Political Typology: Who Am I?

Hey!

My name is Usha and I'm just a high schooler learning about the government!

Recently I took a political typology quiz which told me where I stood on the political spectrum. You can take this quiz and find out where you stand as well.

The quiz asked me questions that helped narrow down my values and ultimately placed me in the category of an Opportunity Democrat. The test defines this group as "financially comfortable... liberal attitudes on most issues including the environment, immigration and homosexuality... strong belief that hard work is enough for most people to get ahead and for being somewhat less likely to see structural barriers facing blacks and women... supportive of U.S. engagement abroad and involvement in global markets" 

I have pretty different political beliefs compared to core conservatives, who are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Core conservatives are more traditional Republicans, supporting smaller governments and lower corporate taxes, and most think that U.S. involvement in the global economy is a good thing. 

There are a plethora of differences between core conservatives and opportunity democrats. One of the differences that I think of is government involvement in businesses. Conservatives believe that government involvement in the economy should be limited. This allows private businesses to grow on their own terms and create a higher standard of living. On the other hand, Democrats generally believe that it is the government's responsibility to make sure that citizens are protected from corporate greed, so the government should be involved in businesses to level the playing field. I believe that while it's true that hard work can bring you success, I don't think it should be impossible for others to be on the same level. If private businesses controlled everything, what do I, as a consumer, get to control?

Another example that I think differs between core conservatives and Democrats is their stance on abortion rights for women. Conservatives generally are pro-life meaning that they believe women should have the baby and abortion should not be legal. On the other hand, Democrats are generally pro-choice, meaning they would rather women have the choice to decide if they want to get an abortion. Recently, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed into the Supreme Court. Many conservatives believe that it is a possibility that Kavanaugh (as well as the other Justices) could vote to make abortions illegal, overturning the famous Roe v. Wade case that made it legal for women to get abortions during the first trimester of their pregnancy. Pro-choice Democrats, such as myself, really hope that doesn't happen. 

These differences may seem stark, but these political stances really just come down to values. Republicans value different things than Democrats, and that's fine! So how do we form these values? Well, through a concept called political socialization, which is the process in which people form their political values. Political socialization happens everywhere, you can form political opinions from what you hear in the classroom, from family members, peers, and even how you self-identify. 

Personally, I believe that I am a democrat because my family is pretty liberal. I still have some opinions that differ from theirs because I'm not a Solid Liberal (another political typology), but generally speaking, we hold the same values. Also, I identify as a female and a minority, so I want to feel like I'm giving myself the best opportunities possible which is why I believe in the pro-choice movement and other liberal-leaning groups. 

So... yea! That's political typology!

Thanks for reading!