Metafilter Census

February 24, 2003 7:18 PM

The results of Steve_at_Linnwood's small-sample MeFi census are online. Of more amusement value than scientific, of course. I thought this chart was particularly interesting in its lack of a middle ground.
posted by oissubke to bugs at 7:18 PM (63 comments total)

Dangnabit. Sorry about the category.
posted by oissubke at 7:19 PM on February 24, 2003

Confess, oissubke - it just bugs you that quonsar, Stan Chin, evanizer and I are the most popular MeFi members.* ;)

*with a dizzying 2 votes each!
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:31 PM on February 24, 2003

A "representative" poll of 46 people by Steve@L? Arrgh. Cannot deal. Must go to sleep.
posted by Shane at 7:56 PM on February 24, 2003

Perhaps I shouldn't be mentioning this, but what about Star Trek Voyager? It might not have been the best, but I liked it, dammit!

Maybe that's why I wasn't polled, eh? Or is it because I'm Canadian? Oh, and what if I wear tights, not underwear? There's no option for that! What gives? *starts to cry* I wouldn't answer your silly little poll anyway.
posted by ashbury at 8:06 PM on February 24, 2003

Who's the boy that can laugh at a storm cloud?
Who can turn a frown into a smile for free?
Who's that kid with a heart full of magic?
Everyone knows it's Butters!

Mecha-Streisand be damned! *grumble*
posted by filmgoerjuan at 8:20 PM on February 24, 2003

With at least two votes, Miguel.

Shane, I never called it "representative"

And Ashbury, Voyager was on there, just no one voted for it.

Oh well, it was fun...
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 8:39 PM on February 24, 2003

I could have sworn I voted for myself twice. Are you screwing with the results S@L?
posted by eyeballkid at 9:06 PM on February 24, 2003

Wait, how come there's no plain "right" on the politics one? There's center left and right, far left and right, plain left, but no plain right. And amen, juan. Butters is by far the best.
posted by Ufez Jones at 9:08 PM on February 24, 2003

Wait, how come there's no plain "right" on the politics one?
No one voted "right"
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 9:18 PM on February 24, 2003

Don't look at me, I voted for Kodos!
posted by riffola at 9:59 PM on February 24, 2003

Confess, oissubke - it just bugs you that quonsar, Stan Chin, evanizer and I are the most popular MeFi members.

I thought I was a shoe in!

And the boxers vs. briefs thing wasn't fair -- I'm Mormon, so neither one applied to me! :-)
posted by oissubke at 10:01 PM on February 24, 2003

7 or 8 or 9 people (don't make me do math right now) of your sample identified as "far right" politically? Are you trying to teach us a lesson about the silliness of posting statistical analysis on MetaFilter? Or did this take place in parallel universe MeFi? (And can I have their user names so I can hide from them? (I kid!))
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:14 PM on February 24, 2003

Right, RJ - it feels uncomfortable to share MeFi with 9 people who'd describe themselves as "Far Right". To say the least.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:32 PM on February 24, 2003

Honestly, RJ, I think some people either didn't read the choices correctly or were simply screwing with me...
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 10:48 PM on February 24, 2003

Hee. No doubt. Put that tinfoil hat back on, tiger.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:51 PM on February 24, 2003

And the boxers vs. briefs thing wasn't fair -- I'm Mormon, so neither one applied to me! :-)

Ha ha! I knew it!
posted by hama7 at 11:02 PM on February 24, 2003

quonsar LIKE pretty charts!
posted by quonsar at 5:34 AM on February 25, 2003

Ginger & Veronica polled like that.
No Way.
posted by johnny7 at 6:42 AM on February 25, 2003

this took place in parallel universe #mefi rj.
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:54 AM on February 25, 2003

So how many votes did you need to have your comment listed as a favorite? Or, in other words, basically, who voted for me?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 7:38 AM on February 25, 2003

And the boxers vs. briefs thing wasn't fair -- I'm Mormon, so neither one applied to me! :-)

And I'm female, so it wouldn't have applied to me either. But judging from the Betty/Veronica and Ginger/MaryAnne question, this bit of fun was intended more for the boys (and of course girls who wear men's underwear and have a decided preference in the fictional female question).

