test on a blog post. (You do not have to reveal your thinkings, but just write something short (150 words) about whether you think the test was correct/wrong, whether or not you were surprised by the findings, and any general comments about the test).
Part 2: (Outside of class): Have a discussion with some of your family members and friends about where they stand ideologically (if they don't know, you can always have them take the test) and create a 2nd blog entry with your findings. In your findings, be sure to answer this question: do the people who are close to you have any impact on your political ideology? Why or why not? Part 2 should be about 250+ in word length.
Part I: due Wednesday 2/17 @ 12pm
Part II due Sunday 2/21 @ 8pm.
Posts
I agree with the results of the political ideology test. I was generally in the middle of both the political scale, and the traditional left and right. This matches up with my first thoughts of politics because I would consider myself a moderate, but at the same time leaning towards the left. This makes sense because I don’t agree with one side more than the other, and give both sides a fair chance based on my personal beliefs. Although I am in the middle of the liberal and Athoritian scale, I agree with the liberal side more, hence why my placement is farther down. I do believe that free will is important, and individual rights are very important to an extent. I do not belive that individuals should have complete free will, but personal ideals should be able to be expressed within the individual.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with this, because I was literally right in the middle of the left and right. Also, I was more towards the libertarian side, meaning that I believe that we should have less control from our government. This seems to make a lot of sense to me, because I think that our government has too much influence on our lives and in some cases I think that people would be better off without government help. It surprised me a little that I was so in the middle for the left/ right meter, because I didn't think my beliefs were as neutral as they appear. I guess there are things about both parties that I agree with, even if I only agree partially.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about what political ideology I held until I took this test. After finding the results I actually wasn’t very surprised because it seemed pretty accurate even though I have never really thought about it before. The test put me as a “liberal leftist” in the zone with Ghandi. I think that this test was very interesting and more accurate than others because of the fact that it had questions that went beyond the normal issues of society such as private business and welfare. It dealt with questions regarding our society, going deeper into the fundamentals of our culture, expanding the meaning of government and our ideology based on everything we think as a whole. Even though the test seemed like a good match, it was kind of hard to understand the concepts of what exactly I’m “supposed” to believe in. I don’t think that the quiz gave a very detailed explanation of what exactly are the true ideologies behind the different zones.
ReplyDeleteThe test determined I was slightly left and slightly libertarian. I am not surprised by these findings because I try to see the pros and cons of both political ideologies and often end up somewhere in the middle. For example, I do not agree with an entirely free market because it leaves citizens vulnerable to large corporations, but I also do not agree with a market controlled heavily by the government because it does not give people the freedom to expand and make a profit for themselves. I like the idea of being moderate because moderates do not get caught in one track of either republican or democrat. When an issue comes up, moderates don’t blindly follow one party or another. They weigh both sides and make an informed decision on that topic. I believe everyone should be open to seeing both sides of an argument instead of further getting entrenched in their own ideas. For things like building roads and having fire and police protection, it’s good to have government involvement. But for heavily debated topics like abortion, it’s not a good idea to have the government get involved because no matter what they do, there is going to be a large number of people upset with their decision. That’s why it’s important for people to make informed decisions instead of letting their political party choose for them.
ReplyDeleteI think the test was in a sense pretty accurate for my beliefs. I landed right in the middle and that typically is what I believe. I believe in some morals to the left and the right. I do feel that our economy should be run by the state. I think they keep our economy out of mass chaos and deal with the problems we are faced with. By them running our economy it ensures safety among its citizens, and that is what I believe is right. However, I also lean to the right side of the spectrum in a sense that our freedom should not all be taken away from us. I feel that when our economy is run primarily by the state our freedom slowly fades away. I think they need to change that and make things more in between. Ensure safety among its citizens, yet also make sure your not taking away personal freedom. I am for both ways of political views and combined with the left and right viewpoints I think our economy would be better. So all in all, my findings were correct and match what I believe.
ReplyDeleteI think the test posed some interesting questions that definetely made me think a bit. There was a wide variety of questions ranging from sex before marriage, the death penalty, and “an eye for an eye”. My results put my directly on the line on the left, more communism than libertarianism. I do not think that is a very accurate result though, because I am definetely not for communism or anything that communists believe in. These reults are only based on my opinion to all of the questions they asked, so I do not think it posed an accurate decision for where I “stand”. I do believe in the detah penalty and the saying “an eye for an eye”, because people need to be punished for what they’ve done wrong. But I also believe that people can change after they’ve been punished or in jail for a certain amout of time. I don’t think that they’ll stay in the same state of mind forever, so I do believe in change. I do not think this test rated me very well, because I have different views than what they said I have.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked at the results. It says that I am more to the left and closer to the left than the right meaning I would be democratic. Though I do agree that I am democratic I do not agree with some of the questions and I could go both ways of agreeing and disagreeing depending on the situation. I think the test was wrong because it needed to be more specific questions. I do not agree with the more left of center that I am because I feel I can easily be swayed to the right and back so to be a little further left and down on the chart made me disagree. On the other hand I do believe it was right when it came to the up and down scale of authoritarian and libertarian. It said I was below the line so that would make me slightly more libertarian which I do feel I am. Again if the questions were more specific I think this test would be more accurate.
ReplyDeleteThe Test showed that I was really far to the left with what they say is a liberal leftist. I think that the results are a little confusing to understand. They also told me that I was on the same side with Ghandi which is a place that I never thought I would be catorgoized in. I think for the most part I agree with the test because it shows that I agree strongly with some things and disagtreely strongly with others. It also definitly shows that I value some things in life way higher than I view others and let’s be honest I’ve never really been very into politics im more focused on other things that go on in life.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with my results for the test. They placed me towards the left side, which I agree on, but they have me more towards authoritarian than libertarian. I believe that I should have been toward the left side but then right in the middle of authoritarian and libertarian. I don’t really agree with the authoritarian view because I believe that the government should have a say and protect us, but to a certain limit. I think that our freedoms are important and they should be granted to us. The government should have a say in them but just to protect us. I don’t feel like this was very accurate. There were many questions that I really could not decide on either disagree or agree, but having to choose one was difficult because I didn’t agree or disagree with it. Some had aspects that I agreed with but that same thing had aspects where I didn’t agree. I think that if the questions were more specific then the results may have been better.
ReplyDeleteI kind of agree with the test we took today because I’m in the middle of the left side and liberal side. I feel that this is good statement for where I stand because there are things were I agree with the political stand and there are things that o disagree with. For example I don’t feel that abortion should be legal if it puts the life of the women in danger. First of all I don’t think that it is possible to know that the kid puts you in danger right first on hand when you have a kid. I also feel that this test doesn’t accurately ask question that would firmly make me believe that I’m in fact a liberal or not. For example there were question that I feel that if the general public took it they would not understand. One of the questions that I strongly disagreed with was the one that asked that a race was superior to others. I feel that everyone is created equal and no one should feel superior to others.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking the ideology test I think I could of gone either way with some of my answers. If the questions went more in depth on what exactly they were trying to get too, it would give me more of an understanding on what my ideology was. I was kind of surprised about the findings of my ideology, due to the fact I feel me and my family fall on the other side of the line, when it comes down to our feelings and understandings of our government. I felt that the test was a good understanding of what people believe in, and was a good way to find out someone’s ideology, but if the test went more in depth with the questions they were asking, it would give me and other people more of an understanding of where exactly we fall. Most of the questions were very vague, which could of allowed me to go either way. Overall I liked the test I just feel it could have been more detailed and easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteI think that the test was kind of right, I believe I am towards the left or democratic, I was also toward the libertian side. I like the though of more government, because I feel we need the protection, but I am for freedom to a certain level that we can still be protected. I was a little confused on my results because they are contradictory I want more government involvment, but I also want freedom. Won’t being to the left and down on the spectrum be the same as to the right and up, what is the difference? The test was a little a confusing in how they worded some of the questions. I also wished that they had an indfifferent or undecided button on some of the questions, it forced you to pick one way or the other and you didn’t know what it was asking half the time.
ReplyDeleteI think that this test was mostly Accurate. I tend to be more to the left but, not all my beliefs are to the left. Which the test had me down a little bit and to the left. Alot of the time i agree more with the democrats although sometimes i agree with the republicans. I do think that free will is important but nobody should have complete freewill, and that is why i am leaned more towards libertarian but close to the middle. I usually give both sides a chance in the election, and i would go with whos beliefs are closer to mine or who seems right or wrong, and depending on what they will do to make the country better.
ReplyDeleteI somewhat agree with the ideology test. Some of the questions were hard for me to understand, also some of the questions I really didn’t have an opinion on it. The points that I had trouble deciding with is that the legalization on marijuana. If they were to legalize it that means that they would also have to put a tax on it. The other point to it is that if they legalize it than most of our population would always be high and be lazy than nothing important would be done. I care a lot about our economy as a whole, and to also to know that if I am investing money where it is going and was it a good choice. Another point is that I think that if we get the government too involved in our lives that it will turn into a dictatorship and the dictator will start punishing people for their own believes.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking this political compass test, I was not surprised to find myself over on the left side of the chart. I agree with the fact that they have me put in the socially and economically liberal aspect of things. In my eyes, I definitely believe that there has to be some sort of government intervention in the economic aspect of things to put regulations and keep an eye on those big corporations and prevent the uprising of monopolies. But when it came to the actual test, I did not agree with how all of these questions were worded because when I was looking through them, I found some bias in the way that some of the questions were worded. Some of them were not looking at both sides of the spectrum when it came to some of the more personal questions. The one about how woman should primarily stay at home, it did not take into account the situation of the people. For instance, maybe the woman is forced to stay home because of a sick child. So I believe that if these questions were to eliminate their bias, it would give me a better representation of my political ideology.
ReplyDeleteWhen I took the test my results were more left winged and more libertarian. I think that this somewhat accurately categorizes me. Being libertarian means that you are more in support for being free-willed and I feel like that fits me. I enjoy having the freedom to make my own choices and living life to fit my standards, not anybody else’s or society’s. I probably like many other people, do not like being told what to believe or how to live my life. I do however think that society should have basic regulation rules, but not get too involved with people’s lives. We are supposed to live in a free country but that is very hard to do when your government is constantly trying to get more and more involved. Our government is power seeking and I don’t think they should have control over many things.
ReplyDeleteFrom this test, my political ideology was slightly to the left and slightly authoritarian. I never thought that I was democratic but I guess I may be. I’ve always considered myself to be republican but maybe I’ve never really known what republicans and democratic stand for. I agree in a government involvement but not too much, so that is why I am slightly authoritarian. I think that people should have their own opinions and be able to do things that are in the lines of the law. Government involvement to me is needed to have a stable society. During the test, for the majority I didn’t really know what some of the statements were saying, so that may have made my answers skewed. But I was only slightly democratic, so I think that I am right in the middle. I agree with different parts of both parties but I do not think that I am fully for one side.
