I'm thinking of adding a series of political questions to profiles and want to get your suggestions as to which ones to ask. There is an impressive political website at [isidewith.com] which has tons of questions. Would you mind going through their list and pick the top 10-15 questions you think are most useful for expressive your political views and to learn the views of others? Thanks!
15
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I suppose these are political questions but many of them are, to me, questions of morality. Not religion and not politics.
I would want to know things like:
Do you believe in homeopathy?
Do you believe any form of birth control should be restricted, including abortions?
Do you believe any adult should have the right to marry? If not, who should not have that right?
chicagojcb
Level 7
Oct 29, 2018
1
I think adding these questions are a great idea. I think you should keep them generic and base them on ideology because each country uses different labels and that will be confusing. I would ask questions like the following:
Do you think governments should allocate resources for social programs like pensions and social security? Yes,?No? Somewhere in the middle?
Do you think governments should allocate resources for free education from early childhood through college or trade school?Yes? No? Somewhere in the middle?
Do you think governments should have the strongest military in the world? somewhere in the middle? Or no military at all?
Do you support the death penalty? Yes? No? Only in some extreme cases
Do you support recreational marijuana? Yes? No? Only for medicinal?
Do you think governments should allocate resources for free public health care for all? Yes? No? Somewhere in the middle?
Do you think governments should participate in global partnerships like the united nations, the world trade Organizations, NATO and global climate agreements? Yes? No? Somewhere in the middle?
Do you think governments should allocate resourced to help immigrant refugees? Yes? No? Somewhere in the middle
Do you think governments should build border walls and aggressively deport illegal immigrants? Yes? No? Somewhere in the middle
Do you think habitual non violent offenders should receive life sentences? Yes? No? somewhere in the middle?
Are you Pro life? Pro choice? Or somewhere in the middle
Do you support gun ownership? Yes? No? Somewhere in the middle?
That's all I got for now. I can't wait to see the end result of this effort. Thanks!
kensmile4u
Level 8
Oct 26, 2018
0
Like others, I believe this should be voluntary. Our unifying principle is our thoughts on religion.
That said, another short political landscape set of questions (beyond Political Compass mentioned below) is the Pew Research Institute 11 questions. If this does go forward, believe you can find about 10 questions in common to all the various ideology landscape surveys.
Source:
RPardoe
Level 7
Oct 22, 2018
0
Not a bad quiz. But it does not represent me at all. It merely frames me within the context of existing political parties as it would do for all participants. Here's the rub. I would prefer a system without political parties at all. Instead, labor unions and guilds would represent people. Sure it is an age old anarchist vision, but what I espouse.
This calls me a liberal democrat. Could be worse lol.
@Bakunin The only good politician like a political question is a dead one.
While I have been rather outspoken about my political opinions on this site, I feel strongly that this should be completely voluntary. This is an agnostic/atheist site and should be about topics related to religion. I don't think it's helpful necessarily to make political orientation a mandatory part of the site.
Bakunin
Level 7
Oct 22, 2018
2
Aren't the questions asked in one's profile already completely voluntary to answer? I think that's what Admin has in mind.
@ailurophile ok. Whatever. My opinion on this isn't red hot.
Yep, IF we do something, it would be opt-in only
I have a love-and-hate relationship with politics. One minute, I want to sprint on the campaign trail. And on the minute after that, I want to lock up my neck on the doors of a voting location to protest against that whole electoral gimmick.
QuidamOutrepont
Level 8
Oct 21, 2018
1
Electoral gimmick? Are you referring to the Electoral College? If so, I agree.. it should be dissolved. It's not democratic.
Should the military be allowed to use enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, to gain information from suspected terrorists?
Should the government increase environmental regulations to prevent climate change?
Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?
Should employers be required to pay men and women the same salary for the same job?
Should health insurers be allowed to deny coverage to individuals who have a pre-existing condition?
Should there be more restrictions on the current process of purchasing a gun?