The "I don't have a TV" response was funny.
posted by jennyb at 9:09 AM on February 25, 2003

and to clarify even more, it was geared toward hetero boys--why wasn't there a "professor or gilligan" or a "jughead or big moose" ?
posted by amberglow at 10:15 AM on February 25, 2003

"jughead or big moose"?!

Why be playa'-hatin' on Archie?!
posted by byort at 10:24 AM on February 25, 2003

jennyb: Which do you prefer your men to wear?

S@L: You can post my responses; I have nothing to hide. Hell, after living with a federal security clearance for most of the last 25 years, my life is pretty much an open book anyway. One quickly learns how meaningless privacy is once one does without it for awhile.
posted by mischief at 12:32 PM on February 25, 2003

One quickly learns how meaningless privacy is once one does without it for awhile.
...a "lesson" you and your ilk in business and government are determined to "share" with an unwilling public whether we like it or not.
posted by quonsar at 12:52 PM on February 25, 2003

Right, RJ - it feels uncomfortable to share MeFi with 9 people who'd describe themselves as "Far Right". To say the least.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:32 PM PST on February 24

Certainly not more uncomfortable than having people from the far left (which I translate as Stalin, Mao et al) here. There's no greater form of blindness if not outright malice than being benign to the left (greatest killer of men ever) and excessively severe with the right. Also there's no Right pure and simple on the chart.
posted by 111 at 1:15 PM on February 25, 2003

having people from the far left (which I translate as Stalin, Mao et al)

Stalin's on MeFi? And what's his user number? And Mao, is he an old-timer?
posted by matteo at 2:04 PM on February 25, 2003

greatest killer of men ever

I thought that was road accidents?
posted by walrus at 2:17 PM on February 25, 2003

Stalin and Mao have to be 14K'ers
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 2:49 PM on February 25, 2003

you and your ilk in business and government

You WILL be assimilated! ;-P
posted by mischief at 2:56 PM on February 25, 2003

Also there's no Right pure and simple on the chart.

111, do you actually bother to read before you pontificate and editorialize? Steve said:

No one voted "right"

And I'd sure love to see some backup to your killer-death-leftist claim. And here's a thought for you to chew on, if you're able: Any totalitarian, (left, right, or otherwise) can be blamed for massive murder-death-kill in historical scope. Blaming the left, simply because it's sometimes innapropriately associated with communism as described by Lenin and Marx (certainly not as practiced by Stalin or Mao), for all those many deaths is narrow minded and ignorant.

And finally, what a marginalizing word that is:

Got ilk?
posted by Wulfgar! at 3:08 PM on February 25, 2003

The American political spectrum seems so weird to me now that I've lived abroad for a while, like the visual field of aliens confined to the ultrainfrared. What about anarchists? We consider ourselves off the spectrum: Ignore the state! And given that maybe 30% of Americans vote, 70 percent of the respondents really ought to have refrained from answering, don't you think?
posted by hairyeyeball at 3:17 PM on February 25, 2003

"jughead or big moose"?!
Why be playa'-hatin' on Archie?!

aw, Archie ain't nothing but a wannabe!
posted by amberglow at 3:35 PM on February 25, 2003

I wouldn't pay no never mind to that graph - where modern britain can be simultaneously in the same column as Modern Iran ('LEFT to CENTER LEFT) & the Shah's Iran (CENTER to CENTER RIGHT) - tho' no corresponding alteration in the British Monarchy's position took place in that time frame (1952 to date).

Still, as i have said earlier, no-one seems to challenge the supposition that America cannot be a democracy and a republic at the same time.

What can you do?
posted by dash_slot- at 3:53 PM on February 25, 2003

America cannot be a democracy and a republic at the same time.

At best, America is a representative democracy, with elected representatives (not the public itself) governing the nation. When the public does not bother to influence these representatives, America goes right back to being a government by the elite.