ReplyDeleteIn this Political test it showed that I was more on the Neo-Liberalism and more toward facism. It interesting because the question were for a purpose, and figured out where I stand. I think it was a good test, but I thought I was more liberal. I guess it is a good way to judge how I stand so I can’t disagree. I guess it’s a little but of a surprise, but can’t agrue. It was interesting to see that I was on hitler’s side too. How I feel about things and how I want things to be and get done is similar to Hilter. So maybe I like a lot power and having control. There is no way to know for sure though because I don’t rule a country, but if I did now I would know how I believe on things a little bit.
ReplyDeleteThe test determined me 5 boxes over and 5 boxes down in the left libertarian section. I was pretty surprised with where I ended up because although I’ve always considered myself liberal, I did not think I would far quite as far to the left as I did. I was surprised because I do have some conservative beliefs such as extremely antiabortion so I thought maybe my results would actually be skewed to the right. However, I’m not too concerned with the results of this quiz because I’ve always pretty much known where I’ve stood and this quiz had some awkwardly worded and misleading questions.
ReplyDeleteI believe my political ideology test results are correct because I tend to agree more with democrats views on scoiety and I believe that government should have more control in peoples lives. I believe if government didn’t have a lot of control on peoples lives our country would be chaotic. This is why I have a lot of respect for the law enforcement. I have some views on issues that fall towards republicans sides but I would consider myself to the left middle of the political spectrum. Some questions in the test were very confusing to understand and others were very hard to decide to agree or disagree with the statements. Most issues have their pro and con sides and its hard to make a decision on what you believe is the right decision. My test results showed that I fell towards the authoritarian side of the political compass. I tend to think more with facism views, like Stalin and Hitler but im too close to the middle to completely believe their values. I also support some anarchism views on issues. Overall, I believe my test results are correct and they support my views on our country.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking the test, I was not really surprised with the results. I knew that my beliefs were more on the left side, but I could not really see how far it went. Throughout most of I was generally in the middle, I rarely took a strong stance on any single subject. The test put me actually close to the middle, yet I ended up on the liberatarian left side of the graph. I think the test itself gives an accurate respresentation of all the topics that occuring in our generation. It goes further then just moral questions, and tries to deterime ones true beliefs. Yet still, I found that some questions had very little to do with ones political beliefs, especially the one about astrology. Another thing I did like about it was that it did not have the undecided stance, which forced the person to make the hard decisions about their own ideology.
ReplyDeleteThe test placed me over to the left, which was the communism side. I view communism as one man is calling the shots and I total disagree with that. Therefore I am disagreeing with my test results and wish to retake it, just kidding. I still do see where the test was coming from with its results because I did answer so questions without fully understanding them. So what I’m trying to say it that the questions should have been more specific. Not only were the results appalling and surprising, but it gave you a lot of examples of where you told, which is something I found neat. Like I was able to see if I stood with Hitler or Stalin or with the peace guys, such as Gandhi. So I found out today that the closes guy I relate to in the internationally known contemporary leaders is pope Benedict XVI
ReplyDeleteAs I reflect over the test, I could not tell you whether or not it was good. You see I have never taken a test like that before that is designed to inform me of my political stance. I will however tell you I found the questions broud and many of them detailed. There were a few questions that I could not understand why they are asking me this. For example, "an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth" or the question regarding should their be the option for a death penalty. However, with all of this in mind the test was a very interesting experience and I would agree with where the end result placed me.
ReplyDeleteI was located close to the top left corner of Libertarian Right, according to the political ideology test. I was not one bit surprised with the results of the test. I think like most people I was in the general vicinity of the middle, which makes sense as none of my views seem to be extreme. I feel like most of my political views are based on a balance between government control and freedom. It is my opinion that too much of anything usually creates problems that are resolved when the balance is set back into place. Such is the case with market; If the government has no restrictions or controls we would see the rise of monopolies, which causes prices to sky rocket and destroy the small businesses.
ReplyDeleteIf I was surprised with any part of my results, it would have to be my social ideology. I feel like I may be little more towards Libertarian that I was on the graph. Its my belief that government should no have control over one’s morals or beliefs. That is as long as they don’t impact the lives of others. I feel like I would like less government control socially that the graph shows.
This test doesn’t seem very legit considering it doesn’t even spell half of its words right, but I agree with where it put me. I’m pretty much right in the middle of the political compass which makes sense to me because I still don’t know enough about the left or the right to take a side or even be an extremist on either side. There really weren’t any issues I strongly agreed or disagreed with because I didn’t know enough about the issues and I feel there’s two sides to each issue so I can’t completely take a side. Some of the questions asked I felt didn’t really relate to my life right now or I just knew nothing about, so that made it difficult to choose an answer as well. I do believe in less government involvement, so I am surprised that I’m slightly to the left but overall I think this test was accurate.
ReplyDeleteWell this so called test basically tells me that I have no important views in government because I am a very moderate person when it comes to government. It says that I am more to the left, but in reality, I would say I have no clue what any of these issues that were talked about in this test. I have probably said this before in one of the earlier blogs, but I could careless about polictics because I think everything that comes out of it is bogus. In regards to that, I do follow some points that are the most important to our country, and that are important to me. I know that sounds a bit selfish, but this whole country is because we want everything to ourselves. With some of the questions that were asked, I felt that they had nothing to do with politics, but with the way your mind works, and how you think about other people.
ReplyDeleteIn a perfect world, the government would be entirely moderate. I am very unsurprised by my results, for though I am very liberal socially, I am very moderate in a fiscal sense. It isn’t much of a surprise that the majority of the students are socially liberal, since homosexuality, abortion, and civil liberties all hit home, especially at our age of shaping opinions. Since there are too many intangibles to take into consideration when deciding whether these concepts should or should not be legal, I simply put myself in the situation, and based on the “what if”, I found that most of my opinions move towards choice. Ideologies banning the marriage of homosexuals roots from religious decent, which is directly a contradiction of the separation of church and state, as well as the equal rights clause. Also, I believe the government needs to assist the people in need, but only those who are willing to contribute to the economy. Morals are the most important part of society, but without a stable economy, it is bound to fail.
ReplyDeleteThe political compass test surprised me. I used to have political views that were in the middle of the spectrum but now I have views that are a little more extreme. I think that talking in class and school has changed my views from when I was younger. Now my views reflect the community I live in a little more. I thought the test was fairly unbiased, but I wish that I did not have to take a stand on some of the issues. I do not have strong views on some of the issues and I think that it really swayed my results because I had to choose something. Otherwise I wish that the explanation at the end was a little clearer. They do not need to completely spell out what the result means, but just putting where other people fall on the spectrum does not really help me out.
ReplyDeleteI agree fully with the quiz. I am pretty much an average democrat, and care more about social aspects then political. Some of the questions seemed weird, and im pretty sure im less of a democrat because I don’t like abstract art… Oh well (and astrology). The quiz was mostly unbaised with obvious questions on both sides (gay rights, money, national security). The test seemed to judge on the most general of opinions for each party, but I think that I’m about in the right spot, that is to say a mostly moderate democrat. Religion played a large part in the test, but I guess it still does in politics today. That being said, I think that we need t get past that in order to come together as a country. People can have religion, or political parties and still be one nation, but only if they compramise. The end. (that got me to 150)
ReplyDeleteAs stefan said, I consider myself on the fence about most issues. The test clamied that I was slightly to the left, just about where I thought I was. I think that the test is fairly accurate and that I have a slightly liberal stance. As I was taking this test, I doubted that it would be accurate because the answers could be changed in different circumstances. The test is slightly vague. As a closing note I agree with mohrfeld about less government involvement.
ReplyDeleteThis test says that I’m neutral about most of the issues in thecounrty. It shows that I am moderate because my dot was as close to the middle as possible, It wasin the blue region but very close to the economic line. I felt like some of these questions were a little sketchy because so many of the questions seamed like they were irrelevant to issues. They also spelled many of the words wrong which makes the test seam not legit at all. The test was some what accurate because I usually do not care about the government and they listed my as moderate. I stand nuetral on most of the issues because some of them do not interest me. I do not follow politics often because I find most of it boring and often repetitive.
ReplyDeleteI was on the left side for both economical and political standings. I was dubbed a left wing libertarian. I believe this is an accurate portrayal of me. I do have the same beliefs of a libertarian. I believe that the people should be the utmost concern and the government should be less involved with its people. But I still do believe that the government should take care of its people and keep the economy striving but the actual lives of the people should be left alone by the government. I believe that this test was very accurate with my beliefs. I just feel that in our day to day lifes the government has too much control over the actions that we take. Even though the government is an important part of our life I believe people should be allowed to do what they want.
ReplyDeleteNothing surprised me except for the fact that I ended up in the green square instead of the red one, though just barely. Some of the questions, however, made me realize that I am a horrible humanitarian. Judging by the examples the site used, I am somewhere between Gandhi and Stalin, which doesn't surprise me at all.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking the political compass test I was not very surprised by the results. I did not think I was as liberal as the test said but I think that could be because of my beliefs supporting abortion and rejecting any sort of religion in schools as well as rejecting the idea that without religion there are no morals. I think the test would be pretty accurate for most people. One thing I did not like about the test is some of the questions that they asked I did not stand on a definite side. With an additional option of indifferent I think it would make some of the questions easier to answer. However, I was put in the left and libertarian region and that is where I expected to be. The test is set up pretty well and it has enough questions to make an accurate decision for one’s political ideology and also has the questions that make people think about where they stand politically.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the results of this test and I feel that is accurate of where I stand. I feel however that the questions did seem very vague at times and did not give situations about the issues the questions regarded. IF the situations were given and I then had to agree or disagree with it I feel that would have been a much stronger representation of my political beliefs. I do not think that this test is well put together though. I think there needed to be a “I don’t care button” because some of the questions I did not truly have an opinion and I was forced to answer them anyways. I do agree however that I am not really on one side of the political spectrum or the other and my stance on issues depend on the issue and not because I am a hardcore democrat or republican. This test can get rid of some of the vagueness and I feel that it would be much better.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I feel that the test was fair enough, and I suppose it must be accurate, or at least more accurate than I am capable of. I’ve never really been quite certain of where I was on the political spectrum, and I suppose I’ll always remain one of those “Swing Voters”. Though, I also believe that being a fervent member of a party and only voting for the candidate BECAUSE he is part of your party is foolish, so being part of the swing isn’t much of a problem. Some of the questions caused me to really think of what my opinions were, and more than once I would have preferred to have remained neutral, although that option was not available. I do wonder what my views on modern art have to do with my political spectrum, though, and also the importance of astrology. Yet, ultimately I ended up as rather neutral, and I expected nothing more.
