Which Way Political Compass?

[Duddha]

We often use a left/right political continuum or the slightly more complicated two dimensional cross left/right, authoritarian/libertarian as a political compass to pinpoint beliefs spatially in relation to eachother. These charts are completely logical and sound, but do these specific spatial analogies actual help us better understand the genuine relationships between our ideologies and accuretly help us better understand how our world operates politically? I feel these two charts do little to help us in the current world and that it is time for a new fomulation to reflect the actualities of current affairs. Political alliances and rivalries do not match with the spatial orientation of these charts.(ex. Stalin and Hitler very close to on another on Political Compass chart)

In James Rosenau's new book Distant Proximities, he presents a new political compass for the current epoch arranged two dimensionaly with four general categories. I'll attempt to recreate it here.

...........................The Greens..............................
.............._____________________________..............
.............I Left Globalists I Right Globalists I..............
The Reds I_____________I______________ I The Blues
.............I.....................I.......................I...........
.............I.Left Localists...I...Right Localists.I............
.............----------------------------------...........
.......................Any National Color.......................

Point Summaries using examples of distinctions given by Rosenau:
The Greens- Communitarian capitalism, socialism, community, intelligentsia, superego, communalism, high intergration, tribalization, identity fetishism
The Blues- capitalism, conservatism, freedom, bourgeoisie, ego, liberalism, high accumulation, transnationalization, commodity fetishism
The Reds- state capialism, communism, equality, proletariat, alter ego, Marxism, high mobilization, nationalization, majority fetishism
Any National Color- totalitarian capitalism, nazism, fascism, militarism, order, big and petite bourgeoisie, id, fascism, high repression, totalization, security fetishism

example of positions within each quadrant:
Left Globalists- state welfare, NGO environmentalists, radical feminists
Right Globalists- corporate welfare, IGO environmentalists, pragmatic feminists
Right Localists- reactionary populists, neoconservatives, pragmatic discriminationists
Left Localists- revolutionary populists, neotraditionalists, radical discriminationists

Where do you think you fall on this chart?
What kind of criteria or divisions would you use to create an ideal spatial political graph?
What do you think of Rosenau's model?

 

[Duddha]

Solid, zero replies!

I assume this means everyone is fine with the current charts used or doesn't care at all.

 

[Caranamrta]

Or that there aren't questions with a decent menu to choose an answer from.

BTW it seems that I'm a Left Globalist.

 

[Immortal]

Im fine with the current bulls-eye system.

I dont even fit into that graph, I advocate neither communal capitalism, nor totalitarian capitalism (which for some stupid reason are opposites on this). And I am blue, not red by virtue of the words capitalism, freedom, liberalism.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I suppose I'm a Green by that chart.

I do not think this is an improvement on the (quite imperfect) PoliticalCompass chart. It appears to have intervoven the whole state control/personal liberty issue into unrelated axes.

I'm totally at a loss where to fit in the Swedish Green Party on the chart, BTW. They're localist, skeptical of capitalism, anti-authoritarian, socially radical, highly concerned with human rights and individual freedom (except the freedom to do anything they deem harmful to the environment).

 

[IglooDame]

Solid, zero replies!

I assume this means everyone is fine with the current charts used or doesn't care at all.

Or that you threw people enough with including Freudian characteristics and various fetishisms in the political outlook that they just went and moved on to the next thread.

I am okay with the two-axis economic/social model, even though it does not adequately cover my philosophies regarding international relations.

 

[Duddha]

I think you are right LastConformist that placing the Greens on the globalist side is a bit presumptive.

Or that you threw people enough with including Freudian characteristics and various fetishisms in the political outlook that they just went and moved on to the next thread

I guess you are right that people are unlikely to admit what 'fetishism' they fall into. I think the strength of this chart is to attempt to categorize those forces that actually oppose eachother on the world stage into somekind of harmonenous spatial divide. While the economic/social model is fun, it tells you little about where you or others fall in the dynamics of today's world.

 

[JohnRM]

These charts only work assuming that all human beings possess common sense and the ability to take positions that are not contradictory to one another. As many individuals have proven, in the past, this is simply not the truth.

 

[Duddha]

These charts only work assuming that all human beings possess common sense and the ability to take positions that are not contradictory to one another. As many individuals have proven, in the past, this is simply not the truth.

You can argue that philosophically many of the characteristics lumped together on this chart or anyother are contradictory. I beleive what is import is whether of not the different classifications represent real world politics.

 

[Hitro]

I can hardly take a chart serious that puts "freedom" in the same spot as Capitalism, liberalism and Conservatism...

Actually I couldn't take anything serious that attributes freedom in general to anything. It would always be heavily biased.

 

[Duddha]

I can hardly take a chart serious that puts "freedom" in the same spot as Capitalism, liberalism and Conservatism...

Actually I couldn't take anything serious that attributes freedom in general to anything. It would always be heavily biased.

I should have added the note that those are descriptions of the 'values' held in each category and not necessarly actual practice.