What are PCMs? Well, Political Compass Memes are memes (of course) using the Political Compass, a dogshit online test that no one should ever use. Seriously, the test itself is terrible. But through the years, the dual-axis chart has lent itself, like D&D alignment, to many, many in-jokes, comparisons, character assassination, and general mayhem. And like D&D alignment, it’s both subjective, and doesn’t say anything useful about a person.

To be entirely clear, self-identification by quadrant is better than taking the test - and self-identification on the Political Compass is maybe a single step above horoscopes. At best, it outlines broad values. Actual discussions of policy and governance can’t really be easily mapped in any real or linear sense. We’re just here to have fun and make dumb jokes.

Some of you may have previously avoided PCM on the Old Place because it was distinctly… right-wing, especially in a ‘bothsides!’ sense. That is not going to be the case in this community.

I’d like to let everyone know that I’m a Libleft who intends on ruling this place with an Authleft fist. That is to say, Nazis, homophobes, transphobes, etc, get 0 tolerance, and the community, regardless of who comes here, gets 0 say in that (not that I expect Lemmy, of all places, to produce a problematic community which objects to rejecting bigotry). More mods may join the oligarchy in the future.

Other than that, in general, I’ll try to stay hands off on Liberal vs. Left, Liberal vs. Liberal, and Left vs. Left squabbles, but memeing from a genuine authright viewpoint will not be welcome. And ‘irony’ doesn’t go very far as an excuse.

So, all that being said, what ARE the quadrants? There are either 4 or 5 (making it not a quadrant) depending on the joke. Centrists are the potential fifth one. Each of them represents alignment along two axes - Authoritian vs. Libertarian, and economic Left vs. Right.

This and this are examples of good PCMs that ‘get’ all the quadrants without losing its humor or playing favorites. Most PCMs will play favorites, and be from a certain political viewpoint - and there’s nothing wrong with that! Unless you’re a fascist fuck, in which case you can fuck off. Most PCMs will favor some quadrants, and more harshly lampoon others. That’s okay. That’s what we’re here for. It’s all in good fun, and if this community survives, we’ll all get our licks in, I promise you.

Each of the quadrants has developed certain in-jokes and characteristics in memeing. I encourage you to look through past posts to get a feel for it, but broadly speaking:

  • Authleft - Soviets, tanks, “OUR things”. “No food” jokes are common. Guillotines for landlords and central planning for bread lines! Stalin and Mao are the patron saints of Authleft jokes, and most jokes about either of them can be applied here.

  • Authright - varies, but usually either making fun of fascists/racists/religious fanatics, or, if the quadrant is meant to be less atrocious in the meme, monarchists, militarists, or hardcore loyalists to institutions.

  • Center - Just wants to grill. Typically, if authright isn’t given to liberals in Western democracies (as the original Political Compass bizarrely places them), they go here, wringing their hands and pleading for the status quo to remain. Drone jokes. Cops, ballots, the unthinking status quo.

  • Libleft - Drugs, LGBTQ activism, anarchism, hippies. Usually the joke (when not vile) is being ineffectual, overly idealistic, high, or obsessing about small things to the detriment of the bigger picture or any solutions.

  • Libright - Money, guns, and hating government. Most commonly lampooned as outright ancaps, though most who self-identify libright would probably legitimately be less extreme than THAT. Waging a private war with child soldiers and McNukes™ against your neighbor for violating the NAP with his sound waves is common. Jokes about how libertarians (in the US sense) seem to have a disproportionate number of people who defend a… low age of consent are common. Try not to go overboard with that, not because making fun of them isn’t funny, but because we don’t want the board filling up with just pedophilia jokes. That feels… gross, even in mocking it. Occasional usage is not only fine but recommended, though!

Phew. I believe that’s it. I apologize for being wordy as all hell. I hope you stay and have a good time; and if you don’t stay, I hope at least you won’t come to view us as a blight on the community like other PCM subs.