They never seem to mention that in high school government class. It's always taken for granted that America is a democracy, and that therefore it somehow magically functions democratically no matter what anyone does.
posted by Shane at 4:29 PM on February 25, 2003

My God, that political spectrum site has issues. I love the assertion that England from the Magna Carta to 'the rise of popular government' (I think they mean 1832) 'cherish[ed] the individual, provid[ing] maximum incentive to intellectual development and free inquiry'. Where the Hell do you start with something that misinterprets the ancien regime so entirely? It was a freaking police state, even taking the interregnum and Bloody Mary out of the equation. The individual counted only insofar as he (yes, 'he') had patronage or guild membership.
posted by Sonny Jim at 4:38 PM on February 25, 2003

At best, America is a representative democracy, with elected representatives (not the public itself) governing the nation.

That's my point: name me a functioning democracy which is not in the representative form.

[/dismounts hobbyhorse]
posted by dash_slot- at 5:02 PM on February 25, 2003

dash_slot-: Um, Switzerland? They have representative government there, but the country is at least a half-direct democracy by now.
posted by raysmj at 6:13 PM on February 25, 2003

...name me a functioning democracy which is not in the representative form.

Is there any democracy (any democratic nation) that is not in representative form?
posted by Shane at 6:24 PM on February 25, 2003

Oops. Thanks, raysmj.
posted by Shane at 6:28 PM on February 25, 2003

Wulfgar, why did you quote me when addressing 111?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 9:15 PM on February 25, 2003

Wulfgar, why did you quote me when addressing 111?


That's simple enough. 111 claimed that there was no "pure right" on the displayed chart. As you'd already explained, that's because no one had answered "right" in your census. Did I perhaps misunderstand?
posted by Wulfgar! at 9:50 PM on February 25, 2003

Shane: I think we agree.

raysmj: thanks! Switzerland - I never thought of them...
posted by dash_slot- at 12:52 AM on February 26, 2003

I like iconomy's census best so far..!
posted by Shane at 7:08 AM on February 26, 2003

When you venture outside of your domicile, do you look up and say. "Say! What a lovely shade of metafilter the sky is today!"

Er, yeah. I still do. Tho' when it's overcast...
posted by dash_slot- at 9:57 AM on February 26, 2003

Wulfgar:
And I'd sure love to see some backup to your killer-death-leftist claim.
I could mention dozens, but let's start with the most famous one here.

Even the "The Age of Extremes", by communist Eric Hobsbawm, acknowledges the human catastrophe brought on by communist regimes.

And here's a thought for you to chew on, if you're able: Any totalitarian, (left, right, or otherwise) can be blamed for massive murder-death-kill in historical scope.

Wrong; leftist regimes have killed more than any other form of government. Do the math.

Blaming the left, simply because it's sometimes innapropriately associated with communism as described by Lenin and Marx (certainly not as practiced by Stalin or Mao), for all those many deaths is narrow minded and ignorant.
Lenin and Trotsky were ruthless fanatics who endorsed violence as a political method. If you want to associate "left" with the jacobins or something like that it's your problem, but any undergraduate knows where the theoretical basis for leftist movements comes from.

BTW, two things:
-don't let anyone tell you nazism was a creation of the right; it was national socialism, and its programme and disgraceful actions shared most of its tenets with other leftist dictatorships;
-beware of the evil that sometimes lurks under the disguise of "good intentions".
posted by 111 at 10:01 AM on February 26, 2003

Did I perhaps misunderstand?

No, the misunderstanding was mine.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:01 AM on February 26, 2003

I like iconomy's census best so far..!

