Mean.
And liberal. Extremely.
Hmmm … What does that say about me?
Same as you yellow. I’m far left and would rather be considered mean. Only wavering from my liberal stance is that I’m militantly opposed to affirmative action.
Left wing.
Whether I would want to be considered mean or weak depends very much on the circumstances. I believe in tolerance, and second chances, and negotiation and compromise, and taking all possible circumstances into consideration: all of which could be considered weak. But once the second chance has come and gone, I’m much more inclined to be a hard-liner. I hate bullies, but admire those who stick to their guns.
Probably I’m weak but aspire to meaness.
I am in that camp, myself. I don’t care if people think I’m weak. Just try me, and you’ll get some “weak” upside your head…I’m a big guy and I’ve never been concerned with that sort of perception, other than I consider “mean” to be a more negative characteristic than “weak”.
One point I may add to this is that there should be a distinction between physical and mental. One can be physically strong and mentally weak, and vice versa.
I’m a center-left, middle-class person.
I’d much rather be perceived as mean than as weak, but why do I have to be uncivilized to be mean? I’m very civilized.
I’m a moderate with slight leftist tendencies.
Weak.
Leftist.
Sorry the opposite of weak is strong not mean and mean does not equal strong. Its like asking someone if they prefer purple or sour. Having said that I would prefer to be thought of (and actually be) mean than weak. Politically Conservative (defense, law enforcement, economics) socially Moderate (1st amendment, abortion, etc).
Given a choice between weak or mean, I choose mean. But then I might actually be mean. I know I’m not weak.
I’m a fiscal conservative/social moderate.
Purple please!
I’d go with mean, weakness is one of the worst traits a leader can have, IMO.
I consider myself a socialist.
Weak. Because everyone would laugh me off and underestimate me. But then…hooboy!
Leftist/liberal
A very poorly framed question; I’m not sure what you mean by “weak,” “mean,” or “uncivilized”; I think I’ve got a handle on “cowardly,” though. “Mean” is properly defined as “petty,” “small-minded,” “stingy,” or “selfish.” The definition I think you’re using is a sort of American slang meaning “bad-tempered,” and you might even mean “cruel.” “Uncivilized,” going back to the proper definition of “civilized,” I take to mean “unsuited to living in cities; barbaric or coarse.” Your definition is anybody’s guess, but I suppose it must be similar to your definition of “mean”; perhaps you mean “hostile,” or “violent,” or “willing to impose on my fellow citizens.”
I’m also puzzled by the question itself. Do you mean “would I prefer people to think of me (as a person) as weak or mean?” Do you mean"would I prefer people to think of me (as a representative of my political beliefs) as weak or mean?" It makes a difference.
As a socialist, I do not care to be regarded as weak, but “meanness,” in its proper definition, is anathema. What you mean by it, on the other hand, is something considerably different. Do I personally object to being thought cruel, or violent, or dictatorial? Yes. Do I prefer those to weakness? Yes. So I guess you can put me down as a “mean leftist.”
An interesting observation: It seems to me that all the folks who chose “I’d rather be considered weak” as an option always disclaim it with “…and then, when my foes underestimate me, they’ll discover how strong I really am.” That is, it’s merely the perception of weakness they’re embracing, not the reality. In contrast, the folks who chose “I’d rather be considered mean” seem to see it as a defining character trait, along the lines of “I might act like a badass, but at least I won’t be stepped on, like the weaklings.”
Does this suggest that the folks who chose the “weak” option have a self-image that comes from within themselves? That is, they’re not concerned with how others perceive them, because they know how they really are, and can refute any imagined weakness if the need arises? Would this then extend to an opposing idea for the “mean” side, that the folks choosing that option feel they must act in accordance to how they are perceived by others?
Opinions?
I don’t think so. It’s a question of deterrent: if you’re seen as weak, people will try to take advantage of you. Of course, if you successfully resist then you can no longer be seen as being weak.
Further, if you appear weak, you will be ignored.
Classical liberal (or libertarian) here. I prefer mean on fiscal issues and weak on social issues.
Well, the opposite of weak is not mean, but strong.
So if you’re equating strong with mean, then hell yes, I’d rather be strong.
I think it’s the opposite. People who would rather be perceived as " weak but…" are choosing the more socially acceptable image (you don’t see “weak people suck” as an slogan), so doesn’t that mean they’re more conscious of outside perception, and more hopeful-willing to pander to it despite whether the label truly fits them or not? If you’re explaining it away as " I’d rather they think of me as __ but I’m really __" you’re being less truthful, anyway. To thy own self be true, as long as people don’t get mad about it.
Sort of depends on where you are, I guess. Of course, they typically use various colorful words that they consider to be synonyms.
As one of the people sorta responsible for starting this thread, I’d like to state some things.
Some posters here seem to be assuming that one cannot be strong without being mean. I disagree with this. A person can be consummately strong without being the least bit weak. (Conversely, a person can be very weak and very mean).
What my original proposition assumed was:
*Sometimes we are faced with choices of what action to take.
Often, one action will make us appear a) stronger, but meaner; and another action will make us appear b) less mean but weaker.
Under these simplifications, over some iteration of such choices, and for a variety of reasons, a person will choose a) or b) a majority of the time.
Which choice do you make?*
This is what I was trying to ask.
Thanks to everyone contributing to this fun discussion.
PS: I haven’t answered here the distinction between appearing mean/weak, etc. and actually being those things. That’s a whole nother point.