The Political Spectrum

About a few months or so ago, our class began to look at the political spectrum, as a brief overview of what humans define themselves as, and possibly where we fit into the classification. Even though this is a lesson lost in time, I began to dig and really find where I fit most within the political spectrum. Upon wanting to learn more, I took the Political Compass Test. Already politically literate, I wanted to find out where a critically acclaimed, online test would rank me based on my views. I knew I was liberal, but not quite sure how liberal. Upon taking the test, I noticed a small red dot appear on the bottom left hand side of the screen. The dot I noticed, was evidently, me. For anyone who does not know how the political compass is split up, it is a multi-quadrant system, based on economic and social views. The top right is classified as "authoritarian left". The top right is classified as "authoritarian right", and the same notion goes for the bottom section, but instead of "authoritarian", the word used is "libertarian". Looking unto further analysis, I realized I inhabited the bottom left corner of the "libertarian left" quadrant, meaning, that I would most likely follow in the steps of others before me (Daniel De Leon, Emma Goldman, Peter Kropotkin etc). I found this to be an apt representation of my views, for I was always an avid fan of Noam Chomsky (who is a self-described anarcho-syndicalist/libertarian socialist), and found comfort in the teachings of Kropotkin. As it stands, I fit into the order of libertarian socialist, which is an umbrella term referring to the ideals of council communism, and many varying anarchist ideals. I would urge all students to take this test, and see exactly where they are on the political spectrum, and see how they match up to some of the world's most renowned leaders. As was stated in class; "at some point, you'll have to take a stance on something".