Critique of McCandless & Posavec's Left/Right Government Infographic

Before I move forward with this post, I wish to acknowledge the brilliance that this graphic has offered to my understanding of political systems.  I viewed this graphic after scanning the rhetorical and logical fallacies chart (another fine example of well-structured information).  But I noted that the vast array of examples of foggy reasoning leaned heavily on conservative thought, only once using Bill Clinton's example of the overt lie as bad logic.  It was then that I saw that one of the sites other displays was a graphic explaining the concepts of left-wing and right-wing political opinion.  I was curious, so I switched views and admired the depth of detail in explaining the major tenets of what it meant to be left and right in the political spectrum.

The graphic splits into two areas each employing red and blue ink to differentiate the major groups.  And yes, Democratic Party was found in the blue section, the Republican in the red.  For the most part it noted the emphases of each mindset fairly, with the leftist desire for equality matched by the rightist love for freedom.  It acknowledged the leftist approach of having government interfere with the structures of society and the rightist tenet of non-interference.  I agree that the leftist family would seek to promote the potential of their children while the rightist drives to form good character as their main goal.  I questioned the viewpoint of social evolution as the primary socialogical trend of the leftist while the rightist seeks the status quo; it seemed more of a matter of change and acceptance of same.  A conservative would acknowledge that change occurs, but wishes such change would impact society positively, and seeks towards a studied change.

Yet, I felt the diagram also injected unsubstantial dogma, which would easily lead to strawman argumentation (the promotion of the opponent's argument that clearly is a weaken argument, or a misconception of the argument.  In the political spectrum, the Democratic Party would match with the Communist Party, while the Republican would have the Nationalist Party as its kindred spirit.  This is an unnecessary pigeonhole.  Republicans have the ability to field candidates from a wide range of political viewpoints; thus the present Republican primary-debates seem to be a wrangling over who is the true conservative.  Indeed, several of the Democratic Party members would identify as conservative, whether fiscal or moral.  we always seem to fume over RINO's and DINO's.  The notion that the foundation of the leftist as scientific while the rightist is theistic is also inaccurate.  It begs to lead to the unfounded notion that rightists are Bible banging science haters; leftists as godless hooligans..  To suggest that the educational approaches of the leftist lean towards cooperation while rightists favor individualism belies the usage of cooperative learning strategies employed in conservative schools.  To indicate that the leftist tends to be urban while the rightist tends to be rural promotes the misconception that the urbanite can't be conservative, nor the farmer a liberal.  In fact, I am a conservative and a teacher.  This occupation is deemed an exploit of the left-leaner.  I am said to be better suited-for business.  I personally can't fathom economics.

In short, while the info gram tends to be a fine compendium of political concepts, it can never be a 100% fool-proof indicator of each and every person's political assessment.  To bandy about that leftists are pacifists and rightists are militarists could be simplistic, and slanderous.  Even a leftist has been known to throw a punch, a rightist to offer philanthropic gestures.

I offer the infographic below.  Examine and ponder.