Anchorman (the user, not the movie!) got me to thinking. I wonder how many people's political beliefs have changed.
I know mine have. Growing up (as hard as it may be to believe for some) I was a Far Right Republican who believed everything wrong with this country could be fixed by letting Ronald Reagan run for President again. I was pretty far to the right both socially and economically.
Around the time I moved out and started college, my social beliefs started moving left. My wife certainly influenced my politics some. She always believed that everyone should be able to have healthcare. She become a teacher because she felt the best way to do that was to help students attain the skills they needed to get a good job. That's when I started moving to the left on social issues, and a little to the left on economic issues as well.
Now (in many ways because of my kids) I'm more aligned with the green party than anyone else. My political views have totally evolved.. I'm about the opposite of where I was when I was growing up. Has anyone else changed their political beliefs so much? Or have you stayed mostly the same?
If not political ideology entirely, what about individual issues? Any issues you've turned around on?
As I've gotten older I've moved to the Left on several of my positions.
Quote:Anchorman (the user, not the movie!) got me to thinking. I wonder how many people's political beliefs have changed.
I know mine have. Growing up (as hard as it may be to believe for some) I was a Far Right Republican who believed everything wrong with this country could be fixed by letting Ronald Reagan run for President again. I was pretty far to the right both socially and economically.
Around the time I moved out and started college, my social beliefs started moving left. My wife certainly influenced my politics some. She always believed that everyone should be able to have healthcare. She become a teacher because she felt the best way to do that was to help students attain the skills they needed to get a good job. That's when I started moving to the left on social issues, and a little to the left on economic issues as well.
Now (in many ways because of my kids) I'm more aligned with the green party than anyone else. My political views have totally evolved.. I'm about the opposite of where I was when I was growing up. Has anyone else changed their political beliefs so much? Or have you stayed mostly the same?
If not political ideology entirely, what about individual issues? Any issues you've turned around on?
Your story follows mine fairly similarly though it wasn't college that did it as I went to college later in life than most.
Changed dramatically. I was far left on everything growing up, far right on most issues during and shortly after college (though I stayed left on social policy), and have since settled into a happy medium.
Quote:,,,and started college, my social beliefs started moving left.
^^This is the case for many, many people.
I'm not saying it's right or wrong,, and don't care to debate the cause or place blame.
It's just an observation. I have seen this happen to people in college many times in my own personal life.
It's very natural for people to change their views as they grow older.
People continue to chnage.
Issues come and go.
Quote:Anchorman (the user, not the movie!) got me to thinking. I wonder how many people's political beliefs have changed.
I know mine have. Growing up (as hard as it may be to believe for some) I was a Far Right Republican who believed everything wrong with this country could be fixed by letting Ronald Reagan run for President again. I was pretty far to the right both socially and economically.
Around the time I moved out and started college, my social beliefs started moving left. My wife certainly influenced my politics some. She always believed that everyone should be able to have healthcare. She become a teacher because she felt the best way to do that was to help students attain the skills they needed to get a good job. That's when I started moving to the left on social issues, and a little to the left on economic issues as well.
Now (in many ways because of my kids) I'm more aligned with the green party than anyone else. My political views have totally evolved.. I'm about the opposite of where I was when I was growing up. Has anyone else changed their political beliefs so much? Or have you stayed mostly the same?
If not political ideology entirely, what about individual issues? Any issues you've turned around on?
I would say that the above bolded part is because the majority of college campuses and their professors/administrations are clearly on the left.
As for me, I'm quite the opposite (believe it or not).
I wouldn't say that my family is necessarily liberal, but they always voted for democrats no matter what. It wasn't until I got a bit older that I started paying attention to politics (around voting age). I started actually paying attention and realized that my views didn't really match up with the views of democrats. I cast my first ever vote for President for Ronald Reagan helping to elect him to his second term.
My views went further to the right after serving in the military and working as a government contractor over the years. Fairly recently, some of my views regarding social issues brought me back towards the center, though I am still clearly on the right.
It's interesting though. I remember having a conversation with my parents prior to the last election, and I asked them a few simple questions. Keep in mind, my parents have been retired for many years, and both came from very much lower income households. They are also very devout Catholics.