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not agree with the results I got. I was placed more to the left and I feel I am more Republican than Democratic. A lot of these questions I could say that I either didn’t know what they meant or didn’t know what they’re talking about. I was simply confused and for those questions, I wish there was a middle response so that it does not affect me in agreeing or disagreeing. For most of these questions I answered them the way I was brought up to think, from all the conversations with my parents, and some that I agreed or disagreed with against my parents, my own personal beliefs. Family, friends, and society impacts ones beliefs in such a huge way that one might not even understand. I bet that if it wasn’t for me hearing something’s from family or friends that I might look at it a different way. But since you’re so set on one way, that’s the way you look at it, unless it’s something so huge you can’t really miss out on your own opinion coming out of you.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started taking the test I thought it would end up becoming very off because of the fact that they removed the option to check “indifferent” or “somewhat agree/disagree” and it was difficult to choose the answer for some of the statements. When I got to the end, however, I realized that the test was correct about me in many ways. The chart was a little confusing to read, but I liked that there were many different explanations as to why your results were what they were. Instead of being like black and white, I liked that there was a chart that showed us the other people who had similar ideals to us that ended up becoming large political and public influences. The test could be a little bit less technical, though because I had trouble defining some of the ways that the questions were worded. I think that beside those small points the quiz was eye-opening in explaining our current political identities.
ReplyDeleteThis test tells me that i am a social liberal that wants the government out of peoples lives. Whatever people choose to do is their business but the government needs to not be involved. I believe this test was bias because there was no neutral button and it cannot point out what your political views are on just these questions. For the death penalty option, I believe that the criminal should get to choose if he would either take the death penalty or life in prison. There werent really any other questions i felt really strongly about and some of these questions werent worded clearly.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this test was pretty accurate. It placed me to the left by nearly 2 boxes and down by about 7.5, which places me in the Libertarian Left. Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, and Nelson Mandela are all in this box although they are all more left than I am, and I am further down than all three. These results do not surprise me at all. I believe that government should have very little involvement in the lives of its people in terms of the social aspect, but I think that in terms of the economy the government should enforce some regulations on businesses, without compromising the free market. I think that everyone should take this test because not everyone knows where they stand politically. This test asks fairly simple questions which can help people to find out where exactly they stand politically.
ReplyDeleteMy results to the test were that I was a Libertarian. I was more to the left on economic issues than social. Some of the questions had clear party values. There were questions on government involvment, gay mariage, religion, and military issues. My values showed that I had political values of Ghandi. I was not surprised by my results at all. I do believe that government should be involved in business. This is a key compnent to being liberal. I feel that business can not always be trusted and become more successful when the government is there to make sure it is doing what it is in the interest of the people. My views are very similar to others in this class. I think being liberal is something that much of the youth is because they do not focus on the past. They live in the now and do not worry about old social issues and religion. Just look at the last election where Obama gained much of the youth vote.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what I got for my answer to the test. I was put four squares towards libertarian and two squares to the left. I think this is pretty accurate, I agree that I would be a “liberal leftist”. My answer made sense to me because I do believe that the government should stay out of people’s personal lives, unlike it is now. Even though I believe my answer to be accurate, some people might have inaccurate answers because of the test itself. Some of the questions had terms and sentence structure that was a bit confusing. It was also difficult because it was necessary to either agree or disagree, whether or not you were neutral about some aspects. There should have been a “neutral” button. But I thought the questions were good because they were about other issues besides ones that obviously involved the government and the country, such as the ones about your opinions about parenting and art.
ReplyDeleteI was not very surprised with the results of the test and ended up with a score that I expected before I even took the test. According to the test I am on the left side, and I am also down on the libertarian side. Meaning, I have liberal viewpoints when it comes to social situations, but I also believe in some free will and that the government should not get too involved in our lives. I personally bellieve the government should be involved in some aspects of our lives, but in others it is too heavily involved. I think the test should have had a neutral option for the questions because there were some questions where I did not necessarily disagree or agree with, but I still had make something up for those ones. Overall though, I think the test was pretty accurate and showed my political viewpoints
ReplyDeletealthough i was slightly surprised with resulting slightly low and left, i was near the middle. i did half expect to result in the right because of my parents high republican beliefs. i do accept it likewise that i am partially liberal which to me is because of my age and i guess what one might call immaturity. the test seems accurate but i can see my score changing as i mature further and as i am influenced by other views throughout college. i beleieve that religion can also play a very large role in this test as many are raised on certain beliefs but do not necessary believe in all of the concepts that come with the social views of mass religions such as the catholic church.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I was not surprised with my results. Being placed in the middle of the left libertarian box was about were I expected to be, having long held more liberal values. This test, for what it's worth, is pretty accurate. I feel the questions were of quality (save the lack of a neutral option) and the results were well calculated. Being in the same range of the Dalai Llama seems accurate to me, as whenever I read on him, I tend to agree and appreciate his ideas. I wish that the results would go into more detail on how each axis is measured and what they represent. Some questions, however, did border on biased in their wording, as we learned in stats could affect the results of a poll or survey of sorts, and i noticed some peculiar wording in multiple questions.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the “ideology test”, I appear to not find total control of government necessary for us this day and age, but at the same time I am very liberal when it comes to issues like abortion, gay marriage etc. This is partly true, I do believe that the government should not interfere with the individual’s personal rights, in the sense that the government should not be allowed to have a say in who a person wants to marry-gay or straight. Like Gandhi, I agree with the individual exercising their rights and believing that they actually do have a say in the actions they pursue. I enjoy having the freedom to make own choices and at the same time accept the consequences of my choices. When we learn to live totally by society’s standards we tend to blame others for the outcome of each situation. However, at the same time the government should do what they need to do to improve our country as a whole, but make sure that they do not become too powerful-we do live in a “free” country.
ReplyDeleteAfter I completed the test based on my results I lean toward liberal (democrat) which is good stuff. I am not surprised by the findings by the test because I am a democrat and the test found me as a democrat, which means the I believe there should be less government in our lives. Honestly more than half the questions were really weird and I do not know how they judge what my political views are based on that. But some questions were specific and dealt with the more heated topics and issues of today’s politics which is good. Overall the test was alright some questions didn’t seem to be involved in finding my political ideology. Also the test was a little confusing and the wording on some questions threw me off, but the test in my opinion is a good test to measure someone political ideology.
ReplyDeleteJust took the test... and I was placed in the lower left of the spectrum. So that makes me a "left-wing libertarian". I'm surprised the survey never asked anything regarding gun control laws. I didn't really expect much as to where I would be placed here. I wouldn't consider myself as the stereotypical "left-wing flip-flopper"; my views are a bit scattered on the spectrum, but I'm not ridiculously indecisive. If I have no clue about a topic, I'll say straight out "I got nothing" instead of BSing and acting like I know what I'm talking about. Other than that, I can probably see why I'm a "left-wing liberal".
ReplyDeleteI found the test fairly right with my political side. It put me where I thought I would be on the graph, slightly right and slightly down the political scale. The only problem is that many of the questions were confusing and I feel that I did answer the questions correctly. Many of the questions I felt should have came with some explanation on what it means. Like the question that was a quote, I barley understood that question and felt I marked down the wrong answer, and that had happen on maniple question throughout the test. Also some of the questions I could go both ways on agree and disagree. And I think if they questions were worded differently then I would have most likely have gotten a better political placing. But it wouldn’t have been a big change on my political placing.
ReplyDeleteIn all honestly I did not understand what some of the questions where asking and wasn’t sure where I stood on the subject because I hadn’t been exposed to the content of the question in my day to day life. Because of this I found myself asking people around me where they stood on the conflict and using their stand point as a basis for my answer causing my place on the political spectrum to be skewed. I am glad however that I ranked close to Ghandi and the Dalai lama instead of Hitler or George W. Bush. I think this test could be a little more impartial in the wording of the questions. The questions seemed to be a worded so a person would chose agree or worded so a person would chose disagree. All in all I think where I was put was about right because I find myself a peaceful accepting person.
ReplyDeleteThe political map test was very interesting to me because it was actually very consistent with the way I previously standed. Prior to the test I considered myself to be socially liberal and economically conservative, and this is what the test also revealed. I was a little surprised that I was actually more socially liberal than I was economically conservative. However, I do still believe that at this time economics should way more heavily given the bad state of our economy. I also found it interesting that I basically am a democrat in social needs but a republican in regards to the economy. This makes the most sense to me, because I believe in the full rights and liberties of all citizens, but I do not believe in a big government with too much power. One thing I noticed about the test was that some of the questions were pretty slanted to one side or the other (almost using bias to make an answer seem obvious).
ReplyDeleteMy test score was more or less what I expected. I was around 7 to the left (big surprise) and about 3 in the direction of libertarian. I actually didn’t think that I was as libertarian as it said I was but I would bet most youths are antiauthoritarians because of their experiences. Or in other words students tend have little respect for people of authority because they have never been in that position. I would also be willing to bet that people become more conservative as they age because the GOP consists of old men and they didn’t just spawn from the ground. But u can never be sure. It is also possible that what is considered liberal has become more extreme over the years. I would like to talk about the results of this test in class because it truly interests me. And it could become a fun debate.
ReplyDeleteThe test showed that I was a little bit of an economic rightist. I think this is accurate because I do think that while there should be some protections, a semi-free market would be best. This type of market would generate competition and produce the best quality product. However, I do not agree with Pinochet, that mass killing would be a strong solution to create a free market. The test also said I was .1 socially right. I would say this is accurate, because I believe in both the protection and progression of both the individual and society. I think it is important for society to progress and better itself, but not at the expense of an individual. I also believe that an individual should do the same, but not at the expense of his or her society.
ReplyDeleteAfter spending over twenty minutes discussing with Judes, my mother, I have found that though our ideologies differ in many instances, for the most part, my views on politics and society practically mirror those of my parents. I am a strong advocate for gay marriage: I believe the prevention of gay marriage is a continuation of social ignorance which is only rooted from the Christian influence over our forefathers and so on. My mother is a real estate attorney, a profession generally filled with women and gay men. Her best friend, also a real estate attorney, has had a healthy relationship with another man for over 15 years. I have had the opportunity to meet both men, and it is safe to say that I have never met a more loving pair of individuals. Both men have well paying jobs, pay their taxes, and are not overzealous in promoting their choice of lifestyle. I have been surrounded by such individuals my entire life, and it is for that reason both my mother and I are pro same sex marriage. Abortion is another issue we both agree on. Being a teenage boy on my way to college, and my mother being a working city woman, neither of us would be able to handle a child at the moment. We both believe that with enough issues with overpopulation, having a child must be a pre-thought decision, giving the child a healthy living environment. Fiscally, my mother is slightly conservative due to our economic situation. Owning a small business, however, has changed her opinion slightly due to the recent tax cuts given by Obama. Though we may not agree on everything, Judes is a smart woman, so I trust most of her opinions.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking my test I was given the results of about (-2,-3), which put me in the bottom left section of the graph. I figured being on the left side of the graph I would be close to most democrats, which seems normal because I have always found myself to agree with the actions of the democrats, which probably is explained by my growing up in a purely democratic household. But after doing some research I noticed that most of the current politicians we know are in the top right, entirely opposite of me. This surprised me as both democrats and republicans were so close together, and myself being so far away. I noticed I was farther from current politicians, not surprising as I do not see myself as a politician in anyway, so it’s normal for my views to be more radical, but one name I noticed near myself was The Dali Lama and Ghandi, so I guess my score can’t be all bad.
ReplyDeletehttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ol0cqA6bjGs/Ryri7WKYG9I/AAAAAAAAABc/okEipoVZZ10/s400/political+compass.png
I completely agree with the results of the political ideology test. Economically I was an authoritarian leaning more towards the right, which means I am for less government involvement in the taxes of U.S. citizens. Socially I was a left-sided libertarian, meaning I am for less government involvement when it comes to the everyday lives of the citizens. This matches up because for one, I do believe that the government puts to much tax on citizens to make up for their overspending and also that the increasing tax is not helping the financial situations for many families. With fewer taxes I feel our economy would be in better shape since it is not entirely the responsibility of the citizens to over compensate for ill-budgeting. On the other hand, the personal lives of Americans are not the business of the government. How one decides to operate their household should not be dictated by government laws. Many same sex couples are being denied their right to happiness because there have been laws that state they should not be together. I disagree with many of the ways the government tries to be involved socially and overall, I think the ideology test rightfully labeled my beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThe results of the test came as no surprise to me because I have had these beliefs ever since I started thinking about government and society. I am very far down, or libertarian, and moderately far left. It asked lots of valid questions that need to be brought up more in our society and ensured its accuracy by asking some questions multiple times but in different ways to ensure that the reader/ quizzer was not simply answering with what they thought others or themselves wanted to believe. I also liked how they compared your scores with other famous names in history that were quite influential. I was a little more libertarian than the Dalai Lama but in generally the same area which doesn’t surprise me because I agree with many of his ideas and beliefs. In all I enjoyed the test and think it is accurate and well made.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBefore I was able to talk to my mom, I felt that her believes would be very closely related to mine since she is the person that has raised me to be who I am today. When I was talking to my mom about her personal believes she told me things that I agreed with her 100 %. One of the things that I think makes our believes so closely related is that we come from a Christian family. One of the things that my mom and I both agreed on is the issue with abortion. As I was reading Josh Deangelis statement I can understand where he is coming from that it could be a struggle for someone so young to try and raise a child. My mom having gone through this situation knows what is like to want an abortion. When she was 16 she had my sister and at age 18 she had me, but don‘t think that abortion didn‘t cross her mind. She told me that she struggled thinking that she had ruined her youth. But know is happy to have us next to her and is very proud of stivking it out for us. Crazy right, well the Hispanic culture is well known for having kids at a young age no surprise there. But what she has told me all along is that there is no reason why a woman would have to kill a baby if she is not doing things that she is not supposed to. Something that she should have listened to her parents when they told her of the risks. If teens were smart enough to not do things that are meant for marriage then there would be no need for abortion or such a wide spread of std’s. That is why in both our opinion, we feel that abortion should be illegal. And I know some people might say that what about when the woman gets raped? Well I feel that it is unfortunate that people are so cruel in this world to do such things but if you think about it from that horrible thing that happen can end up to have such a good result in the end. Because it’s a human being that you are killing when abortion occurs and even worse its part of you that you are killing. So my ideals I can say have been influenced a lot by my family since we are very close and religion has a lot to do with it as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter having a discussion with my friends, and sitting down to quickly ask them about their political ideology, I’ve come to generally see that most young adults have similar viewpoints as me. Children are generally in the middle, and may not have very strong personal beliefs towards politics. They decide what they think is right or wrong based on the even, not what the party they agree with would choose. Although children may think they are left or right winged individuals, if the ideas of said sides were given, they would agree with some and disagree with others, placing them in the middle of the spectrum as I was. As fas as parents go with political spectrum, they have been a part of elections, and have a more personal opinion towards the topics. They are usually classified with definitive beliefs towards the left or right, and would probably not swing towards the other side as freely as a younger adult may. I think this is simply because they have more expirience with politics, and can agree with certain individuals that will benefit them greatly. Personally, the political ideology of my parents or other adults does not impact me very much because I’ve realized that they have gone through the process of deciding where they stand on their own, and I would have to do the same. I can’t be pressured into thinking as someone else does because they have strong beliefs on a certain topic. My parents agree with me that I can decide how I want my life to be lived, and agree with my personal ideals, even if they might not agree with theirs. As far as my friends having an affect on my ideology, there is minimal talk of politics within teenagers, but I belive they too, allow individuals to decide for themselves and not pressure others.
ReplyDeleteAfter having a brief discussion with my mom, I feel that people who are close to you do have an impact on your political ideology. My mom took the test, and fell on the same side I did, and that was on the left side. But, both of our feelings about the government would fall on the other side of the line, the right side. I found this very interesting that both of us have nearly the same ideology, but believe in Neo-liberalism, not Communism. I feel that if you are close to someone you will ultimately believe in the same things, because it is in your blood. We both feel that no matter who you are or what party you fall under, you have the same idea of what a good government ultimately should look like. People that are around you I believe have the most impact on your life, and you are going to follow some of their views because you really do not know any better when you are a young child. But as you grow from a young adult to a mature one, you will agree with your close family most of the time. When you listen to the people that are close to you, you get the general ideas they have and follow their opinions, but make them into your own, and then decide for yourself if they are right or not. And, as you grow older you develop your own opinion and fall on either side of the line, whether it is a democrat or a republican.
ReplyDeleteAfter talking to my family and others close to me I’ve realized that although we have some of the same opinions on various political things, there are also some topics we disagree on. I don’t think my friends have a big impact on my political ideology because people our age do not really talk politics and if they do it is nothing very serious. I have many friends who are completely opposite of me on the political spectrum, but that never really affects me. As with my parents, I think it is inevitable for me to have some of the same opinions as them since they are the ones who raised me, but overall I have been able to make my own opinions and decisions politically. One of the main things we agree on, however, is that people should not always associate themselves as strictly republican or democratic, because then many times people begin to overlook the actual issues politicians are making and voting for people based solely on their party. People tend to forget that it is not just about what party they like more, but about what problems and solutions are best for the country at that moment. In some instances I know I have different concerns when it comes to politics than my parents do and other people in their generation do, which is partially the reason that we differ in opinions. Adults typically have a career, steady income, and their lives figured out, whereas people our age are still trying to figure their lives out and are just about to enter college. Because of this difference adults and adolescents have different priorities and care about different things in politics. At our age we are very impressionable by our friends and family, but it is important for us to learn to come up with our own opinions politically now, otherwise we are force-fed biased information from parents and other people throughout our lives, causing us to be completely clueless when we are on our own. The earlier we begin discovering where we stand politically, the better. It is important for us to keep up with the news so we know exactly what’s going on in the world and can make an informed decision on various political issues.
ReplyDeleteThe ideological beliefs of my family is rather varied but overall they tend to be more leftist. Firstly, my mother is a registered democrat and a devout Christian. A personality test that my mom took online said that she had a unusual personality that less then 1% of people have. It said that she has strong convictions but is also very practical and she is. My father is also a democrat but is much less vocal with his opinions. My mothers sister Marry is an evangelist who has stared a church with her husband Mike in Mountain Wisconsin. We say that they live halfway between the Amish and the anarchists. it’s a joke…. Sort of. Mike is a veteran and does not trust the government anymore, don’t ask why. I have a uncle Keith who is a Mormon math professor at Marquette the Catholic College believe it or not and is probably the most conservative relative that I have ever met. As for how my relatives have affected me I think that most of my beliefs have been shaped by my parents. From my mom I inherited a strong conscious and sympathy for the less fortunate. From my father, the hardest working man I have ever known, I have learned the value of good and honest work even if I don’t always practice it. Over all I am rather blessed by a very healthy family environment and I am very grateful for it.
ReplyDeleteOk, I interviewed my grandma asking her all kinds of questions about her political stance. It was interesting to hear her views becuase many of mine did not match hers. So then I explained to her that I took a political test online and showed her my results. She started getting a joking anger, because I guess I was on the opposite side of her stance. SO I asked her to mark on my graph where she would be. She and my grandpa each marked their place on the graph. Then grandpa suggested she prooves it by taking the test, so she did. And upon finishing the test she was in the exact location I was in. The minute she realized this, here came the excuses why the test was invalaid, the questions were worded poorly, whatever... she just made excuses. She really does stand where she marked the page before the test, so I am not sure what happened but it did. As we finish our discussion, they inform me I am the only one in our imediant family that stands where I did, and that even some of the most current issues we don't agree on. Because of this discovery, I have to beleive my families political stance does not affect mine. And to be honest my family never really discusses our policatl viewpoints, its just not a topic of conversation for whatever reason. So I am actually cofident in saying their views dont effect mine. I am sure if we talked about politics on a regular basis then their opinions would effect mine, but we don't. I must say I liked having this as a topic becuase I got to learn more about my grandparents in this regard.
ReplyDeleteAfter talking to family and close friends, asking them about their political ideology, I came to some conclusion that teens tend to have more of a liberal and free outlook than adults seem to have. I say this because I can see how teens can be very open to new things- like gay marriage, abortion etc. because they are more exposed to these liberal movements. They are happening more rapidly and seriously than the years before. Issues like same sex marriage and abortion are becoming more serious issues and unlike years before when both were automatically shunned in our society. This day and age we have powerful groups who fight and support/go against these causes which leads them to become pretty major issues. However, at the same time, unlike adults most kids and teens do not look closely enough and examine the government in-depth to know everything the government does do for us. Teens tend to only concentrate on the issues that appeal or involve us. Many adults have jobs, incomes and taxes they need the government to look out for and this may be a huge factor on why most adults I have talked to differ from my ideology. I believe that as kids, we are ignorant to politics and have no concern or interest to them, therefore, leading us to mirror our parents in their political views, simply because we are not yet informed. Although, as we grow up and become more aware of all the events and situations that go on in our world today we begin to shape our views and ideals. So as of right now, I do not share the same ideals as my parents, they tend to have a more lean in a conservative government, while I have slightly different view on the government‘s position in an individual‘s life. I can see the qualities in both sides of the spectrums and see where each view is coming from but, each person eventually obtains their own views and I do not think anyone really controls the decision of your stance except yourself.
ReplyDeletePeople close to me defiantly have an impact on my political ideology. As I have grown up my parents have taken a big role in shaping my political views. After all, as a kid I just liked whichever candidate my parents liked. That had a big influence on my political ideology. As I have gotten older, my ideology has changed a little bit. My friends views have somewhat rubbed off on me, but I still hold onto my roots. We have different views, but not views that are so vastly contrasting to the point of causing conflict. I also think age has a lot to do with the shift in my political views. I simply have more prominent views of the world now because I have a better understanding of the way things work in this country and the world. Similarly, while my views have changed by my friends, I found that my parent’s views have changed when moving to Grayslake as well. Living in a very liberal part of the country changes the outlook that we have on the political policies of the country. For example, my parents where raised by very conservative parents and adopted that ideology for a long time. When they moved here, their political ideology has taken on a little more liberal approach. I see the same thing happening with my views. The people who I care about help to shape my views of the world. As my life continues, I think that my fundamental views will remain constant, but I expect them to shift with the time and people I meet throughout my life.
