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As we get closer to Nov 5th, it’s impossible not be involved in the political discussion going on. I believe it is impossible for a functioning member of society to be apolitical, I believe we must all participate in politics, even when we don’t believe in the justness and fairness of the political process, even when we don’t see politicians as the best emissaries of politics. I believe staying out of politics is more harmful than participating, no matter the result, voicing your opinions, discussing what you believe in and why. I see myself as a socially conscious, responsible citizen, with two passports and the same level of engagement in two countries. I am both pragmatic and idealistic, I believe in nuances, and though increasingly uncomfortable with some of the voices and opinions I am hearing, I am open to open discourse and thoughtful debate. There, I tried to say what I stand for, without choosing sides, though some of you might place bets on what side you think I’m in.
A newspaper (that has taken sides) put out a quiz with the question “If America Had Six Parties, Which Would You Belong To?” (2021, revisited now). It starts with the assumption that more political parties are better than the existing two, and though there are many studies for and against, I believe the present two-party system encourages zero-sum approach to everything, and creates a left & right, black & white, for & against discussion that is reductionist and problematic. I do think that this viewpoint taken to the extreme can be dysfunctional, the other country I vote for is a great example. I did the quiz out of curiosity, I wanted to see where the algorithm would position me and what were the political parties they considered, I did something that might taint the date if this is taken seriously, I did it three times, one with my beliefs and positions, two other pushing to the extremes.
The political parties this study proposes as a proxy for the existing two are aligned in a matrix from < to > economically conservative and < to > socially conservative are:
- Progressive Party
- New Liberal Party
- American Labor Party
- Growth and Opportunity Party
- Patriot Party
- Christian Conservative Party
I am not going to tell you what the quiz said about my position in the matrix or which party they believe I am closer to, I’ll let you take the quiz if you are curious. I was somewhat surprised they were able to come up with 20 questions that the researcher believes are the crucial ones in positioning yourself in the political spectrum. 20 questions. These questions, some allowing nuanced responses from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree, but some a simple yes/ no, are apparently at the core of what we might call our belief system, and most of all, the questions that define our most critical disagreements, our positions. 20 questions.
This is a just a quiz, some could say a gimmick, short of clickbait. Some could say that the simple fact these political parties are framed withing a matrix that basically has two sides in two directions, ends up reinstating that it is ultimately the same as having two parties. Some could also question the researcher, the questions, the motives. But I go back to this, it is believable that there is a limited set of questions, of topics, that we might disagree on, and these are the areas in which we could ultimately agree or compromise, but in many cases, we choose not to. And we might even agree or compromise on 19 of them, but there might be one that we disagree on, and it is so important for some of us that we can therefore justify whatever it is we say and do relative to others that think differently. Pause.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/08/opinion/republicans-democrats-parties.html