Should the U.S. build a wall along the southern border?
Should the government support a separation of church and state by removing references to God on money, federal buildings, and national monuments?
lerlo
Level 8
Oct 21, 2018
1
Pretty comprehensive list and one could come up with more than 10. For me anything dealing with population stabilization and environmental protections have to be addressed first.
JackPedigo
Level 9
Oct 21, 2018
3
I think, for the sake of global inclusivity, if you did you should not make any of them USA specific.
Cassiopeia
Level 6
Oct 21, 2018
4
We have proved beyond any doubt in this site that we have passed all kinds of tests on religion prejudice...... with flying colors. Now, politics seems to be still a minefield. Exploring the territory is the right approach as painful as it might be.....
IamNobody
Level 8
Oct 21, 2018
1
walklightly
Level 8
Oct 20, 2018
3
Here's mine...Economic Left/Right: -5.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.69
@phxbillcee, so mine would spell approximately: economic left/right -8.3, & social libertarian/authoritarian -7. forgot to look at the exact data.
@walklightly Seems pretty close.
@phxbillcee Seem to be quite a few of us here in that quadrant of the chart....my chart
@RPardoe We seem to be fairly close.
@phxbillcee Indeed....In the past, I was more centrist on the Economic Left/Right scale, but suspect the current political climate is driving me more towards the economic left these days. The social scale has always been very heavily weighted to the libertarian / anti-authoritarian end of the axis.
If you are using these to tweak the compatibility ratings here are some suggestions that would matter to me:
Diet e.g. I often have high percent ratings with vegetarians/vegans, for me, this should be 0 as it's a dealbreaker to as far as any hope of an intimate relationship. I am not even kidding. I see it as a zealoty form of religion masquerading as environmentalism.
Feminism:
LGBT:
Political identity:
Pets: This is another deal breaker to me. If someone is not ok with animals nopety nope nope
Qualia
Level 8
Oct 20, 2018
3
Just 15?
Electoral College
Student Loans
Charter Schools
GMO labels
Mandatory Vaccinations
Police Body Cams
Prison Overcrowding
Private Prisons
NATO
Torture
Military Spending
Lobbyists
Criminal Politicians
Campaign Finance
Candidate Transparency
Climate Change
Alternative Energy
Fracking
DAPL
Pension Reform
Welfare
Minimum Wage
Paid Sick Leave
Equal Pay
Labor Unions
Single Payer Health Care
Medicare Drug Prices
Marijuana
Social Security
Gun Control
Gerrymandering
And I could go on......
HippieChick58
Level 9
Oct 20, 2018
5
Too US specific ?
@Spongebob I would agree, but as I am an American from the US, that is what concerns me right now.
I’m very politically active, my position is obvious... I don’t need to answer questions but for those that want that I’m not offended in the least... as long as it is optional I’m ok with whatever you all want... however, as divided as the country is I think I am able to pick up on peoples politics... soon as someone calls me snowflake I know how they vote.
ArdentAtheist
Level 8
Oct 20, 2018
4
roflmao! +1
Do you really read minds? Please teach me.
@FrayedBear some people let you know what they think through behavior, I pay attention. I don’t teach it but I recamend it.
Immigrants tax responsibility, space exploration, education, legalizing all drugs, pressure on Congress to put caps on medicine prices, take the sales tax off of autos they are no longer a luxury, push for less oil dependency, Free wifi in major cities, get the outrageous ATM fees reduced, make it illegal for any large scale murder to get any publicity, in other words, report the incident and keep the assailants name out of the news. Well, some might not be issues they ought to be.
azzow2
Level 9
Oct 20, 2018
2
Luxury? Ee lad if we had rope sandals on our feet that were luxury!
Rope sandals! If we had socks that were luxury!
Sox? When we lived in't cardboard box in't gutter we used to pinch empty canvas bags of passing coal wagon to wrap round our feet to stop chilblains!