ReplyDeleteBoth my parents are also democratic, so I believe that has some impact on where I fall in the political ideology. This is because they often talk about what they believe together and I must pick up on those ideas and start to agree with them because they are brought up so much. My parents like to have more government also they like to feel protected in their home. Although they are giving up some freedoms it is worth it to be safe. I believe that people around you impact how you view the government. When people around you start talking about what they believe to be right and what the government should do people pick up on what people are saying even if they don’t agree with everything they might persuade you one way or another. I often hear my parents saying things like the government should do some thing about that and most of the time I agree so they are kind of pushing me indirectly in to thinking like them. But my sister is republican, so it might not have as much of an impact as people my think, or it could be because she has left are house and is in college and is now agreeing with what they are thinking because she is being persuaded by different people. Most people are really close to the center of the spectrum and one or two changing topics can switch them from democratic to republican, so the spectrum is sensitive to what other people say.
ReplyDeleteI talked to both of my parents about politically ideology and both of them said they fall in the middle, like many Americans. They said it’s tough to lean towards left of right, because both sides contain ideas they both agree and disagree with. Government involvement is important to a successful nation, but too much would make it corrupt, so that is why the middle or “moderate” view is very common today. I fall in the middle as well, so I definitely believe that my parent’s beliefs have impacted me. Even though my family isn’t that big into politics, it is the morals that I have grown up learning that help affect my idea of political ideology. I also feel that because most people in America are moderate, many people conform to this belief and settle in the middle without knowing or thinking for themselves. This is a big problem in our country and it affects voting during elections. But to answer the question, people who are close to me without a doubt have an impact on my political ideology, because I am surrounded by their beliefs and learn to accept those ideas. Even if I had to, I don’t think I could choose between liberal or conservative because like I said before, there are too many things on both sides that I agree and disagree with. These positives and negatives cancel each other out, and I end up in the middle.
ReplyDeleteEverybody has an impact on you, your beliefs, and the way you think about it, with the way you take it. Of course the closer you are with them, like family, the more of an impact they make but even a simple friend that is not the closest can still make a huge impact in your life. I have always hated politics and never really cared much about it because it frustrated me and still frustrates me so much. I always thought my mom had the best things to say about politics with how something should be, what should have been done differently, or just how a certain politic really screwed something up. My moms the type of person that will get into someone’s face fighting for what she believes something should be. My dad does not argue because he is just not like that, he just backs up what my mom has to say if he agrees with her. My parents were not able to take the test. Both of my parents are Republicans so that is why I considered myself to be Republican or at least more Republican since that was the base of our discussions and things my mom had to say, influenced me quite a lot. I was located on the Democratic side in the red box almost in the green but not quite there. My boyfriend took the test and his results were close to mine but he was right below me but in the green box.
ReplyDeleteAfter talking with some of my family members and close friends, I realized that we really only agree with some of the issues that are present in our lives right now. When talking with my long-time friends, a lot of us agree on the issues and how they are dealing with them. We agreed on the approaches with the war as well as the approaches with how government should be spending our money. Some of my friends right now are completely anti-Obama but I think now that I talked with them, a lot of us don't really grasp the whole problem and what is actually going on. All of us think that we know what is going on but I believe that we really don't. We are only 17/18 years old and have probably just started to pay attention to some news and try to understand what is going on. I don't think that close friends have an influence on your political views because a lot of friends, at least for me, really don't pay a lot of attention to the government and only focus on 1-2 issues going on right now.
ReplyDeleteWhen talking with some of my family members, I found that I agree on most issues as my family members. When talking with my mom, we got onto the topic of abortion. We both believe that if the woman was raped, she should have the choice to have an abortion. But if it was a woman just messing around and got pregnant, they shouldn't be able to get the abortion. We both think that abortion should only be a choice given to women that were raped but not given the choice if they were just not smart about their choices. When I talked with my grandma, we had nearly the same views. We agreed on basically everything but there were some were we just had different thoughts about the issues but the same actions that should be carried out. We agreed that the war going on now should end soon and that we should begin to withdrawal within a few years. We also agreed that jobs should be created in America but we believe that those jobs should be given priority to US citizens before immigrants that are hear and not yet US citizens.
After talking with a bunch of people, I believe that our views on government issues are affected and influenced by our family members and not our friends. We are with our family members everyday; they are the ones that raised us and because of that, we have nearly all the same morals. Our friends can have the same views, but I think that family is more influential for big issues than our friends are.
My mom said she was a democratic but wasn't bond to the democratic party, she looks at all the candidates beliefs and ideas before she votes but it mostly matches with the democratic side, but for the last three elections she voted republican by voting bush twice and Mc Cain last year. I'm the same way but I tend to vote more republican then democratic. But I have close friends who are democratic and want to have less big government and more small government to allow more voice to be heard in the nation because they say that too much of our nation is through blind leadership where people vote someone in without knowing there true belief and they end up having a great amount of power. I am a person who does not let the people around me make my political beliefs made. When I was little I liked what ever president my mom liked but the last two elections I look on my own and with no ones help, I decided who was the best person to run our nation. I am a person who thinks the old way is best and that changing and being more open to that change is making things worst. I live conservatively but my political views are more moderate because although I think being conservative is best, I know that others don't think that and you should have a president that favors both sides and not just be on one side of the political scale
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that the people who I’m close with do have a big impact on my political ideology. My mom shares many of the same views as me, and I think that talking to her about current events and choices that the government makes is why our views are so similar. I’m not saying she pushes her views on me but I do think that because I’ve been around her my whole life, our views were destined to be similar. She, too, is on the left and on the libertarian side. I had my dad take the test, too, and was extremely surprised. I assumed he would be in the right authoritarian square, but he was actually in the left libertarian square, like me. I never really talk to him about politics because I thought our views were so different but apparently they aren’t. I guess you learn something new every day. I don’t really think my friends influence my political ideology because, from my experience, I don’t think people this age talk about politics all that much. And if we do, it’s not in great depth. And for me, I’m not interested in debate, and so if someone has a different opinion than me, I’m not going to try to change it, I’ll accept the difference and then stop talking about it. I feel that a lot of influence from my political ideology comes from economic status, too. I think that if I didn’t grow up being middle class, my views would be very different.
ReplyDeleteOver the years I have looked at and listened to my parents political beliefs. My dad is pretty liberal while my mom tries to stay in the middle, but is a little liberal. Her leaning to the left was probably due to the influence of my dad. I believe that parent’s political ideology has a big impact on me and on many other students. As a child, your brought up to follow what your parents say and do. Politics is not much different. When a young kid hears their parents speak passionately about politics, it is only natural they follow what they are saying. However, the older and more educated a kid becomes, the more they start to question their beliefs. After college, political ideology then tends to change. Location also has a big impact on political ideology. People find comfort in conforming with the beliefs of their friends and neighbors. There is a lot of pressure to follow the standards and expectations of where a person lives. It seems like the south will always be conservative and the north always liberal. Voting shows that this probably will never change. It is very important for people to questions the political beliefs of their surroundings. Everyone needs to get educated on important political topics and pick a party that fits with their moral beliefs. Without proper questioning of political beliefs, nothing will ever change and society will suffer.
ReplyDeleteI had the discussion with my dad, and it turned out that most of his ideologies are very similar if not exact with my own. There were obviously some discrepancies; however, we did not completely oppose each other on any one issue. He just like me remained in the middle of the political graph (from the test we took). Furthermore, socially our views were exactly the same on issues such as abortions, stem cell research, and gay marriage. These issues should not be controlled by the government, and it should the right of each individual to decide whether it is wrong or right, and whether to take part in them. The same thing was true for economics; we both had the same views and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteSo the question is if other people influence your own political ideology; my answer is yes. I realized that my dad and I had the same ideology because it was him who told me what was going on in the government and politics. I never watch the news or read about candidates running for government positions, but rather just ask him the questions that I have. Much like bias in the media, I realized my dad puts his own bias into what he tells me, and thus I am persuaded to believe what he believes. I feel that economically our ideologies are the same, because of my age. What I mean is because I am still dependent on my parents financially, I consider myself to be in the same economic standings as they are. Furthermore, there economic ideology benefits that class, and thus I have the same ideology because it works the best for me.
I was surprised by the findings; I do not consider myself either left or right. I like to look at the situation and put my own personal views and figure out where I stand. Like with abortion, I feel like it is your own personal choice as a woman to decide what you do with your body. With gay marriage I feel like it does not effect me what so ever if they get married, so why not let them. With the economy let the businesses who messed up and went broke find there own way back up on top. Basically my views are that everyone messes up and you should be responsible for your actions, and not expect anyone to bail you out.
ReplyDeleteMy mom and I have some of the same ideologies but we do have some different views. I do not feel that my mom has influenced my views on the outside world. She has always respected my opinion and I respect hers. I have taken on some of her views, for example gay marriage and abortion, but have taken my own spin on some other views. Like with presidents, there are some that she cannot stand that I will stick up for. I remember this one time when we had an argument about last years presidential campaign and how I wanted Hilary Clinton to win the primary but she does not trust her because she stayed with Bill after he cheated. So we do not always get along with our views but we do respect each other.
ReplyDeleteI was discussing the Olympics with my dad. Na I’m just kidding, we were talking about political ideologies of course. He said he is an individual and he explained that he voted and supported the person or candidate based on their specific and personal ideas. He said that he does not vote for someone because of his or her political party, but where they stand on certain issues. He also does not necessarily support society or the individual over the other because each situation is different. These ideas are very similar to my views, which makes me think that our ideologies are very strongly affected by the people close to us. I think I am similar to Tej, wait don’t judge me yet, in that I get most of my information about politics and current events from him and not from the media. This definitely affects my ideologies because I am receiving information from his angle and getting some of his observations with it. This means I will probably have the same ideas on those issues as he does, possibly without even knowing the whole story or the truth. However, I do disagree with my dad on some topics, but it is hard to say that even my views of these topics are not skewed by the media, or someone else close to me with a particular bias. Overall I would say my ideologies reflect those of my parents and will most likely continue to.
ReplyDeleteWhen I talked to my parents about it they said they were in the middle or a little bit toward the left. They had some of the same ideologies that I do, some were really different though. I think they have mostly swayed me to believe the same things that they do only because they talk about it at home and I just listen in and by what they say. There are some things that they agree on that I do not. When this occurs we just stop the convocation so that one does not get mad. I was talking to my mom’s friend that I have known since I was 3 months old she is a very strong believer on not having abortions for any reason what so ever. This was funny to me because she was a democrat rather than part of the Republican Party. We also got on the topic if it right to have an abortion if the mother was raped or if the baby had a lot of birth defects and would come out majorly ill. I told her with the purpose those circumstances that it should be alright. She did not agree. I also went to her husband and he had a totally different view on this topic. He said it should always be the women’s choice on weather or not she should have an abortion or raise the child. What I believe that ultimately the people choose were they fall on the ideological scale but for most of the topics people tent to just agree to what the people they look up to believe in.
