Politics meme

[beth_leonard]

My friends probably wonder what my views really are. I think I've got friends on all ends of the political spectrum. Luckily I tend to personally get along with just about everyone. It seems like it's time to send this one 'round again:

You are a Social Moderate (55% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (71% permissive) You are best described as a: Capitalist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid.com: Free Online Dating Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

--Beth

Comments

[corpsefairy.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

In what ways are you socially moderate?

[beth_leonard]

I'm not sure how to answer that. I think that for the most part, I want the government out of my bedroom and away from my closed doors, but I also don't want people to hurt each other non-consentially behind those closed doors.

In public I'm in favor of banning smoking from restaurants etc. but I'm also in favor of keeping it legal. I can see the case for making some drugs legal, but I think there's some things that should remain controlled substances. I think education on the drug issue is currently poorly done.

I want it to be legal to own and carry guns, but I wouldn't do so myself. I want it to be legal to have an abortion, but don't think I'd want that for myself either. Those two positions in themselves are opposites on what most people think of as the normal political spectrum, so holding them makes me moderate according to their definition.

--Beth

[kirin]

Uh... just for the record, who on earth *does* want people to hurt each other non-consensually behind closed doors? Not most social liberals I know, or really anyone other than complete sociopaths for that matter. (Not that I'm saying you mean to imply any of us *do*, but it seems like a pretty irrelevant/given point.)

I can sympathize, though, with the fact that simply wanting most social things to be legal puts one pretty much nowhere on the current political spectrum. Unfortunately "let's make *that* thing you don't happen to like much right now illegal" is often a good way to pick up a few votes for either political party.

[beth_leonard]

who on earth *does* want people to hurt each other non-consensually behind closed doors? Not most social liberals I know

MJ smoke in houses with children?

But good point, few people are in favor of hurting others intentionally legally.

[kirin]

MJ smoke in houses with children?

Well, that's terrible parenting, but so is a lot of tobacco smoke in kids' faces. Anything too extreme would just fall under child endangerment which is illegal anyways. I don't really want to get embroiled in a discussion of the detailed boundaries between parents' and children's rights, though.

As you say, we pretty much all agree that closed doors don't excuse intentional non-consensual harm. With kids involved both "consent" and "harm" can become tricky issues in practice.

But the flip side of that is that consensual private adult goings-on are none of the government's business, and one of several issues that drive me far, far away from the Republican party in its current incarnation. (And it's one of the reasons why people who claim to be hardcore libertarians and to care about keeping the govt out of more than just their money and yet keep voting Republican baffle the heck out of me. Note I'm not saying you're in that group, just that it's been vexing me for the last decade or two.)