All About My Political Ideology

I'm Kamaria.

 I'm seventeen years old, a Leo, and according to this test, I'm a Solid Liberal. 

So... What does that mean? Why does it matter?

The Spectrum.

A Solid Liberal lies at the far left of this particular political spectrum and is defined as the "Largest group in the Democratic coalition. Highly educated and largely white. Express liberal attitudes on virtually every issue... Solid Liberals are the most Democratic of all typology groups: nearly two-thirds (64%) identify as Democrats, another 35% lean toward the Democratic Party." I'm not white and don't consider myself highly educated (yet.), but I do think all of my political views align with the beliefs of a solid liberal. For example, I think abortion should be legal, that the government needs to play a bigger role in order to provide more services, and that business corporations make too much profit. Basically, I'm very liberal.

There are other ideologies aren't there?

Because I'm so far left on the spectrum there are a ton of other ideologies I could compare myself to, but just for funsies, I'll go with the ideology on the opposite side of the spectrum. Those across the pond are referred to as Core Conservatives. These individuals are described as "hold[ing] conservative attitudes across a wide range of issues, especially in their support for smaller government. ... Core Conservatives are relatively upbeat about national conditions and a majority says that the United States “stands above” all other nations in the world." 

From this graph (Pew, Political Typology Quiz), It's clear as day that there is a humongous gap between me and a Core Conservative. For example, a Core Conservative believes there should be a smaller government because the government shouldn't provide more services and that the freer the market, the better.  A Solid Liberal is an exact opposite! Solid Liberals believe there should be a larger, more involved government in order to provide more service and should have a ton of regulations to prevent exploitation. In fact, this belief is the very reason for many other contrasting ideas. Its the reason why Core Conservatives believe that the government shouldn't pull out all the stops to help those in need (as opposed to Solid Liberals) and why Solid Liberals believe that working hard won't guarantee anyone success.

These are other some other key differences. This relates to what percentage of Core Conservatives (red) and the general public (beige) agree with my opinion (stated above percentages).

 How did I get this way?

So, I know I'm a Solid Liberal... Great! but... Why am I a Solid Liberal? Yes, I know 'because of my beliefs, blah blah blah', but why do I hold those beliefs? 

Well, as we grow up, we all go through a process called Political Socialization. Political Socialization is a lifelong process through which people form their ideas about politics and acquire political values. Your family, educational system, peer groups, and the mass media all play a role in the way you develop your ideology. Now that we know what that's all about, let's get to the bottom of this. 

Some factors of political socialization include gender, ethnicity, religion, schooling, family and news. I'm an African American cis-gendered girl (intersectional feminist that isn't for racial superiority), identify as pansexual (so I won't be associated with a group holding homophobic views), am an atheist (no politics tied to faith),  have had liberal teachers all my life (always been taught to think left.), come from a family with democratic values (raised democratic), and get my news from new-age liberal media outlets (left biases present).  Every single one of these things has made me into the Solid Liberal I am, just like they've made you into the whatever-ideology you are.

In conclusion, Political Ideologies are ways of categorizing like-minded individuals. Whether you're a Solid Liberal or a Core Conservative, you got there somehow. Whether it was through your mom and dads influence or your teacher's influence all depends on the way you choose to live out your life.