About the World's Smallest Political Quiz

Bridget has cited The World's Smallest Political Quiz to refute Mariel's claim that she's a "conservative." OK -- people can call themselves whatever they want as far as I'm concerned.

That said, I'd like to offer my two cents on "The World's Smallest Political Quiz," which was a favorite of mine back during my early college years. You see, back then, I considered myself a libertarian, and I used to love breaking out the quiz. The problem, though, is that the quiz is put out by Libertarians, and as such, it's rigged to tag most respondents as Libertarians, too.

Even during my libertarian days, I used to joke that the quiz asked questions like, "Do you love your mother? Then you must be a Libertarian!" And while it's not obviously that loaded, it's still pretty skewed. So it asks if you oppose "corporate welfare" -- something everyone, even recipients of corporate welfare, will claim to oppose. But it doesn't ask, oh, do you oppose farm subsidies, preferential government contracts for minority-owned businesses, or federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research -- all glaring examples of corporate welfare, but all of which are much more popular than the concept of "corporate welfare" in the abstract.

Likewise, it asks if you oppose laws against sex between consenting adults -- in the abstract, most people, I suspect, would say yes. But try the particular: "Should pimps and prostitutes be allowed to openly do business in your neighborhood or outside your children's school?" -- and I'm sure you'd get markedly different results.

And because the quiz is at least 15 years old (maybe a lot older for all I know; although it does seem to have undergone some minor updating), it's horribly anachronistic. There are no questions about terrorism and civil liberties, torture, global warming or immigration -- all hot issues where public sentiment couldn't be further from the Libertarian position.

If you need any more proof that this test is tilted, I've posted my result to the right, and wow, look at that, I'm a Libertarian! Trust me, I'm not. Admittedly, I may be sympathetic to legalizing drugs and banning the death penalty, but I'm also solidly pro-life, pro-conservation, anti-consumerist, pro-family, and no isolationist on matters of foreign policy. Call me what you like, but "Libertarian" is a definite misnomer.

In truth, none of the labels is very accurate for anyone. I call myself a "conservative" because it is the label that most closely fits my beliefs, but it is far more a representation of a general philosophy than a rigid ideology. Take any prominent "conservative" institution -- the GOP, National Review, Rush Limbaugh, etc -- and you'll find no shortage of disagreements I have with each.

I suspect this is true of Bridget, too, whether one calls her a conservative, a libertarian, or a smart, fun-loving gal with strange taste in men. Which is why it's better when debating politics to focus on the issues, not the labels.