When I got my mother to take the political compass test I was sure her result was going to show that she was much more conservative that I was. I believe I thought this because whenever my older coworkers and I discuss issues that are being highlighted in the media, most of their views on those issues seem extremely conservative to me. Or at least, more conservative than that of my own. This, and some of my interactions with other adults has made me form this opinion that the older generation is more conservative than the younger one. However, I have never believed that people tend to become more conservative as they grow older, but that their views tend to stem from when they came of political age. In fact, I think it’s more likely for people to become more liberal in their beliefs, than conservative, as they grow older. For example, there was a time when women and people of colour were discriminated against, and now in Canada, there are so many people of so many different ethnicities and while there is still discrimination, it is most certainly nowhere near the extent that it once was.
My mother’s ranking on the political compass, and my ranking on the political compass turned out to be almost the same. This was interesting to me because for the 18 years of my life I spent living with her, we barely said three words to each other everyday, much less discuss politics. So my political opinions were formed from other adults around me, such as teachers and my friends parents.
This is my ranking on the political compass:
And this is my mother’s ranking on the political compass:
As you can see, my mother is a tad more left on the economic scale, and I am a tad more down on the social scale, but these are both barely noticeable differences.
The difference between us is how we ended up forming our political opinions. I figure I am so liberal because I live in a country where we have so many more social programs(ex. publicly funded health care) and freedoms(ex.same-sex marriage is legal) than nearby countries such as the US. My mother told me that she got her political opinions from her father who was an English teacher in Sri Lankan universities, a Justice of the Peace, and a political activist. My grandparents, and therefore my mother, are Tamil and both generations came of political age in a time where the Sri Lankan government which comprised almost entirely of Sinhalese people was harshly discriminating against the smaller Tamil population in Sri Lanka. For example, the academic standards needed for Sinhalese students to get into university was much lower than it was for Tamil students, making it easier for Sinhalese students to get an education, and harder for Tamils. Therefore, they wanted equality and the same rights as the Sinhalese, which made them more liberal, and is how my mother came to be just as liberal as I am. My mother also said that if my grandfather had taken this test, his and my mother’s ideologies would have been the same because he is the one who influenced her the most and she took on his views.
(Sorry my post is so long. I know it was only supposed to be 200-300 words.)
This is a great post! I really enjoyed reading it. I’ve blogged about it on my blog, so go and check to see what I’ve written about it. Oh, and no need to apologize for the length of the post! It’s rewarding when students become enthused about a topic.