User:Decumanus/How to decide if a political position category is NPOV

See Categories for deletion/Log/2005 June 19 for background.

Rule for deciding if a political-position category is NPOV

''For a category regarding a political position to be NPOV, it is necessary that:
 * 1) a person in that category must agree that he/she belongs in that category and that his/her opponents do not belong in that category.
 * 2) furthermore the political opponents of the person in the category must agree that the person in the category does indeed belong in that category, and that they (the opponents) do not belong in that category.

Let's apply this to the categories in question


 * 1) Consider Gary Bauer, a person currently in the category Category:LGBT rights opposition. Imagine going to him and asking him, "Do you consider yourself to be in the category of a person who is opposed to LGBT rights?" Although I don't know what his reply would be, I could easily imagine that it might be something like, "If by LGBT rights, you mean the right to free speech, as well as have, then no, I am not opposed. But if by right, you mean the special and previously unlawful privilege to desecrate God's convenant and the institution of marriage, then by all means, I am opposed. So yes, in the way you probably mean that question, I guess you could put me in that category."
 * 2) Now go to someone who on the other side of the fence than him, someone who considers himself/herself "in favor of LGBT rights" and ask them "would you consider Gary Bauer to be in the category of opposition to LGBT rights, and furthermore would you be confortable with his being included and your not being included in that category?" They would almost certainly answer, "Of course!".
 * 3) Thus, as I imagine it, both Gary Bauer and his opponents would comfortably considering Gary Bauer to be in the category Category:LGBT rights opposition, and would probably both be comfortable with Gary's opponent not being included in that category. Conclusion: as I imagine the response of people concerned with the issue at hand, the category Category:LGBT rights opposition stands a good chance of being NPOV as written.


 * 1) Now consider Ken Blackwell, a person currently in the categories Category:Pro-U.S. Constitution and Category:Pro-Family, etc. Imagine going to him and asking him: "Do you consider yourself to be in the category of someone who is Pro-United States Constitution and Pro-Family?"  I imagine his answer would most certainly be "Of course!" So far so good.
 * 2) Now go to one of his political opponents, and ask: "Do you consider Ken Blackwell to be in the category of someone who is Pro-U.S. Constitution and Pro-Family, and furthermore are you confortable with his being included and your not being included in those categories? The answer I imagine you might get is something along the lines of "You gotta f-ing kidding me. It's Ken Blackwell who wants to shit on the Constitution! And the nerve of him, claiming to be 'Pro-Family'! If anything, he's Anti-Constitution and Anti-Family!"
 * 3) Thus, as I imagine it, although Ken Blackwell may be confortable with the categorization of himself and not his opponents as Pro-U.S. Constitution and Pro-Family, this categorization would almost certainly be disputed with great vigor by his opponents. Conclusion: as they are currently defined, the categories  Category:Pro-U.S. Constitution, Category:Pro-Family are definitely POV. To make these categories NPOV,  it would be necessary to redefine them to allow inclusion of both Ken Blackwell and his political opponents.