Canvas bags! Luxury lad. If we were lucky we'd catch a passing brown paper bag to wrap ower feet in and think ourseln lucky if we didn't hop into a puddle whilst wearing it!
Brahn paper bag! Luxury lad. We had to grease ouwer feet wi' dripping and hope it didn't melt or t'cockroaches eat it afore we got where we were goin'.
Drippin'! Drippin'. Luxury lad. We only got smell o' dripping an' that was fer breakfast, lunch an' tea! We 'ad to piggy back each other in't bare feet so as one could keep feet warm in't turns. Luxury, luxury, ... stagger out with hunched back and blue bare feet apart from bright shiny chilblains.
I hate political posts. One reason I'm ready to leave facebook.
confidentrealm
Level 7
Oct 20, 2018
1
Politics weigh too heavily on Agnostic.com already . I'd love to see less .
Cast1es
Level 9
Oct 20, 2018
2
@Cast1es -- An innocent but pointed question.
Suppose you were to encounter someone you think would be an individual with whom you'd like to spend time. Perhaps even intimate time. To arrive even at that level of interest means you have spent some energy in contemplation and maybe a little planning. You commit to meet this person.
Before I go on, I have to tell you that I have come to some conclusions about you and your personality based upon what posts I have read, some of your responses to my comments and posts, and your published biography. I feel justified to some extent in assuming that those opinions are probably correct to the extent that they can be in a venue such as this.
So, you enter the coffee shop and see a face that is the same as the one in the picture he sent you. As you approach the table you see that he has a large, bold swastika tattooed on his forearm. Hanging from a heavy chain around his neck is an Iron Cross with skull and crossbones. On the other arm is a burning cross. What do you suppose you'd be thinking at this point?
I suggest to you that a person's political thinking is rather important early on.
@evidentialist I've been , " single , " long enough that I easily pick up on a lot of things long before , I ever agree to meet with anyone . including several scammers , on this particular site . I was contacted by three gentlemen on a different dating site some years back , and dropped all three , as scammers . Several months later, AARP ,did an in depth expose' , and included the same photographs I had received , from these gentlemen . Politics , and most politicians make me sick . By this . I mean ulcers . I fully admit to being paranoid . The agency I worked for , for over forty years , routinely gave us classes , to sensitize our senses of distrust . The men in my life , with very few exceptions , gave me no reason to think other wise . I routinely see posts about Trump on here . He may have fooled some of the populace , but I don't see many on here supporting him , or his cronies . There are already a lot of political postings here . We reallly don't need to see more .
Isnt that more correctly referring to American members?
Looking at what you've cobbled together here I think you obviously know what you're doing. I think as long as we steer away from abortion I think we'll be fine. Although I've always viewed prolife as a religious issue. Damn it, now I'm curious.
JazznBlues
Level 8
Oct 20, 2018
1
My suspicion is that the core of Trump supporters came to support him based almost entirely on the abortion issue. Because they're so extremely opposed to abortion, they overlook everything else, even to the point of defending anything bad, and perhaps even deluding themselves into believing the Trump and Republican agenda is the right way to go.
@bingst I strongly feel likewise.
There are so many.
My preferences would include
Environmental including renewable, oil , and fracking.
Plastic polution
Monsanto /bayer. Everything poisonous.
Separation of powers
Separation of church and state
VA privatization
Voting rights/ cheating, gerrymandering)
Lobbying ( the buying of our politicians)
Buddha
Level 8
Oct 20, 2018
3
Agnostic.com is open to people from all over the world. Thus, questions ought not be US-centric. My go-to political quiz/test is the Political Compass: [politicalcompass.org]
I like it because it's more nuanced than Liberal<>Conservative. An analysis of the test: [politicalcompass.org]
If people don't want to read or answer the political questions, then they wouldn't have to... much like all the other questions.
ailurophile
Level 7
Oct 20, 2018
1
@ailurophile -- I do like their approach, though it showed me more toward the Libertarian side than I expected, but my left leaning tendency appeared just about right.
