A very simple Left-Wing v. Right Wing poll from the social point of view

[R_1]

Here's the thread in which you can vote your political alignment using the social point of view. Basically, I'm asking where do you belong on the alignment when you're thinking of freedom of speech, association, and how people should act toward each other.

I picked centrist.

[SorryNotSorry]

I'm off the map.

Some of my fiscal and economic views are pretty conservative, but OTOH my views on individual freedoms are about as far left as one can possibly get---something that scares a lot of people here in the US.

[icelloe]

libertarian, so neither.

[Guest]

Left-wing... but as long as you expressly leave economics out of it, probably not extremely so. Economically, I'm considerably farther to the left still.

I do think there should be reasonable limits on freedom of speech, for example, and like the huge majority of Germans, I am glad that our legal system provides such limits by law(and would hate to lose these laws to something like the US 1st Amendment (one of the reasons why I wouldn't want to live in the States).

I'm pretty hardcore in favor of secular states and freedom of religion... for example, I loathe the concept of church tax, which is one of my biggest pet peeves about Germany. <_<

[treenearthewater]

Mostly left-wing, I'd say.

[Guest]

I voted "left wing" since how extremist or not I am greatly depends on the country's standards, I guess. I consider myself neither a moderate nor a radical, for what it's worth. More precisely, my political compass placed me in the somewhat-radical social left wing spectrum and the somewhat-moderate economic left wing spectrum.

[Notte stellata]

Left-wing... but as long as you expressly leave economics out of it, probably not extremely so. Economically, I'm considerably farther to the left still.

Haha, I'm sort of the opposite: If you leave economics out, I'm extremely left-wing. I'm economically conservative, but not as extreme as I'm socially liberal. So putting the two together, I'm libertarian-slightly-learning-towards-liberal, but I prefer to just say "libertarian."

[Sparrows Fart]

According to Vote Compass, I'm a social conservative and economically left.

[Cool_Blue]

I'm definitely a centrist economically, I don't lean one way or the other. But socially I voted strongly left wing. Honestly, the only thing stopping me from saying super left wing for social beliefs is my opposition to gun control.

[Captain Darkhorse]

Socially, I'm almost off the chart on the left.

Economically though, I'm pretty much dead center. But for most of the (willfully ignorant) American public, centrist somehow translates into liberal

[Waist of Thyme]

Almost as far left as possible. There's one specific issue on which I'm just slightly to the left, and there's 1.5(?) where I'm in a box of my own and both the left and right (and everywhere/everyone else) would probably think I'm completely insane. But I'm very far to the left on everything else.

The OP specified social, so this is just how I am on social issues.

[sound_the_bugle]

Tough to choose between "leftwing" and "strongly left wing"

[cavyX]

I ticked the opt out, I am a fence sitter and mostly like to stay out of things :) it stops me arguing with people.

[Espressoman]

I am, overall, centrist. Socially, I identify with left wing policies. Personal freedoms and such. Economically, I am fairly right wing. Capitalism serves me quite well.

[SorryNotSorry]

Socially, I'm almost off the chart on the left.

Economically though, I'm pretty much dead center. But for most of the (willfully ignorant) American public, centrist somehow translates into liberal

That's precisely why, though I think it's a damn shame, libertarian ideology is pretty much a dead duck in this increasingly totalitarian-minded society.

[thatotherguy57]

I put centrist, but that's not quite correct. Socially, I'm libertarian, I've always believed in live and let live. Economically, I'm pretty liberal, but it depends. I'm highly liberal in regards to big businesses, but extremely conservative in regards to small businesses.

[ThaHoward]

What about welfare state? Is that right or left socially? It is easy to argue that it is socially conservative, and anti-welfare state is left wing socially.

[Squirrel Combat]

I'm a lefty. Very lefty.

[Skycaptain]

I have to put other, because I work for a union, am a Liberal member and belong to the Constitutional Club, covering all bases very neatly

[n7vulcan]

Libertarian. :)

[drjohnhwatson]

I voted very left wing/liberal. I think there are one or two points where my views are pretty conservative, but other than that I'm about as far left as one can get.

In general, I think it's difficult and nearing impossible for someone to be completely leaning left or right, haha. Or at least in my experience. There's always gonna be that one little issue that gives you pause.

[Welsh Ace]

I am a democratic socialist, so left wing.

[Guest]

I never had any wings so how can I have left them? :P

*Hides*

I'm left-winged, if not very left-winged. Right-handed though. :P

By the way, poly = many and tick = a parasite.

[Sally]

As far left as you could go. Socialist, actually.

[Mycroft is Yourcroft]

I pretty left-wing, always have been.

[noparlpf]

Basically, I don't think we need so many laws. Lots of stuff can be covered between two mature adults without laws. (You know, assuming humans ever matured to adulthood.) Just provide education, health care, infrastructure (roads and junk), driving laws, environmental protection, and a simple list of "don't do these things, doing these things is douchey" (theft, assault, vandalism, &c., basically just stuff that infringes on another person's life, liberty, or property). Basic law enforcement. Oh yeah, and cap salaries, prevent monopolies, and set the price of goods to prevent a capitalist oligarchy from taking over. Minimum wage would be enough to support a single parent and two dependents. Maximum wage would be enough to support a single parent and five dependents. Also probably add in licenses for keeping pets or children, because there are too many people who can't handle the responsibility of another life. And the manufacture or sale of firearms should be illegal, not just ownership.

So I'm some kind of authoritarian socialist, in that I think the government should serve the people, but I think the people are bloody idiots and can't be trusted to be civil or reasonable.

[Sarcastic Bob]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm getting the definite feeling that this thread should be in Hot Box. Politics and internet never mix well.

Personally I'd probably say centrist, just because the stuff I believe can be split into both left and right wing. If I was in America I'd probably be classed as centre-left, but people are generally more liberal in the UK so the measurement's kind of different.

[shockkkk]

Voted centrist, but my views are much in line with libertarians on social issues. The big social issues I disagree with them on are gun regulation, and privacy rights. More of a centrist economically.

Agree with the left on stuff like abortion, gay marriage, legalizing drugs, and legalizing prostitution.

Agree with the right on free speech issues, opposition to affirmative action, and due process concerns.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I'm glad to see the forum is not a biased to the left as I suspected, it is only a slight tilt to the left according to the results thus far.

It would have been nice if libertarian left and libertarian right were included in the poll.

[Iggy]

Definitely libertarian left. I agree with the libertarian right to some degree on some issues eg the abolition of welfare and taxes. But to talk about abolishing welfare and taxes as long as capitalism exists is plainly wrongheaded. Capitalism makes welfare, and the taxes to pay for it, a necessity. Once capitalism is replaced with socialism welfare will no longer be needed. I agree with the authoritarian left to some degree on other issues. My libertarianism is more a long term thing - as long as we have to deal with capitalism I think some form of democratic socialism is the go. The only people I can't find any common ground with are the authoritarian right.