Regular Political Compass & Identity checks

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[first blog post for my Culture and Politics class]

Political Compass

we started our first class with our professor  asking us a few yes/no  questions which at the end labeled us as either conservative or liberal in certain political and social issues. My answers reflected my being  conservative on political issues and my being liberal on social issues. We were then asked if we were aware of our positions or if they have changed through time. 

Like a regular check-up with the doctor, I used to always check my position in the political compass because as a political science major & a legislative assembly representative for my batch in the student government i felt that it was my responsibility to always be up to date with my own views, ideals and stands on certain issues for me to be able to be honest to myself and everyone else (most especially my constituents). It's been a while since i last checked my position in the political compass so i took the test again and here's what i got:

Not much has changed, I have always been on the right in terms of the economic dimension (if you were my friend you would know how much of a staunch believer i am of neo-liberalism/capitalism); i'm all for open economies, globalization and letting the market decide for itself. What has changed though, is my position towards the social dimension, it seems that i am now (.20 units) closer to authoritarianism;  this could be explained by my positions on morality and capital punishment that have recently changed. Apparently my position in the political compass is closest to that of Angela Merkel's, the current chancellor of Germany. I don't know if i should take this as a compliment or if i should be worried and start re-evaluating my beliefs. Nevertheless, i'm all for successful and powerful women so i guess i should take it as a plus.

Identity

We discussed about knowing ourselves, and how structures, norms, family, ideas, memes and many other components of culture and society have contributed to who we have become and in the formation of our identity. What made me think was the question about oppression, objectification and power relations. I have always been one to challenge authority and resist power, but only when i felt it was necessary and if i could very well justify it. I am someone who respects power in general but i question and abhor the seniority-based pyramidical hierarchies that most often deny those who are capable and qualified of getting fair chances with those who are their "seniors".  Objectification was also something to think about for me, where i learned that objectification is not merely making someone feel inferior, but goes as far as denying that person to make a choice for his/her own; this is something that i sometimes unconsciously exercise, something that i should seriously evaluate and become more conscious of.