Red or Blue?

Wondering if you're more of a "red state" or "blue state" person? Slate now has a handy quiz. I came out exactly in the middle, which is probably just about right.

Comments

[Matt Welch]

I am also middle, which should probably call the whole methodology into question.

[Hanah Metchis]

Hey, it's just for fun. Actually, when I went to their "methodology" page and added my answers up by hand, it came out 85 points for blue, 130 for red.

[Czar]

They need a none of the above/I don't know button.

Middle.

[Patrick]

I am "slightly blue" - which is redder than I have any right to be given that I am a proud New Yorker. Or maybe I just know too many useless facts.

[Mark S.]

I ended up slightly in the middle, favoring red. The thing is, they assume knowledge of certain cultural trends means that you accept them. For instatnce, just because I knew that Dale Ernhardt's car number was 3, doesn't mean I watch NASCAR. As a matter of fact, I dispise it.

[Lowdog]

Says I'm looking a little red.

[Mo]

I'm in the middle, leaning red. Considering I've voted for a Democrate candidate for President in every election I could (both of 'em), grew up in CA and spent the past 8 years in LA, SF, NY and Boston, pretty crazy. Of course, my sports knowledge gave me 15 red points for knowing the Big XII and who Dale Earnheart was.

[zero]

According to the quiz I need to get out of the sun. I thought I was more blue than that.

[Neb Okla]

It said I was a little red too.

I sent the link to a friend from Florida. First the page wouldn't load, and then he accidentally voted for Buchannon. Oh well.

[Julian Sanchez]

Not terribly surprisingly, I'm moderately blue. And the quiz reminded me that I need to walk over to the P-street Whole Foods later today...

[J]

I knew that family trip to Branson when I was a little kid would come back to bite me in the ass.

[Lisa Simpson]

Ditto on correct answers (including guesses) not equaling fandom. I thought the idea and "Scantron" format were quite clever, though. I got "a little blue in here".

[Mo]

Matt,
I'll ask my brother for some Egyptian derogatory terms for the Lebanese. The only terms I know are something along the lines of hot, fast women. 🙂

[Phil]

I was right down the middle. But again, how you come by knowledge is as important as what you do/don't like/endorse. I know what the Eighth Commandment is not because of my long-ago Christian days, but because of "Homer Simpson v. the Eighth Commandment." I know how long Rush is on because I follow the radio business. And so forth. On an honest test, I'd probably come out about 70/30 blue.

[Peter K]

I was unable to take the test because it was impossible to scroll get the spaces for answers 29 and above, and the submit button, to appear on screen.

[Peter K]

I was unable to take the test because it was impossible to scroll to get the spaces for answers 29 and above, and the submit button, to appear on screen.

[Mo]

Oops, above post was meant for the FMA thread.

[JSM]

Yep, still a redneck, now how did I end up in Rep. Jim McDermotts district? Doesn't matter, it seems to be a little more green in my neighborhood!

[Pepe]

I'm a native Californian and currently live in San Francisco. They have me in the middle leaning red. I did grow up in Orange County so maybe that's why - although what is Orange County on the Red/Blue spectrum? You've got political conservatism mixed with yuppie cultural tastes: People who listen to Rush Limbaugh while on their way to shop at Whole Foods.

Like others said it seems like they consider knowledge of something as the same as favoring it. Just because I watch enough TV to know a few NYC locations it doesn't make me a blue person anymore than knowing about Walmart makes me a red person (isn't walmart pretty much everywhere now?).

[Mike]

I got blue points for living where I didn't have a car and walked to work. Which means I got blue points for being in the Army.

[Kevin Carson]

Peter K,

I couldn't get it to scroll either.

[Trey]

As to scrolling, you can scroll in the questions section and select your answers there. It will fill in the "scantron" for you.

[Matt Welch]

Scrolling was tricky; I was able to manage by moving the whole windox-box deal up a notch or two.

[Marty]

I want the last 5 minutes of my life back

[Isaac Bartram]

"If you're not satisfied with your results, change some of your answers and submit them again."

Sounds like Groucho. "Those are my principles, if you don't like them I can change."

[Isaac Bartram]

"If you're not satisfied with your results, change some of your answers and submit them again."

Sounds like Groucho. "Those are my principles, if you don't like them I have others."

[Malak]

I'm sort of mauve. Must be a Canadian thing . . .

[kevrob]

It said that I'm "a little red." Thing is, I knew the "correct" answer to most of the factual questions, whether they were red or blue markers. I grew up on Long Island when it was dependably Republican, and moved to a Midwestern city which is dependably Democratic. Those of us who, like many Americans, have lived in more than one region will be aware of cultural minutiae that the more settled won't be. Even that division will be a little fuzzy given how the media drive knowledge of things elsewhere to our TV and computer screens.

I bought a new TV at Wal-Mart this week, just in time for the All-Star game. I brought it home on the bus. I don't think the test-makers expect that sort of mix.

Kevin

[Dave Straub]

Neat quiz. I'm in the middle, trending very slightly to red. Rural PA apparently has rubbed off on me.

[MarkW]

Kind of a dumb quiz--a lot of the questions were essentially versions of 'have you ever lived in NY City'? And then many of the supposedly 'red' familiarity questions concern geographical knowledge of northern states that actually lean blue in presidential elections (Door County WI, the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, Quad cities in Illinois and Iowa).

[Joe Majsterski]

I actually had no clue on many of the questions that would finger me as red or blue, so I guessed. Therefore, this quiz doesn't really tell me much.

[KentInDC]

I need to get out of the sun, but the quiz is pretty much a measure of where you have been rather than what you believe or how you live. I have lived in da Yoo Pee, but drive past a Whole Foods store every weekend. However, I neither hunt nor ice fish, and have never bought anything but the Sunday Washington Post at WF stores.

[Isaac Bartram]

Needed a "No idea/couldn't give a shit" answer.

How does knowing who Jeb Bartlett is tell any thing about political leanings anyway? I have never watched a single episode of "The West Wing" because I have no interest in watching an hourlong Democrat infomercial once a week. That should give me red points, but I got blue points for knowing the answer.

I scored right in the center.

[Ironchef]

I'm a little red. Sue me for living in the South and being exposed to Dale, Sam's club, and close to a WalMart.

[Madog]

I got right in the middle. I think getting both the red & blue trivia questions "correct" is the cause.

The problem with the quiz is that on most of them a reasonably well read or well traveled person will know the answer.