Your Political Compass
Economic Left/Right: -6.0
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.21
My results. I was surprised, as I think of myself as a solid Centrist.
@LetzGetReal You're welcome.
I suspect they're using the term "libertarian" in its older sense, not in the US Libertarian Party sense. I was right there with Emma Goldman.
Economic Left/Right: -8.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian -9.69
@ailurophile Economic Left/Right: -5.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.69
Yep, I'm a centrist
Fancier graphic... nice.
@Admin But in the left/libertarian quadrant 
This may sound grim and rather gloomy, but I think the only way for us as a whole to come together in humanist values we may have to do away with politics, otherwise total understanding and acceptance is a mere dream in my opinion. As long as we have two extremes at odds with each other, the dehumanizing shall continue on, as most people will feel compelled to pick and stick with one side over the other. Just another quick thought there...
SpikeTalon
Level 9
Oct 20, 2018
0
@Halfempty Enlightenment era values are best, I agree. Perhaps not do away with politics totally, but rather do away with political parties. I've long felt that what a politician has to offer/will do for the citizens is far more important than what political party he/she associates with. Identity politics are what hurt us I think.
Stig:
@Halfempty I appreciate the sentiment you both have expressed above. If you have a look at most European countries there are multiple parties - not just two. This brings a much better balance to the political system because the have to speak to their values and policies knowing they compete with multiple others. This makes it much less of a dogfight and much less about individuals and away from the type boxing match you see in the US.
@Stig In the US we used to have a good party that was for the citizens, it was called the Federalist Party, but the current two party monopoly pushed them into extinction unfortunately.
Stig:
@SpikeTalon Thanks for education me in that. I truely understand the sentiment of getting rid of politics - but its how we organize our society so we have to deal with it. I'm very sad to see how it's developed in the US during my lifetime.
Yeah... I think that's a bad idea to have political questions on the bios, even if they are optional, because some of those who would choose not to share their political views could possibly get other members to wonder about them in a not so good way. Being on this site now for well over half a year, I'm convinced politics actually divide us more than religion does, and gives some the motivation to be nasty to others. Glad to hear you are a centrist, and truth be told my own views align more closely with Libertarian values as opposed to one side or the other. Again, not sure that would be going in a sound direction, then again it might be a useful addition, guess we won't know for sure until that option is implemented. A little busy at the moment, I'll take a look later and pick the best fifteen questions from that list.
SpikeTalon
Level 9
Oct 20, 2018
0
Nay Spike. Blocking is what divides.
@FrayedBear The action itself could, but topics like politics have a way of encouraging one to block another, it begins even before the blocking...
@SpikeTalon Probably in the womb and whether your mother ate fish or meat, listened to Elvis or Beethoven, played / supported basketball or gridiron, voted Kennedy or Nixon. ?
@FrayedBear Maybe...
Politics are extremely important to me as well as finding some one who shares my interests and values. The first thing I ask a potential partner if it is not already stated in their profile is "How do you lean politically?" I will happily participate in this. My answers are below...Thank you.
CaroleKay
Level 8
Oct 20, 2018
6
- More Government spending on mental health care
- Universal or single-payer health care for all.
- Pro-choice Pro planned parenthood.
- Marriage equality
- Everyone should be automatically registered to vote at age 18 and voting should be easy, transportation provided or by mail.
- Gender Equality
- Strict gun laws, gun control
- Focus on environmental issues now, Ban plastics, step away from fossil fuels. Re-enter the Paris Climate agreement.
- Labor Unions and a livable minimum age.
- Free college and erase student debt, which brings me to...
- Tax the rich.
- Affordable housing.
Stig:
@CaroleKay I've lived in Scandinavia, Germany and the US - all more than 10 years of my adult life in each place. Both Germany and the US suffer from not being willing to look outside their nation for ideas on how to improve their own. It's like the "Not invented here" syndrome - "therefore not acceptable here".
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