ReplyDeleteWhen I talked to my parents, I first asked them whether they were republican or democrats. Then I asked whether they believe if the government should have more control or less control on the economy, and have more power or less power than they have now. My parents seemed to be similar to me, with the same types of thoughts on government issues. I think that people that are close to you can have an impact. Someone that is more close to you can persuade you easier than someone that is not so close. It seems to be a trust issue because you will always follow someone you trust, but will have a hard time following someone you do not know well and do not trust. My parents seemed to know how they felt about government, but taking the test would have really determined, if their thoughts were actually what they believed them to be. Unfortunately, neither one of them did take the test so I do not know if the test was accurate or if how they felt on things resembled accurately. I am similar to them about some beliefs and they never told me to think a certain way, but having them around me a lot and knowing how they feel, definitely rubs off- at least - a little bit.
ReplyDeleteI believe that family members and close friends have an impact on my political ideology. First off everybody listens to the input that others say and use what they hear and learn to help them make their own decisions. In my situation I have always listened to what my parents say because they provide me with factual information. My dad talks to me a lot about government and how our society views political aspects of life. My dad is a very moderate republican but he agrees with many ideas of democrats. My mom is also a republican. I have grown up listening to their views and I have always agreed on what they have to say on making our country better. My dad always told me about the danger of a big government and the high taxes that come with it. He believes that more independence is better. They have persuaded me with their bias on issues dealing with more and less government control. When I took the test though I feel more towards the democrat side of the political spectrum where as my parents fell towards the republican side. I have always used what they told me to incorporate it in my decisions and I believe if I never had any guidance or input in what they believe I would probably be a strong democrat. I am happy where I stand on the political spectrum and my parents help has greatly helped my political ideology.
ReplyDeleteI had a discussion with Nick Brennan who I’ve been friends and neighbors with for 9 years. He feels almost directly in the middle but slightly to the right. This means that he is basically a swing voter that will maybe lean a little toward the republicans. I fell pretty far down and to the left which means that I’ll pretty much be vote democratic all the time. For somebody I have known for a long time, we do not share a lot of political ideals. I believe this is because of a few reasons. One would be as 17 and 18 year old high school students we honestly don’t spend a ton of time talking about politics. Another reason might be that Nick would admit to not really following politics while I usually check to see what’s going on every night. I also had this discussion with my dad and not surprisingly, we were much more alike than I was with Nick. He didn’t take the test but I have a pretty good idea that he would fall pretty much where I did. The main political news station in the house is the liberal MSNBC, and Fox News is completely disregarded. My dad has had a big influence over me politically but, I still feel like I do think for myself. I don’t think that the influence is a good or bad thing it just happens naturally.
ReplyDeleteThe political view point of my family differs a little bit from me in a sense that they would be farther over on the left. While I am more moderate and do not base my opinion on what my political party chooses, one of my parents is holds more strongly to democratic view points. However, my other parent is more moderate bases his decisions on his own personal opinions. I would say that I am similar to my parent’s beliefs but I am very moderate because of my lack of interest in politics but I am defiantly more of a democrat. I believe that the people surrounding someone do have a large impact on your political ideology. They are the people who are around you the most and usually the only opinions and side of the story you are going to hear. It is hard to disagree with them when they are skewing your opinion because you have no other side to it. The fact that family plays such a large impact on you it requires you to dig deeper about issues and do research if you do not just want to agree with your family and formulate their own opinion. It is similar to watching the news; you can not only listen to FOX news and have that as your opinion about issues. That is why it is called your opinion because it is yours and not another person’s. Therefore one must need to do whatever they can to not be skewed by one source or another so they can get their own political ideology.
ReplyDelete1. I think that my political ideology test was some what correct because I was in the “swing voter” part of the line meaning that you can go both ways on the issues easily your not really stuck to one side. But I thought that I would have been in more of the middle like the moderates because that is what most people identify themselves as and its like your own opinion on things and you can agree with one thing for republicans and agree with the democratic side as well. Also I do not think that the government should be more involved in our lives I think it is fine the way it is. Also my graph was right because I was not in the extremist part of the political spectrum because I feel issues like abortion, gay marriages, and personal opinions should not be looked down upon by the government. I agree but also disagree with my overall spectrum.
ReplyDelete2. I asked my parents where they stood on the political spectrum, and they both said they were more on the left side because they were for families, and big businesses. Also they said they did not like war and that that side was not against it, just did not favor it. I also asked my grandpa what his was, and he said he was more towards the right because he wants less government involvement and is a conservative.
I think that my parents have an impact on where I stand because I live under their roof, and the jobs, time they spend on things, what we do together and many other things have an impact on my life. On the other hand they always tell me to believe what I want, and they don’t force me to be the same thing as them, and they understand if I choose to be different. I think that family impacts your decision a lot because if you have more money then others, or if you come from a family with maybe a gay or straight family member or even a soldier in your background you would maybe be for or against the war, and lastly maybe a problem that has occurred in your past like health issues or abortions. There are so many different options that could point you to a certain side or to be right in the middle but I believe that family matters deeply, but it should not be the base of your own decision. Everyone has different beliefs!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAfter talking with my parents about their political ideologies I found out that we stood in about the same place for our beliefs. Although they are divorced, they still had the same political beliefs. All of us are near the middle of the spectrum, but have more a democratic shift in views. I did not find this very surprising because a lot of what children learn when they are growing up is from their parents, so ideas are passed down from parents to their children. It is natural for children to listen to and agree with what their parents say. A lot of what kids learn is from their parents, but as they get older this can start to change. When children start school friends and teachers begin to influence how they think. Even if one child mentions what his parents have said about politics to a friend it can cause the friend to question what his parents have always told him. These instances can cause a child to shift their beliefs, especially as they get older. As kids get older and become more social and independent of their parents their beliefs can change as well. The older a person gets, the more able they are to make their own decisions and question what they are being told. Although views can change, they do typically reflect the views of the people around you. Even geographically there is a visible split in political views, the south tends to be more conservative and the north is typically more liberal. Outside influences from those around you often times shape your political beliefs.
ReplyDeleteBoth my parents lean more towards the conservative side of the political spectrum and believe in less government involvement and more in individual freedom and responsibility. They believe the government should be more concerned with maintaining the protection and security of our country than trying to control every little aspect of a citizen’s life. My dad said says he considers himself more libertarian when it comes to issues such as taxes, abortion, and religion. I found myself slightly to the left on the Liberal side of the political spectrum which I agree with because I believe there are some issues where it is necessary for government to step in to ensure the freedoms and protections of our nation are upheld, but I believe it would be crazy not to say that people’s political views aren’t somewhat influenced by their family and friends. This doesn’t necessarily mean that someone will be a conservative because their parents are conservatives, some people may actually go to the opposite side of the spectrum just despite their parents if they are extremists one way or the other. My parents and this government class has given me my first taste of politics and I still don’t know enough to truly take a side but as grow and learn more about the political spectrum these discussions will definitely have an impact on my political views.
ReplyDeleteAfter having talked to my parents about our political ideologies, I found out that we are pretty much the same. All of us are near the middle of the spectrum, but if we had to choose a side I’d say we have more a democratic shift in views. I believe that is the way most families are simply because children tend to follow their parents beliefs until they start developing their own opinions as they grow older. Its kind of like a little kid liking the same baseball team as his dad, but as he gets older he may decide to root for another team. However, this wasn’t the case we fell into the middle as most others. I believe the reason many Americans are close to the middle are because they are very moderate. Many people conform to the same ideal and don’t really think for themselves and assume that it’s the correct decision. My family believes everyone essentially wants the same type of government with plenty of freedoms and protections, without too much government involvement. And as the years pass by parents influence their children to feel the same way because they are in the same situation. All people are different, but a government usually affects a family the same way. Therefore, the kids are having the same problems as their parents and desire the same things from politics and life in general. When kids grow up and go to college and move on with their lives, their political ideologies may change but even then their parents’ ideologies will still impact the way they think.
ReplyDeleteThe person I chose to compare my political ideology with is my mom. My mom and I agree on some things and also disagree on some things because she is pretty old school and is more right wing than I am. I am socially liberal and economically slightly conservative, and she is slightly socially conservative and more economically conservative than me as well. I do believe that for everyone there is someone that they base their political ideology around. For many people it is the people that are closest to them such as parents or a friend, but for many it can even be the books of famous politicians or journalists. It seems most common at our age to be most heavily influenced by our parents, but other kids may not ever talk about politics with their parents, or may not be close with them in general. Also, in my case it could be the left leaning majority of my school that makes me lean more left than my mom but if it weren’t for their influence it would be plausible to think that I would have the same ideology as my mom. In psychology earlier in the year we learned about how heavily people are influenced by each other. If people are put in a group they tend to become more extreme with their views; this phenomenon is known as group polarization. I think that this could be proof that people’s beliefs are influenced heavily by the people in their environment, and people have spent most of their time with their parents and that is probably why they tend to shape their views around them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I woke up this morning I had no idea who I was going to be able to interview for this blog post because knowing my parents, they never really have much to say when the subject of politics seems to come up. They usually both just vote for the democratic candidate because of the fact that they endorse unions and both of my parents are in a union themselves. So I decided to ask my grandma when we went over to her house for dinner and as soon as I asked her, she let all of her very strong opinions out. She is a very left wing, progressive liberal that becomes very passionate whenever these sorts of topics come up. She says it is very frustrating simply because of how these views people have are portrayed through the media and on TV. She believes that your CNN’s and FOX news channels are simply a speaker-box for the Republican Party. Now going back to answer the original question, I would have to agree with whoever says that the political ideologies of those who are close to you do have an impact on the makeup your very own ideology. And I am forced to agree with this because of how passionate and how strong of views she has on certain subjects that I always just see the good for everyone in what she is saying so I always end up on her side with things. It is just that their view points are the only ones that you are hearing about all the time so those are the ones you are going to be growing up knowing.
ReplyDeleteI discussed with my parents about their political ideology and I feel that both of our political views are almost the same. It seems that most kids have a common political perspective as their parents. In recent surveys 7 in 10 teens say their social and political ideology is about the same as mom and dad. This is because many kids are influenced by their parents and follow their beliefs because they were taught that early on in life and has stuck to them. Also it largely deals with who you are surrounded by and what their beliefs are and since parents and more mature and follow the news more kids have a more similar outlook on politics as their parents. Both of my parents are democrats, and after taking the survey I tend to be in the general area of having democratic views and opinions similar to my parents. Also depending on what T.V. stations you watch can also convince you to think what they want you to believe. Fox and other news broadcast always seem to back up and convince people to think about republican ideology, and influence you to support their opinion and views. I think people should listen to many different sources and then decide what side they want to take
ReplyDeleteI showed my parents where I stand on the chart and then I asked them about where they would stand. They do not consider themselves hardcore democrats or republicans, but more towards the middle of the chart. The middle of the chart shows that they are lenient towards politics and can swing in any direction that they feel is best. People that are in the middle are usually less intense about politics. My parents do not have a preferred new station that they watch but it often is MSNBC or CNN. I also discussed the situation with my long time neighbor Joshua Rappaport. He landed significantly to the left and down which means he is liberal and a strong democrat. Because he is so far to the left it shows that he is a strong democrat. He follows politics pretty closely and frequently watches news stations like MSNBC and CNN. Everyone’s parents usually influence you because they are the ones that talk to you the most about politics and that choose the news stations. You usually follow your parents foot steps unless you completely disagree. However, teens like us are rarely influenced by their friends because not many teens carry on deep political conversations. Teens now a days are caring less and less about politics so it is all up to the parents to influence their child.