SUVs: like em, unless driven by soccer mom
soccer moms: no opinion, unless driving an SUV
fat people: love 'em
internet explorer: hate it
organized religion: strongly dislike
smokers: pity
pc users: mostly dolts
Bill Gates: hate him
conservatives: pity
newsfilter posts: hate em
PETA: mostly dolts
Creed: i actually like the music

i'd have listed the whole thing but iconomy's new design seems to suffer the same brain damage as 9622 with regard to selecting text and i tire of it quickly.
posted by quonsar at 11:22 AM on February 26, 2003

(i tire of struggling with selections, NOT of iconomy's wonderful and humorous writing)
posted by quonsar at 11:27 AM on February 26, 2003

It's part of the "let's do something to ensure that quonsar tires of visiting our sites, and quickly" secret underground alliance that I share with 9622. Glad to see that it's working! High fives all around ;)

Actually, I have no idea why it does that, quonsar. If anyone else knows, I'm almost all ears. Is it a movable type thing?
posted by iconomy at 11:35 AM on February 26, 2003

For 9622, I believe I tracked it down to a CSS hack combined with the use of XHTML or something. Can't rightly remember. But your CSS looks ok for a quick glance. I might experiment if I get time. It only seems to show up in IE6 by the way. IE 5.5 and Mozilla are fine.
posted by walrus at 2:04 PM on February 26, 2003

-don't let anyone tell you nazism was a creation of the right; it was national socialism, and its programme and disgraceful actions shared most of its tenets with other leftist dictatorships;

Certainly, I won't make that mistake. From now on I will agree that all totalitarian regimes are leftist, founded on the common good, and violence exercised by those dictators who really believe in that social benefit...Riigghhhht.


-beware of the evil that sometimes lurks under the disguise of "good intentions".


Good advice at all times. I'll remember that next time I watch Ari, Rummy or Little King George on TV. Bit of advice to go with it that you might want to heed: Just 'cause your prof or pappa Rush force feeds you labels doesn't remove you from the responsibility of thinking. Oh wait, 111, I guess in your case it does...
posted by Wulfgar! at 3:19 PM on February 26, 2003

"Are you a cantankerous bastard who is affectionately referred to as The Scourge of MetaFilter? (y6y6y6 need not answer that one)"

Hey!!!

I'm a loudmouthed, irrelevant bastard please. Not a Scourge.

And Scourge was an f'ing light weight. Some moldy killjoys show him a couple sappy scenes and he goes all gooey. Puh-lease.....
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:57 PM on February 26, 2003

Ummmm........

Scourge

Apparently I'm also a moron.
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:59 PM on February 26, 2003

Hehe. It was your very own your girlfriend who called you The Scourge of MetaFilter, y6. I'm laughing at you so much right now!
posted by iconomy at 4:42 PM on February 26, 2003

Ooops - one too many yours. But your get the picture ;)
posted by iconomy at 4:43 PM on February 26, 2003

Yeah.... Well..... You just..... Ummm......

I gotta go......
posted by y6y6y6 at 5:05 PM on February 26, 2003

‹small›Waitaminnit... y6 has a girlfriend, and quonsar has a daughter? I thought they were basement dweller's like me... (sm tags jest fer you, icon).‹/small›
posted by Shane at 5:20 PM on February 26, 2003

Much appreciated!

p.s. - thanks, walrus.
posted by iconomy at 6:39 PM on February 26, 2003

"I thought they were basement dweller's like me..."

I get out more than anyone I know. Embrace the big blue room. Last week was the zoo and finding a new noodle place, before that New Orleans, before that Grand Canyon. This weekend - Seaworld. Weekend after next I'm headed to Vegas. No SXSW this year. Defcon for sure. Hopefully Wales in a few months. If not that then pyramids in S. America.

y6 has a girlfriend......... What the hell is that suppose to mean??? I rock.
posted by y6y6y6 at 7:43 PM on February 26, 2003

He does.

*produces cowbell, rocks out with y6*
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:29 PM on February 26, 2003

heal us 111 ! heal us !! let us touch the hem of your metagarment !
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:54 AM on February 27, 2003

I rock.

I don't rock much. I'm a shy (albeit handsome) alienated geek whose idea of a good time is a cappucino. I'm surrounded by pickup trucks and fluffchicks in the Midwest and I don't bother getting out much. But so much for humorous self-deprecation and empathy. It was a joke.

This weekend - Seaworld.

There you have it. You're Livin' The Life.
posted by Shane at 8:10 AM on February 27, 2003