Friday, October 21, 2005
Nazi Test
Okcupid has a test to determine if you would have sat idly by had you been a German in the 1930s. I scored as an Expatriate, a person that would have left the country. I scored high in patriotism, but I was sort of cornered on the answers to some questions seeing as how I am a soldier, and I have gone to war for my country. Take it and see how you score. It will be interesting for Republicans as comparisons between Bush and Hitler continue to appear in international jokes.
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14 comments:
I personally think the test was a little unfair.
Questions like "Do you not want to be a loser?" Who wants to be a loser?
Needless to say i did "well" on the test. That me always suceeding.
So were you successful in becoming a Nazi or avoiding becoming a Nazi?
I succeeded in becoming one.
Some people would argue that succeeding in becoming a Nazi is the same thing as failing to be a human.
And there was no question that asked "Do you not want to be a loser?"
The test tries to be subtle about it, but it's pretty clear the test has as a central premise the belief that supporting Bush (to whatever degree) is analagous to supporting Hitler in the 30's. If you're mildly supportive, you'd have joined the army and fought or guarded a gas chamber or whatever. If you love the guy, you're Hermann Goring. Hate him, good news, you're placing bombs under the vehicles of Vichy officials.
The test confirms the prejudices of the test-maker - and I'm sure he giggles every time a Republican finds out they're the 2005 equivalent of an SS member, but I'd put more stock in the quiz I took that says out of Simpsons characters, I'm Krusty the Clown.
I scored Foot Soldier, if full disclosure is needed. If someone really thinks I'd have joined the Nazi Army in 1935 because I voted for George Bush in 2004, feel free, and I'll adjust how seriously I take that person accordingly.
No but there was the oppisite question.
"Do you like to be on the winnng team?"
Who wants to be a loser? What it should have asked is if, you mind being on the losing team, which the anwser to that question is no.
My work softball team only won two games and that was in the playoffs
I scored as part of the Resistance.
I agree that it was poorly constructed though. I would assume that most of the 'greatest generation' that actually beat the Nazi's would have also scored as Nazi's on this test.
It is also interesting that the introduction of the quiz says "I don't know about you, but I take solace from the fact that Germany was split in half, never to be reunited again." Doesn't give me a lot of faith in the author's knowledge of history or politics.
For me to like or not like the results would require this test to have more credence than a random number generator.
And it doesn't, so I'm neutral either way.
None of the questions have any veracity, because they make no allowance for how good a German anyone would be when faced with Hitler. Unless, of course, they're just assuming that current authority (reader's deference & trust of which is relied on to evaluate whether we'd join the Nazis) is similar.
Discounting something credible because you don't like the results is bad form - this is correct. It's also bad form to elevate nonsense because you do like the results.
I think something to keep in mind is that it is easy to discount Germans as mindless sheep looking back, but Hitler didn't start his rise to power on a platform of gassing Jews. If everyone had known what he would become, I don't think he would have ever had any support. But it was a gradual development, and the people that supported him initially held many of the same values that are questioned on the test. Of course it isn't scientific proof. The premise is how you may have acted in a specific situation 70 years ago based on 30 questions. And it does not take into consideration certain things like "Are you Jewish?"
The test doesn't take into account the leftist political leanings of the National Socialist Workers Party.
While I scored as a potential nazi for the patriotism, I would have failed if there were questions about whether I would support Eugenics, expanded welfare, minimum wage, anti-trust, political correctness, nationalization of industries, education establishment used as a propaganda tool of the state, nationalization of elderly care, the attack on capitalism as an oozing sore of greed...
These are all firmly leftist (socialist) credos that I would never have fallen for.
Too many historical revisionists are parroting the imbecilic idea that nazis were right wing. They were not. They were far left wing whackos.
I think you are missing the point. People could also say, "I wouldn't have been a Nazi because I like Jews". Obviously if you supported all of the Nazi values you could move to Germany and join the Nazi party right now. And do you think you would feel the same way about welfare and a minimum wage if you country had just suffered the worst inflation in the history of the world and you and everyone you knew was hopelessly poor?
Considering my circumstances - to have been born and experienced American capitalism - yes, I would still feel the same way about welfare and the minimum wage.
Both stifle economic advancement and only retard recoveries from recessions.
I happened to like the way Jerry Brown talked back in the 90s. But after he lost the democratic nomination and his actual policies started hitting the airwaves, I was glad he didn't make it. I would not have voted for him.
Likewise, I had as much patriotism for my country under Clinton, but I never voted for him.
I think picking a few small aspects and claiming a susceptibility to naziism based on those few small aspects is "stacking the deck."
While I fell for patriotism and vulnerability to good speakers as a conservative, a liberal could easily rate the same in the good speaker category by liking Moore and Dean, and fill the second aspect of the three by claiming intolerance to religion.
Totally opposite what I am but achieving the same results.
I'm not complaining about the test... it means nothing. But the criteria made it... more of a joke.
I don't think the test is saying that conservatives are more likely to be Nazis. At least that isn't what I got out of it. Liberals and conservatives have proven themselves equally willing to blindly follow a charismatic leader. I think questioning authority and resisting the temptation to always label yourself as the forces of good and righteousness are more important.
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