If you had to pick, are you Left Wing or Right Wing?

Question

I know most people are somewhere near the center but if I make that an option on its own the poll won't work.
Lets find out the political leanings of the website and how strong the divide is between girls and guys. No matter how little or extreme, are you left or right wing?

Asking this anonymously so that anyone can participate, otherwise the result may be skewed by my followers / blockers.
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Politically active: You actively participate in politics. For example, you deliberately watch political news. You are a member of an advocacy group. You frequent the politics section of this website. You try to convince others of your political opinion, etc.

Politically passive: You aren't interested in politics, but if you had to vote you expect to vote for these kinds of politics.

In case it matters and there is an extreme difference in some countries between what the left wing and right wing do, I am asking this question from the American perspective of what the words mean. I know there are many sub groups, but I chose to keep it simple.

nightdrot · Accepted Answer

Voted "active right," but I always, when I see this kind of question, have to put an asterisk over it. (Though "active" only by virtue of the fact that I work in politics.)

First, to start, the terms "right," "left" and so forth, are not terribly helpful. The usage comes out of the French revolution, when supporters of a republic sat to the left of the Speaker's chair in the National Assembly, while supporters of the Church and the monarchy sat to the right. While these are common usage in contemporary politics, they actually don't say very much.

Second, beyond that, your update is an historically inaccurate observation that misunderstands the taxonomy of political philosophy. In fact, it was "the right" as you are using that term, that founded the welfare state.

As to being "outgoing" and "socially adept" I hardly know what that means. Suffice to say, these are personal and psychological classifications having little to do with political philosophy. I would be interested in seeing the empirical data you offer - besides your own biases to support your proposition.

Good of you, thought, to allow that there may be exceptions to the rule that you have not demonstrated. Good of you, if analytically problematic.

At any rate, my conservatism is not what Americans typically call conservative. Because what Americans call conservative is, historically speaking, not conservatism but is, rather, classical liberalism.

(As an aside, what Americans call "liberalism" is actually "radical" liberalism. "Radical," here not meaning as we use the term today, i. e., extremist, but rather as the ancient Greeks used it, meaning "to the root of." The radical liberals agreeing with the classical liberals that liberty is the purpose of government and politics, but arguing that differences in wealth and power in society make that liberty problematic.)

My conservatism, which for convenience I will call classical or Tory conservatism, traces its intellectual pedigree through Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas - and probably most importantly - the 18th century British statesman and political philosopher, Edmund Burke, and also the British Prime Ministers Benjamin Disraeli and Lord Salisbury.

In an American context, it shows up in the thinking of Alexander Hamilton and then - almost by historical accident, the American Whig Party, and the former Whig turned Republican, Abraham Lincoln. (It is a great historical "what if" as to what the GOP would have looked like had Lincoln lived and the radical Republicans not gained the ascendancy.)

Classical conservatives believe, unlike American conservatives and liberals, that the purpose of government is to answer Aristotle's first questions of politics, "How ought we to live? What kind of a people do we wish to be?" To which classical conservatives respond that the purpose of government is to nurture civic virtue. To reinforce those habits and customs that make a harmonious and stable social order possible.

Classical conservatives believe in the free market as a tool, rather than an end in itself. They recognize that it is a powerful wealth creator, efficient to some degree, and a guard against an overweening state. However, they believe, as Burke said, "The effect of liberty to individuals is that they may do what they please. We ought see what it will please them to do before we risk congratulations."

Consequently, classical conservatives support an ameliorative welfare state. (The welfare state was invented by two conservatives - Disraeli and Bismarck.) In this they differ from American liberals who see the welfare state as a lever to engineer social transformation.

Tories believe that political philosophy should take as it starting point not human reason, but human nature. That political rights are developed through historical usage, and are not abstract pre-existing.(They don't deny that such abstract rights don't exist. Merely that they are of no practical benefit or use in civil society and law.)

Suffice to say, I could go on, but this summarizes the issue.

Cheapskate · Accepted Answer

Imagine you and your class are going on a school trip. You have hired a bus and a driver for the trip. You all get on the bus, and the driver asks which way he should go.

Imagine there is one group of students who want to go right in every intersection.

Another group wants to go left in every intersection.

The third group wants to just keep going straight in every intersection.

That's not how driving works, is it? In every intersection, you must choose the appropriate option.

That is a bad analogy for how I feel about politics. I want to vote issue by issue. I don't want to buy into some ideological movement with a basket of inflexible ideas. I probably agree with all parts of the political spectrum on some things. And definitely disagree with them on others.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Both seem to be after the same goals.. ultimately both being bad.
One side seems more evil wearing and angel 👼 disguise which is the left
While the other seems more evil due to the propaganda from the left, but yet is better for the people which is the right.

Siri137 · Accepted Answer

I don't fit into any of those categories, but I selected "passively left-wing" because that I think comes the closest. In many ways I'm "right-wing" and in many ways "left-wing"; it depends on the specific issue.

KostasKouvalis · Answer

I don't actually vote, nor am I a member of any advocate groups, but I definitely watch political news, engage in political discussion and make my opinion known (that includes this site), so I think I fall under the Active category.

I'm one of the people that's more towards the center, but I identify as a Moderate Conservative, because while I don't agree with everything Conservatives stand for, I side with them on some issues and their values align more with mine and I don't believe people should be cancelled for stating facts.

Anyways, I voted Actively Right wing, and I know I probably made this more complicated than it needed to be

worldscolide · Answer

these should tell you where i stand

FunkyMonkee · Answer

I used to be left until they went evil and have been trying to destroy the country! Except for 3 or 4 issues, I'm right, now. Lefties, these days, are FUCKING INSANE!! At least, back in the `60's and `70's, we were fighting for GOOD things!! NOW, the lefties are EXACTLY what we were fighting against!!

Sober_Irishman · Answer

Right wing. I used to be a classical liberal until leftists went completely off the rails. They represent nothing I believe in now.

Sun_Kim-Ai · Answer

How can I put this. I am in the right wing faction of my country's left wing party.

Dargil · Answer

Libertarian conservative. Not hard right, but maybe about here.

strateguy632 · Answer

not right extremist but i lean right and if i have time i enter "keyboard warrior mode" lol.

Iron_Man · Answer

Right wing and I love white wing chicken wings all drums 😂

BarryLiverstone · Answer

I lean right. Certainly both extremes are horrible but think the right has better financial policies. Socially I’m in the middle as it’s an issue by issue thang

Anonymous · Answer

I had to pay some taxes today. I'm extra right winged for the rest of the week now.

you_asked · Answer

Got to pick a side. That’s how civil wars work. One side will have guns and the knowledge to use them. The other side throw dildos, butt plugs, and tantrums until they surrender.

slatyb · Answer

I'm active in the sense that I donate to candidates and causes.

handsomelad70 · Answer

Far left wing.(Democratic socialist, somewhat farther left than Bernie Sanders.)

AngryCarl · Answer

UK here. I'm active in the sense that I vote. I happen to vote for Labour, which represents currently as a left-leaning centrist party.

Anonymous · Answer

Right wing. Even Obama is embarrassed by the new left wing loons.

DrPepper12 · Answer

Because I'm a compassionate, empathetic, idealistic human.

boobliker · Answer

I am 68 + and I don't know, I vote for the one who is doing what I would do if I could.

Harshbro · Answer

Right wing, Left wing doesn’t matter they both belong to the same bird

bolverk · Answer

My "political leanings" depends on the subject,

If you had to pick, are you Left Wing or Right Wing?

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If you had to pick, are you Left Wing or Right Wing?

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