This article was first published by Rational Standard on 5 June 2025
This essay started out as an exercise for objectively judging who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Of course, that is far too subjective. One woman’s “good” is another man’s “awful”. After much reflection I decided to use the terms “left” and “right” as a proxy for good and bad, without ever saying which is which.
I have attempted to develop a subject-neutral list of left and right common traits, which is then used to assess how the chosen subject ranks on the left-right spectrum. Depending on your point of view, that will make the subject either good or bad, in your humble opinion.
For example, based on their actions and statements, the subject may rank intentions above consequences, or individuals above the group. You allocate a value from 1 to 5 to each trait, subtract the left rank from the right, and you are left with your nett assessment of the subject’s position on the left-right spectrum. Summing these nett assessments will give you an overall total which identifies the subject as left-leaning or right-inclined. It is then up to you, the reader, to decide if that makes them good guys or bad guys.
I have submitted two South African political parties to the quiz as an example of how it can be used. You can tailor this quiz to your own tastes, using keywords of your own, or adding additional ones from the list supplied. Make a copy of the blank quiz and give it to friends to see if they agree with you. You can build a profile of the subject by averaging the results of multiple quizzes from different people.
Additional characteristics for consideration
honour vs shame
self-esteem vs victimhood
self-respect vs free stuff
influence vs authority
calm vs panic
value vs appearance
influence vs arrogance
quiet vs noise
courage vs popularity
clean vs filthy
kindness vs cruelty
selfish vs altruist
dignity vs crudity
intelligence vs stupidity
polite vs rude
