Prometheus 6   

 

Political metadimensions

I actually think about the discussions I have here and at other sites. Recently I've had some particularly rich food for thought. I'll have a discussion with Zenpundit, a libertarian, which will be short because we tend to converge on some point that allows us to see each other's position as rational. I've mentioned that as a Black partisan I'll sometimes find myself coincidentally in common cause with anti-white forces…except of course it's not entirely coincidental because similar forces shaped each of our opinions. It's just that we give things different weights so that one of us sees it necessary to drive white people away from Black folks, another will see the need to drive Black folks away from white people, a third will see the need to draw Black folks together in common cause without regard to the movement of the surrounding culture while one more person is content within herself with the knowledge and identity she's accrued. There's the conservative Cobb, who on certain levels is far more revolutionary than I choose to be yet posts a list of Old School core values that I agreed with so strongly (yet not without exception!) I immediately elevated it to a post.

I find it oddly appropriate that, as I write this, it's raining yet because the cloud cover isn't total the sun outside my window is also strong and direct.

Some of you may be aware of The Political Compass, an online test that helps sort out political persuasions with a bit more subtlety than the simple left/right dichotomy we're accustomed to applying. Briefly, it adds an authoritarian/libertarian dimension to the single left/right dimension. It would be useful for you to take the test. Actually, it would also be useful for you to be familiar with Flatland but you pretty much have all that's needed to follow me just by understanding there's more than one measure of one's activist leanings.

The fact is, one's activism is a measure one would lay (stand?) at a right angle to the economic/social axis defined by The Political Compass. A person who absolutely resists changes to the status quo may rate as highly on the activist axis as the most Marxist revolutionary. There's probably not too many people who would agree with me about this, but consider this.

This image was lifted from the Political Compass site and modified a bit for size. It represents where various public figures would fall on their two dimensional mapping based on their public speech.

What I'd like you to do is eliminate the left/right axis in your mind. Just slide all the little dots left or right until they're directly on top of the vertical authoritarian/libertarian axis.

Isn't it interesting that Yassir Arifat and Ariel Sharon have something in common now? Someone to whom authoritarianism is the single important issue…and those people exist…would find both men near equally appealing or repellant. However, both are distinct from, say, Nelson Mandella. However, collapse the authoritarian/libertarian axis instead and Arafat and Sharon remain totally distinct. However Arafat now shares a position with The Dalai Lama.

Remember this. When you disregard or are unaware of one or another axis, men as disparate in position as Ariel Sharon and Yassir Arafat appear the same. When you switch or expand your reference, people who appeared to share a position become distinct.

I think among Black folks there's an axis that represents identification with the/a Black community/communities. The multiple slashes in that last sentance indicate I see an axis…well, a polarity actually…that represents the perception of whether there is a single or multiple communities of Black folks. This means there's a political mapping in the Black communities that is every bit as complex as the [authoritarian/libertarian]/[left/right] mapping we've previously discussed…a mapping that can appear as a single point to those who are unaware of or disregard it. And it's a framework that explains how a Cobb and I can declare ourselves to be on opposing ends of an economic spectrum yet be in such close agreement on so many issues. It's because when I go to his blog I'm not analyzing [authoritarian/libertarian]/[left/right] positioning. I'm analyzing [identity/non-identity]/[single community/multiple community] mappings in addition to other axises (which is why familiarity with Flatland is useful…we rapidly exceed the number of dimensions that are directly perceivable and hence visualizable) on which we generally agree.

Relativity of perception being what it is, the [authoritarian/libertarian]/[left/right] mapping can appear as a single point to some in the Black communities as well.

Understanding this is of major assistance in relating my positions to that of others. It also helps in negotiations. Seeing where, why and to what degree we agree or disagree helps me understand how to compromise if that is what is being sought…and how to respond if it isn't.

posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/6/2003 06:40:15 PM |

Posted by P6 at August 6, 2003 06:40 PM | Trackback URL: http://www.prometheus6.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/45