ReplyDeleteI think the test I took had some interesting questions that made me think about things I don’t usually think about. There was a wide variety of questions ranging from sex, the death penalty, and “an eye for an eye”. My results put me on the left, more communism than libertarianism. I do not think that is a very accurate result though, because I am not for communism or anything that communists believe in so I don’t think the test shows my whole belief. These are only based on my opinion to all of the questions they asked, so I do not think it posed an accurate decision for where I stand on the political compass. I do believe in the death penalty and the saying “an eye for an eye”, because people need to be punished for what they’ve done wrong. But I also think that once people are punished, they realize what they have done and may or may not change for the better and learn from their mistakes. I don’t think that they’ll stay in the same state of mind forever, so I do believe in change. I don’t think this test rated me as accurately as I view my beliefs.
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked my parents about their political ideology it became clear that they were a libertarian conservative. They believe that smaller government is better because of the fewer taxes and the fact that citizens should do things for themselves and not depend on the government. The main goal of the government is to protect our nation, but leave the rest to the people. My parents believe that people should pull their own weight. They both lean republican because they are pro life and they think we should not spend money we do not have. In some cases, they may vote democrat if there are fiscally conservative and hold the same values my parents have. I definitely agree that certain people one surrounds themselves with has a huge impact on the way they view politics. I know that is true for my case. My parents seem to be very vocal in their opinions which lean republican. Sometimes I listen to their conversations and without even knowing the other side I believe the same thing my parents do because they must be right. Before I took the political ideology test, I was almost positive that I was very republican, but I realized that according to the test, I am more democrat. I never really even considered the other side but maybe I do lean democrat. I've always just listened to what my parents said about politics but never really thought for myself. Thanks to the test I've realized how my views on politics may be different that the views of people who surround me.
ReplyDeleteMy dad took this quiz and got results similar to the results I thought he would get. I know that he is a pretty consistent republican who believes that the government should have as little control over people's lives as possible. His results were a little more in the middle than I expected them to be, but I think that just means that even though it seems like some people's beliefs are drastically different that others, the truth is that there are some people with very radical beliefs and the rest of us are somewhere in the middle. I think that many people have some of the same beliefs, even if they label themselves as democrat or republican. I also think that my parents have definitely had an impact on what I believe because sometimes its difficult to interpret what politicians say on tv, and so I rely on their explanations (which could be biased). I really don't think I get my beliefs from any of my friends, because they are all democrats and I am definitely more republican. However, I am more democrat than I originally thought. I think that most younger people are democrats and then they turn more republican as they get older.
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked my dad where he stood ideologically he said independent. He believes in some viewpoints that the republicans have and some that the democrats believe in. He believes that the government should provide vital functions such as law enforcement, public health, and education. Private industry is the backbone of our economy and it needs to be regulated, yet not over regulated. He stands in the middle and believes we should always be protected and be safe and most importantly also have freedom. I as well stand primarily in the middle so it goes to show we have similar political ideology. When I then asked my mom where her stance was she said she was also independent. She in similarity likes and dislikes viewpoints that the republicans and also democrats believe in. She said she believes in their vital functions but when questioned how to run each vital function they should both meet in the middle to accommodate both sides beliefs.
ReplyDeleteAs for whether or not do the people who are close to you have any impact on your political ideology I think they do. I always believe everything my dad and mom both say. I am always surrounded by there thoughts and comments on what is going on in the world today and that has an immense impact on what I think. I look up to them so when they believe something I always tend to believe it as well and think the same way they do.
The person I decided to compare my political ideology with was my mom. I had her take the test and she, like me, is on the democratic side of the spectrum. She however is a little more towards the libertarian area than me. I think this is so because I don’t have many strong political stand points but my mom does. So she would put strongly disagree on points where I would simply put a disagree. I see this in a lot of older people, their view points are much more solid than younger people because they have had more time to formulate where they stand on issues also old people tend to be stubborn and won’t change their ideas for anyone. Personally, where I stand on a lot of issues can be swayed to the other side with a good point and a strong argument because I find myself more open minded.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I didn’t talk to talk to anyone else besides my mom on their political stand points, I know where a lot of the people in my life stand. My dad considers himself democrat but I don’t really think he knows why, I think he just knows he is in the middle class so he should vote for the democratic party. My sister is very much like my mother, which proves the theory that people in your life affect your political ideology, because my sister has very strong viewpoints just like my mom and they are very close personally so it’s only natural that they think alike. My cousin, of whom I am very close to, is almost exactly like me when it comes to current issues. We both are very open minded, and if he were to take the test he would most likely land where I do on the graph. So all in all I believe people in my life affect my political position very much because no one I am really close to lands on the right side of the graph. I think this happens because when you surround yourself with people who believe a certain way you don’t expose yourself to other ideas and thoughts so you cant really consider them when making your decision on issues such as abortion, war, the economy, and the government in general.
Both my mom and my dad are moderately conservative, more conservative then liberal because they feel that there should be less government involvement and more individual freedom and responsibility. Government is inefficient and it slows down the society. Too much government becomes a bureaucracy. Government ends up not getting anything done. They think the government should be more focused with maintaining the protection and security of our country than trying to control every aspect of citizen’s lives. They believe that the large government creates too many entitlements; giving away free money. Aside from what my parents say, I can’t really take one side or the other, since I am not fully sure what I believe in or what I don’t. I have to continue to learn more about the different sides of the political spectrum and decide which side I believe in more. I do agree with some of the issues that are more left, having to do with issues where the government is allowed to step in, things we cannot take care of ourselves. But I also agree with my parents, where we shouldn’t have to depend on the government to control our lives. We should be able to take responsibility and let the government control bigger problems then just our lives. I think continuing to learn more about each side of the political spectrum will help me decide which side I am on and what I believe.
ReplyDeleteMy dad is the same as me: left wing and liberal. I can see how his views could affect mine because like many things, we tend to be like our parents. My dad often shows me news stories from left wing news sources and blogs, but I am still free to get news from wherever I want. I often make a point to challenge his views just to see if they can carry any weight. If I ever need any right wing input, I can always talk to my grandpa who is as conservative as they come. This often makes for some interesting thanksgiving dinner conversations. I think parents used to be one of the main influences on their kids’ political views, but I think the new openness and freedom of the internet and cell phones has allowed kids to get views from somewhere outside the family. Also with the Obama administration trying to attract the interests of the younger people, many kids are able to keep up with the news without having to sit down and watch MSNBC. Still, America’s youth, me included, are in someway influenced by the views of their parents.
ReplyDeleteMy dads cousin is very republican and pro-Bush for the main reason is that he is a big business owner and Bush loves them. Now with my parents, they are mostly moderate, like me because they go for who they like personally more than their politics. They might hear some of his ideas about jobs and the economy but other than that they really could care less. With that, I am very moderate, to not really caring about politics. Like my parents I look at them personally, and not politically. Yes politically Bush was an idiot, but by watching that documentary, I realized how personable Bush is, and yes when he first started running for president I did like him. Also take in account that I was 8 years old but that is beside the point. And for President Obama, I actually have no idea what he has done so far, but as a person I think he presents himself very well, and acts like he knows what he is talking about. So to answer the question, I would say my parents do have an influence on my political ideology because I have grown up around their ideas, and I feel like what they think is right, is right. That is how it is about everything, when you are a little kid, you take in what your parents say, do, and think. I also feel like that my ideology is based off of how politicians are all just a bunch of bull. That there is always a good and a bad with what they say, so I just wonder, what do they really mean, and are they really going to go through with what they say.
ReplyDeleteThe online ideology test that we took in class the other day revealed that I was on the left side of the chart, the side that was closer to a political figure with less affiliation to the elections and was closer related to those of men like Ghandi. It stated that I was more open to correcting the right, even if it means losing funds. When I interviewed my family member, he said that his views were almost a polar opposite to those of mine. When he took the quiz that we had, he realized that his views on politics are stricter and more refined than mine. In my family specifically, we don’t speak much about politics and the views on elections because our family promotes the fact that we have the right to create our own opinions. I believe that the views of my generation are also more desensitized than those of our parents and grandparents, because there is more publicity surrounding the primary elections of presidential candidates. Many sources of media focus on gossip stories that are likely to tear down an individual rather than informing the public with the “real issues”. This results in a different reaction on the spectrum of adults and teenagers. The amount of judgment is heightened with a person who comes from a life of traditional values, whereas the amount is lessened with teens that are being enveloped with massive media coverage of celebrities and public figures. Over all of those things, I believe that no matter who raised an individual, it does not change the fact that people still have the ability to harbor free thought, and just because your parents have a certain value, nobody is forced to have that same set of ideals.
ReplyDeleteMy family members have many similar beliefs as I do, but they still differ in a few ways. They believe that we all should have our freedoms; however they also support the idea of a supportive and protective government. The American government is set up in a great way, where the people are able to share their opinion and they are able to be represented. The problem is that there are many many flaws in the system. It happens too often that the representatives don’t understand the people they are supporting. Also it is a problem that the government is attempting to control more and more things within the country that probably should not be their responsibility. My family believes that the government is set up well, as long as it does not infringe upon our freedoms as citizens. I definitely think that my family’s views on the government impacts my views. I have been raised with those beliefs and will probably continue to believe them, but the grey space between my and my parent’s beliefs is probably due to my experiences in this generation, which differs from theirs. I am also young and therefore more libertarian than my parents. I desire freedom with everything I do because it is something that I have not truly experienced being a minor. I feel like when I am older I will become more authoritative because I will want those protections that the government offers.
ReplyDeleteI first interviewed my father, who was a bit more stern than I am personally when it comes to political standing. He and my mother are both pretty strong republicans, and will usually just vote for someone merely because of their party. Now that I don’t agree with at all, and I was glad to learn that my brother was a bit more open minded. However he and I are still pretty different and I believe it may be more because of the influence of his friends.
ReplyDeleteAltogether, I can safely say that they have very little parental influence on my political ideology. A large amount of my family is strongly to the right, and I am far more neutral. My dad seems to think that my opinions will change in time, and I suppose I’ll agree with that for now, because I really can’t know for sure until it happens. My brother and I both seem to have different views from our parents, but only time can tell if it remains that way.
