01-01-2009, 07:39 AM
In another discussion esnap commented ...Folks are different. we come in all shades of every ilk...
The point about simplistic one-axis notions of dualism not reflecting reality is well taken. The Political Compass instrument at http://www.politicalcompass.org/ does a good job with crosstabulating personal results on two axes and matching those results with famous historical figures, yet there is ever so much more to anyone and everyone on Punaweb than that which is measured by even two important axes.
One axis not measured by the instrument above yet which seems more and more important here on Punaweb as in Puna-actual is the willingness or unwillingness to be kind and assist one another. This quality might be measured by how we show up in this forum and in person with our words and actions vis a vis our neighbors in the community.
Since there is interest in sharing and discussing Political Compass results but threads on other questions are not the appropriate place to be doing so, here is a sandbox all its own in which anyone who wants to play with the Political Compass may feel welcome to do so- please just remember to “keep it Puna” by thinking about how these results inform our understanding of each other and the local issues. It is in seeing how this crosstabulation can work for us in coming together around Puna’s issues there is some real potential benefit. Yes, this instrument is simplistic, flawed, and so on yet as an opening for exploring differences in perspective it could be useful.
For example, my Political Compass results are-
Economic Left/Right: -4.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.23
...which plots me in the green colored quadrant at lower left, about halfway between the Dalai Lama and Gandhi (despite the fact I am an enthusiastic carnivore who grew up using guns and owns them to this day for hunting and defense). Among my closest friends there is some cluster with many amigos also plotting out in this same green quadrant, but I am much enriched by a scattering of friends in each of the other quadrants as well. While I tend to relax and enjoy the company of my fellow green-quadrant buddies, it is in interacting with my friends of other quadrants I find myself growing most as I come to understand them better -by no means always agreeing or converting to their viewpoints, to be sure, yet understanding better how they think and how we can work together. Interestingly (to me, at least), my parents and the family I grew up in are all clustered in the blue quadrant at upper right ...seemingly a validation of the notion regarding kids often turning out to be the diametric opposite of their parents.
Yet (and here is my point) instead of shrieking “fascist!” and “commie anarchist!” at each other having a bit of perspective in this regard assists us to understand, appreciate, and accommodate each others’ positions a bit better.
On Punaweb as in Puna-actual I hope folks can see how banding together in common cause for the sake of our mutual good on any number of important issues trumps divisions born of economic left-right and authoritarian-libertarian orientations. Our community is stronger for the diversity within it as long as folks ascribe to the ideal of pulling together rather than standing apart and saying “No, that group is just too despicable to ever include ourselves together in the same community with them.”
Just like the Myers-Briggs Indicator or any number of other instruments, the Political Compass is very limited in what it reveals yet can have some real utility if used constructively. Since among the four quadrants (red, green, purple, and blue) entire groups and even nations occasionally square off along these lines for a bloody conflict or civil war the stakes can be somewhat higher with getting a good handle on the dynamics involved in understanding and accommodating these variations. With application to Puna, finding the common ground where folks can all come together despite differences would be tremendously useful.
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"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
Pres. John Adams, Scholar and Statesman
"There's a scientific reason to be concerned and there's a scientific reason to push for action. But there's no scientific reason to despair."
NASA climate analyst Gavin Schmidt
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Astonishing skill! This archer is a real-life Legolas and then some!
http://geekologie.com/2013/11/real-life-...rs-anc.php
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Astonishing skill! This archer is a real-life Legolas and then some!
http://geekologie.com/2013/11/real-life-...rs-anc.php
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