What are you?

I normally treat internet "tests" with the same level of disdain as I do those chain emails. That said, I thought this one was kind of interesting. (Hat tip to Big Arm Woman.)

Basically, you answer a lot of agree or disagree type questions and the quiz rates you on two scales -- socially permissive (horiz. axis) and economically permissive (vert. axis). Not surprisingly, I ended up tagged as a Libertarian -- 63% socially permissive and 70% economically permissive. Sorry, but I couldn't get the "you are here" thing to show up on the image. I was just outside the centrist circle, kind of over toward the capitalist line. Perhaps the easiest way to tell you where I fall -- I'm whispering in Donald Trump's (I think) left ear and sort of sitting on someone's (is that Adam Sandler?) forehead. You'll see what I mean if you take the quiz and then click on famous people. Okay, that freaks me out a little.

What makes this test interesting to me is the fact that you have to choose a single, unqualified answer. Yes, there is some wiggle room as you add or leave off strongly to indicate your degree of agreement or disagreement with each statement, but that's it -- no waffling. I read some other folks' comments complaining about this, but if you really could throw all those sometimes or in a way or in general, but qualifiers in there, we'd all end up right smack in the middle. I had some real problems with arts and environment questions, but I found that forcing a choice really made me think about my underlying principles regarding these issues. So, I found out some stuff about myself.

One more interesting feature is that once you take the test, you can click on a button that shows you where you fall relative to blue or red voters (at least among the survey takers) from the 2004 election. Not surprisingly, I'm almost smack dab on the divide between blue and red, but I am a teeny little bit more blue than red. Though I voted neither red nor blue in that election, I have to say I'm a little bit surprised about just where I fell. See, it's that economically permissive streak in me that keeps me from joining up with the blues. Of course, it's the socially permissive streak that keeps me out of the reds. Which would I pick if I had to choose from those two philosophies? Thank goodness the test didn't ask me that. Actually, I guess it did in 2004 and I chose other.

Yes, I know the perils of these simple survey instruments, but check it out. If you do, leave a comment telling me who you look like on the famous people chart.

Other than that, I'm going to Big Spring Jam this weekend. Hopefully, it won't end up like the Bama game.