Unlike me, I’m sure that some people have a large amount of ideological influence from their parents, but most of those people are simply weak minded. One must consider the facts carefully and closely THEMSELVES to decide where they stand. And even to that extent, one’s opinions are sure to change as you become older, and begin to own property / work / etc. Therefore, I cannot be sure if my political ideology stands as it is just because I am young, or if it is influenced more by my peers, or what have you.
I talked to both my mom and dad on their political ideologies. My mother is very conservative and she definitely shows it sometimes. While on the contrary, my father is more of a libertarian. He is not as conservative as my mom, and he has some different views on some of the hot topics right now that my mom feels strongly about, such as gay marriage, and abortion. My mom goes for a candidate more for their politics, while my dad votes for a candidate more for how they like them personally. We are not very big political talkers in my family, but once my mom gets started sometimes she won’t stop. On the other hand, I am more like my dad. I do not care very much for politics, and I mostly base my decisions on who I want to vote for on how they are as a person. I do have my opinions though, as all people are entitled to their own opinions. I do not think that my family has any influence on my political ideology though. Although others might say that their parents do have an influence over their ideology. If you are raised in a strict environment and taught what’s right from wrong, and only what your parents taught you, you will only believe what they taught you to believe. That is because that’s how you were brought up, and you don’t know any better. All in all, I do not think my parents influence my ideology, and I think when you are old enough to understand how politics work, I think you should base your opinions on what you believe in.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking the quiz, and confirming that I was more liberal then conservative, I talked with my father on his stances. Even though we do share some common ground, most of it though we are just a little apart. Our base ideas are similar, but it’s what each of us wants from the idea that differs. Like with the current penal system, we agree that overall its fine to a point, but things like whether it should be for punishment or rehabilitation is where it differs. I do believe that people around us have a strong impact on what each of us believes. A lot of times what people think are their own conclusions are actually that of a lot of people. Everything in our lives that we do has an impact on what we believe. Those that received bad treatment at a hospital want to improve the health care system. While those were wronged by the penal system want that improve. Then those people begin to voice their ideas and that stick to people. It’s not something that anybody can help, as long as there is some kind of human interaction then it will always affect our ideologies no matter how small it may be. Yet the biggest of these, is school. It happens in a way a teacher presents information, or how much time is spent learning one subject versus the other. It happens with little subconscious comments that all humans say, peoples ideas will always flow out of them, no matter what they do or say, and there will be others who will soak up this information, and start the process all over.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've had this discussion with my parents before, it still always amuses me by the results. My mother, born and raised in Oklahoma, associates herself with the left more than the right, and even supports some rather intense ideas on more controversial subjects. This is even more contrasting since she has usually been more strict with parenting and things of that nature. My dad, on the other hand, was born and raised in Grayslake through the 60's and 70's. Chicago land area through those decades? I instinctively figured liberal, but it turns out he associated himself more as a conservative or moderate. When they both discussed some of the things they feel and have felt politically, I had to laugh at the parallels I saw between myself and both parents, and yet the amazing contrast between them both.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe anyone can say that those close to them such as family have no influence on their political ideology. Everyone and everything plays some role, even if the most minute. Parents, in one way or another, play one of the more major roles. They raise us, teach us, and prepare us for the world. There must be at least some bias involved which associates the child to one side of the spectrum or the other. Or, perhaps put off by the parent due to their relationship, they lean the opposite direction in a sense of rebellion. Quite frankly, I'm not a psychologist and I likely never will be, so this is all speculative, but I still feel positive that parents are among the biggest influences on their child's political ideology.
Oops, that was a little late.
ReplyDeleteWell, I believed the test I took, because it put just right and libertarian, which I’ve always thought of myself. Indeed, I am a bit Conservative and favor large businesses, and slightly believe in trickledown economics. Overall though, I don’t put a whole lot of stock into testing of this sort. Almost everyone will test very close to the middle. The majority of people are not extremists. It’s interesting, but that is about all to me. Each person will deviate slightly, but it’s a rarity to find extremists such as Gandhi or Hitler. What I also didn’t like about the test was the wording of some questions; some were too elegant for an appropriate answer. And in addition, I thought the lack of options for answers may not be sufficient to accurately score people.
So just like Andrew I talked with my grandparents. They actually took the test, and I was surprised to find that they tested left, just like Andrew, because my grandmother is a Republican to the bone... supposedly. Anyway, my grandparents are quite passionate on some things, and my family has a Christian background. This adds to our Conservativeness, but I personally try not to let it dominate my political views. But I cannot deny that my family has had a large influence on where I stand politically. I see the world very much through Republican eyes, and I owe that to my parents and grandparents. Not that I place blame on them for corrupting me, not at all, but I do believe that parents influence children one way or another. Either a child agrees because his parent’s life is successful, or he disagrees because his parent’s life is terrible. It’s the same basic principle with any lesson a parent teaches a child. Parents have such an influence on their children in all other areas, it follows suit that politically they also would. Therefore, as Christians and Republicans, I have learned pro-life, more reasonable taxes for wealthier incomes, but also liberal concepts such as helping the helpless. It was very interesting to talk to my grandmother specifically. She has an abundance of pride for a country, a trait which we do not share. I don’t support our government or its people all the time, for the poor choices made. I like the country I live in, but I wish wisdom was taught better.
ReplyDeleteOverall, my mom and my dad are polar opposites as far as politics go. My dad is heavily republican (fox news and all), and my mom is mostly a democrat. I turned out to follow more to my mom’s side. Not that my dad is against civil rights, but my mom is much more liberal and tends to have less strong opinions about political debates. I feel that since I spent most of my time with my mom when I was a kid (my dad worked) that I picked up on he moderate-liberal tendencies. My friends are all liberals, but most are of the swing-vote variety. We all have issues with straight up republicans, who are often the butt of the few political jokes we make. My dad and me actually disagree on many issues, and he is blatantly harsh on Obama and democrats. When I listen to his republican talk radio in the car, I can’t help but laugh at how much spin is put on these stories. They will take a simple speech, and turn it into something completely different. So it is safe to say that my dad doesn’t affect me much politically. I can’t say that having so much democrat influence in me between my mom and my friends doesn’t affect my views. My interviewees agreed that if you hear something enough from enough people it starts to grow on you. I do think that I am naturally more liberal, but had I have grown up with all republicans I think that I would have ended up differently.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I believe that those surrounding us and the ones we looked up to did play a major role in our political ideology but as we mature and get into our adult lives we develop our own ideas and opinions that could be completely different. My mom is a democrat and slightly liberal, my dad is a more conservative libertarian and my sister is a libertarian democrat but much more libertarian than my parents. My sister and I are very alike and both scored very libertarian and moderately left. As a kid I believed that the government was an evil thing that was useless and only seemed to hurt us as a country. This could have been because of my dad always complaining about our taxes and that we never seemed to be getting anything back for them. But now that I’ve aged and had my own experiences to judge what I think is right and don’t have to base my beliefs off of what others think, I feel as if my political ideology decides who I have surrounding me instead of those surrounding me decide my ideology. At one point in time, my sister and I both disliked government because our father was the person we looked to as a leader more often than most and he often complained about it but as we have grown up we have seemed to push our beliefs onto him and made him realize our beliefs. Depending on the person, and their personality, the people around us can effect our ideology but I believe it is more common to see this effect on children before they have had their own experiences to let them decide their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteSorry I"m late i thought is wasn't due to 1200 again. well my mom had kind of a jus of where she stood, but after a while we just felt that she should just take to the test to she where she really stood based off of the results. She fines the results to be quite wrongd. She feels that she is more democratic then anything else, and since i barely kknow anything about government i can only agree with how she feels about her decision. Her decision's have a great impact on me for i know very little because i have never taken a government class before, so i just listen to what she has to say, and since she's my mother i feel the need to believe and follow her words, evn though i shouldn't but for right now she is the greatest impact on my political life.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry i was late forgot to do it over weekend, i just talked over email with family. I had my mom take the test but I believe mostly what my mom believes. When she took the test though some of the questions confused her and I do not believe it was 100% accurate. She ended up being far down into the left and 1 or so down, landing in the exact spot they put Ghandi. But overall talking to her after the test most of her beliefs are rather close to mine, I was more in the middle just slightly left and slightly down. She overall believes the government should control things to a point, but should only go so far. Whether or not somebody wants an abortion is up to them, or whether or not somebody wants to have gay marriage is up to them. I think she is right that this is a life choice people may choose and it is up to them. She believes that rich people should be taxed more depending on what they make compared to poorer people, where I believe that as well to a point. My mom is not a person who votes on everything and everybody but she does vote when she feels she should. As for who she votes for she votes not just democratic but whom she believes in, and whom will do the job well. As for me as I start to vote I will most likely do about that same, not just vote on somebody who is democratic because they are democratic but vote for whom would be good for the job.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite easy to understand that both my parents seemed to have the same ideologies as I did. I believe that they influence my views greatly because I am always surrounded by my parents and look up to them for guidance and wisdom. So it is easy for their ideas to brush off onto myself. We all seem to have a need for the middle class to strive mainly because we are a part of the middle class. There was a difference in our views though. My mother believes that the government should have more control over our society when my father and I both believe that the government interacts with society too often. This is quite confusing for me though because my parents have a huge impact on how I view things but my father’ views compared to my grandmother’s views are drastically apart. My grandmother is a huge republican who watches and follows every word that comes out of Fox’s mouth. This has no impact on my father or me. I like to believe that I am in the middle of the two parties. My mother is a republican but not a hard core one her favorite president was Ronald Reagan while my father is more of a democrat. I believe that thanks to their different ideologies I can become better rounded politically to the views of both sides. So I wouldn’t say that I am either a republican or a democrat nor undecided. I like to believe that I am just a mix of both willing to vote for whoever I believe will do the best job at running our country.
ReplyDeleteFor this blog entry, I talked to my dad. My dad never really used to be into politics, but lately it seems it is all he is into. Whenever I come home he is always watching this show called the Glenn Beck show. I have never heard of it before, until he started watching it and made me sit down for one whole episode. I wouldn’t say I was completely interested, but the points that Beck shared seemed thought provoking and hitting close to the truth. When I talked more to my dad, he said he was a liberal who believed there should definitely be less government involvement. However, I find it ironic since he watches all these shows about politics… but doesn’t even vote. Funny right? Also, ever since he has been watching the show, his views have swayed by what Beck says and is against the Obama administration to a certain extent since Obama promised so much for the country, yet apparently not great enough strides have been taken to make a great difference. My dad’s political ideologies have been swayed by what he is being told and listening to constantly which further proves the point that the way we are raised definitely impacts our own personal political ideologies. The people that our closest to us like our parents have a great deal of influence on us for sure. However, I do not feel as if my parents have made a great impact on me because politics is not exactly a strong point in my family. I think that I have shaped my political ideology mostly through school and being taught history and then making my own decision about what I feel is best for our country through seeing examples over time.
ReplyDelete