{"slug":"political-compass","name":"Political Compass","url":"/templates/political-compass.jpg","w":1815,"h":1975,"top":"","bottom":"","description":"The four-quadrant political compass meme. Drop any topic into Authoritarian Left, Authoritarian Right, Libertarian Left, and Libertarian Right to see where it lands on the spectrum.","keywords":"political compass meme, four quadrant meme, auth left lib right, political compass template, pcm meme","year":2017,"origin":"Based on the Political Compass website, which maps political beliefs on two axes: economic (left/right) and social (authoritarian/libertarian). The meme format took off around 2017 on Reddit, especially in the r/PoliticalCompassMemes community. Users place opinions, behaviors, foods, fictional characters, and anything else into the four colored quadrants. The humor comes from taking something completely apolitical and forcing it into a political framework. For another grid-based classification system, see Alignment Chart (moral grid).","format":"template","textBoxes":[{"label":"Auth Left","x":3,"y":5,"w":44,"h":40,"placeholder":"Authoritarian Left","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":true,"isAllCaps":false,"fontSize":40,"textAlign":"center"},{"label":"Auth Right","x":53,"y":5,"w":44,"h":40,"placeholder":"Authoritarian Right","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":true,"isAllCaps":false,"fontSize":40,"textAlign":"center"},{"label":"Lib Left","x":3,"y":55,"w":44,"h":40,"placeholder":"Libertarian Left","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":true,"isAllCaps":false,"fontSize":40,"textAlign":"center"},{"label":"Lib Right","x":53,"y":55,"w":44,"h":40,"placeholder":"Libertarian Right","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":true,"isAllCaps":false,"fontSize":40,"textAlign":"center"}],"howToMake":["Four text boxes sit inside the four colored quadrants: red/pink for Auth Left, blue for Auth Right, green for Lib Left, and purple/pink for Lib Right","Choose any topic and assign one item, opinion, or character to each quadrant. The less political the subject, the funnier it usually is","Black text is pre-set to read clearly against the pastel-colored backgrounds","Resize or restyle the text if your entries need more room. Bold headlines with a short description underneath work well","Hit Download for a PNG or Share to launch the quadrant debate"],"exampleCaptions":["Sharing is mandatory","Tradition is non-negotiable","Everyone should just vibe","I will sell you the vibes"],"exampleAltText":"Political compass meme with humorous entries in all four quadrants","exampleRefreshDate":"2026-03-14","seo":{"aliases":["Political Compass Meme","PCM Template","Four Quadrant Meme","Auth Left Lib Right Meme","Compass Meme"],"description":"Four colored quadrants divided by black axes with arrows. Top-left is pink/red (Authoritarian Left), top-right is blue (Authoritarian Right), bottom-left is green (Libertarian Left), bottom-right is purple/pink (Libertarian Right). \"Economic-Left\" and \"Economic-Right\" labels mark the horizontal axis. The whole image sits on a black border, presenting a clean canvas for placing anything along two political dimensions.","definition":"Four colored quadrants represent political positions along economic and social axes. Meme creators drop items, opinions, or characters into each square, often applying the political framework to hilariously non-political topics like sandwich preferences or sleeping positions.","useCases":[{"category":"Everyday Behaviors","examples":["How different people approach splitting the dinner bill","Thermostat preferences mapped to political ideology","Four approaches to parallel parking, from cautious rule-follower to lawless improviser"]},{"category":"Food & Cooking","examples":["Types of pizza eaters across the compass","How each quadrant handles leftovers","Coffee orders by political quadrant, from communal pot to artisan single-origin"]},{"category":"Work & Career","examples":["How each quadrant handles a meeting that should have been an email","Approaches to workplace dress codes","Four ways to respond when the boss asks you to stay late"]},{"category":"Pop Culture & Fandoms","examples":["Sorting fictional characters from a show into quadrants","Music genres as political compass positions","Types of movie villains by quadrant"]},{"category":"Social Media Behavior","examples":["Four different ways people use Instagram stories","How each quadrant handles getting tagged in an unflattering photo","Reply styles in group chats by compass position"]},{"category":"Gaming Styles","examples":["RPG playstyles across the compass, from lawful paladin to chaotic murder hobo","How each quadrant approaches in-game economies","Four types of Minecraft players mapped to quadrants"]}]}}