I haven't read this book, but I heard about it on
The 700 Club. The topic intregued me, so when my computer finally started working again, I looked up the quiz that is supposed to tell you whether or not you're conservative or liberal.
I found the 10 question quiz published in the book
here . I'll warn you now that the questions are essentially whether or not you would support or not bills passed in this session of Congress. Apparently, if you would support a bill also supported by Democrats, you're liberal; if it was opposed by Republicans, you're conservative--who knew?!? I'm also upset by the fact that each question includes the voting record for the bill. Does the author realize that any person predisposed to think that they're conservative will probably make at least some of their decision based on that voting record? I mean, a reasonable person wouldn't make a decision for or against ANY of these issues purely based on what the blurb in the question says--unless you're a complete right or left winger who economically thinks one side or the other should be punished. That's why there are extensive debates in Congress--everyone reasonable person wants to know EXACTLY how far the terms go, what loopholes could possibly exist, etc.
So, I'm going to say that of all the "rank your political feelings" quizes, this is one of the worst. The one I took in high school was very good. It wasn't based on the complexity of congressional laws, but on the actual issues. "Would you support a law that increases pro-choice rights?" "Would you support a reduction in the powers of the EPA?" Questions like that, but I'm doubtful that they're so straight forward in the asking--Any good questionaire writer/researcher knows that you need to ask the same question 3 ways because you're going to get a different answer depending on the wording. It's also a good idea to have a ranking system, because you probably do feel more for or against one way of wording than another. In this quiz, they're way of asking the same question more than once is showing the House's version and the Senate's version. There is also no way of quantifying the circumstances that these bills were made under. In other words, an Independent is screwed if the past 2 years they've been thinking Democrat. That would be the definition of an Independent--someone who votes Democrat or Republican depending on the current situation and what they believe is necessary.
I'm also disappointed that the quiz doesn't address the issue that the book is supposed to cover--whether the media has influenced your belief. If I remember correctly, the author was talking about how our natural inclinations are skewed after viewing so called liberal media, so maybe the quiz is supposed to show you what your natural inclinations are? But as shown above--I don't think it does that at all.
One last point I want to make. Notice that the major claims are:
- All mainstream news outlets in the United States have a liberal bias.
- The Drudge Report is the most fair, balanced and centrist news outlet in the United States.
- Fox News' "Special Report," which is usually characterized as conservative, is not biased as far right as typical mainstream outlets are biased to the left.
Apparently Fox News isn't mainstream, which is a rediculous claim to make. I mean, according to Bill O'Reilly (he mentions it at least once a week), they have the highest viewership across the boards. They're on cable, they're part of News Corp (and we now know exactly what kind of power THAT company has), and you are hard pressed to find a person who hasn't heard about Fox News. I'm sorry, but apparently I have the wrong definition of mainstream. Perhaps Fox should stop demanding extreme payment to view their...views...and should join the world of basic cable or online. I can't watch MSNBC either....does that make THEM non-mainstream? Because they are to me.
2nd point. USNews gives the lowdown on the scores that a few of the "mainstream" news sources got,
here. Apparently ABC News (Good Morning America) got a score of 56. The Drudge Report got a 60. If 50 is "fair and balanced", then wouldn't that make GMA more fair? Or are they quantifying that the Drudge is more balanced overall? Because then, wouldn't it be nice to show how the rest of ABC does? I mean--there's a lot of shows that are conviently missing from this list. See for yourself:
New York Times-73.7.
CBS Evening News-73.7.
NPR Morning Edition-66.3.
U.S. News & World Report-65.8.
Drudge Report-60.4.
ABC Good Morning America-56.1.
Washington Times-35.4
It's interesting that when I wrote this, none of the comments on top even address the fact that this is a pretty skimpy list. I mean, Mr. Redhawk of KY, who holds the first comment spot is quick to make a judgment on MSNBC, CNN, and DC (?!?! I actually have no idea what he's trying to say--go and read it--I don't believe the "slime of NY" is an accepted alterego of a known news source--or at least one I know...would that be the NY Times?)--which aren't even on the list. I mean, if Fox News is not as far right biased as people say, then how did they rank? Isn't that a basic question that they should have answered in this article?
Or are they making it so that you have to buy the book and make this guy a buck? If for no other reason, support your local library, because this is the type of book that you should read, but I do not want to give this guy my money without knowing for sure that I support his ideas.
By the way, The Wall Steet Journal came out more liberal than most people would originally think. This was mentioned by Pat Robinson who read this book and is an avid reader of the WSJ. Apparently their opinions are often more liberal than their news. Robinson admitted that he often reads only these opinions and finds a lot to agree with within them. Please, keep this in mind when you start trying to say "I'm Conservative" or "I'm Liberal". Quit labeling yourself and start paying attention to what it is that you actually agree and disagree with and why you do so. You might be surprised at what things you actually support when it's no longer labeled.