I asked them about abortion (they are against it). I asked them about the death penalty (again they are against it). I asked them about marriage (they believe that marriage is between a man and a woman). I asked them how much of every dollar that they earn should go towards taxes. Keep in mind, my parents are not "wealthy" by any means, they are what I would term "middle class" or possibly "upper middle class", but they gave me a number. I asked them if it was "fair" that someone that owns a small business that shows their income from their business on their personal tax return to have to pay more. The answer was no (my parents are very good friends with many small business owners).
I pointed out that with the exception of the death penalty question, their points of view are more aligned with the republican party than the democrat party.
Quote:^^This is the case for many, many people.
I'm not saying it's right or wrong,, and don't care to debate the cause or place blame.
It's just an observation. I have seen this happen to people in college many times in my own personal life.
It's very natural for people to change their views as they grow older.
People continue to chnage.
Issues come and go.
Considering the dominant political influence of an overwhelming percentage of those in tenured positions at universities around the country, it doesn't surprise me one bit to see people drift to the left in college.
I started out a Liberal Democrat, Voted for Mr Peanut (Jimmy Carter) iin my 1st election. Then I Voted for Mondale over Reagan. Well, to make a long story short, Reagan fixed a bad economy and I was actually working again. I figured with the Job, plus the Fall of the Soviet Union (I grew up in the cold war years) Something must be right about the Republicans. So I voted for Smiling George Bush Sr and never looked back. Beside, have always believed in a strong Military and secure borders and I came to realize that when the government promises "Free", that means someone else has to pay for it.
To quotet Winston Churchill "Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains."
Actually, I'd say my college professors had little to do with my shift leftward. It just coincided with me going to college. Around that time I started listening to a number of conservatives and libertarians (granted, most were anarcho-libertarians), and finding that my views didn't align much with theirs. My vision of smaller government wasn't the same as conservatives or libertarians. Current events also had much to do with it as well.
Quote:Actually, I'd say my college professors had little to do with my shift leftward. It just coincided with me going to college. Around that time I started listening to a number of conservatives and libertarians (granted, most were anarcho-libertarians), and finding that my views didn't align much with theirs. My vision of smaller government wasn't the same as conservatives or libertarians. Current events also had much to do with it as well.
Can you enlighten us as to the time frame regarding the "current events"?
Quote:Can you enlighten us as to the time frame regarding the "current events"?
2003-Present.
Quote:2003-Present.
Just to clarify, just so I don't get you wrong, was 2003 around the time that you entered college?
Quote:Just to clarify, just so I don't get you wrong, was 2003 around the time that you entered college?
"yes"
Quote:"yes"
"thanks" :thumbsup:
My beliefs change with almost every term. We get a dem in office, I get so damn tired of em that I vote repub next and so on.. Bush screwed up something fierce and made me vote democrat.. Now I'm wishing I never woulda voted in the first place..
Raised a right wing evangelical, heck both grandparents migrated here because of their evangelical roots. I've evolved into a right wing libertarian which I find as a more pure form of conservatism. Conservatives tend to require to much government to enforce issues on morality for me that's been the main reason for my shift towards libertarianism. My hard line stance on prolife is probably my one non-libertarian view left from my upbringing as a child. Some values just do not change.
Yes. Mainly my social views have changed dramatically and softened on some of my conservative views on the economy and everything that makes it up. I now really try to argue against myself/beliefs just to see or try to see how and why the other side feels the way they do.
Quote:My beliefs change with almost every term. We get a dem in office, I get so damn tired of em that I vote repub next and so on.. Bush screwed up something fierce and made me vote democrat.. Now I'm wishing I never woulda voted in the first place..
I'm kind of the same way. My political beliefs have changed, mostly as a result of being repelled more than being attracted. When I went off to college, I was very left wing, but as I went through college, and was exposed to a lot of left wingers, professors, university policies on affirmative action, etc, I became much less liberal and more conservative. Then when the religious right came along, I was repelled by them and became much more liberal and less conservative.
Although I would add, a lot of people like myself cannot be put into a left or right pigeonhole. For a lot of people, myself included, political beliefs are all over the map. I don't think you can predict my opinion on one particular issue based on my opinion on another particular issue. For example,are you for more regulation or less regulation? I am not for more or less regulation; I am for the right amount of regulation. A little more here, a little less there.
A lot of people just choose left or right rather than thinking independently about each issue. People who say they are conservative or they are liberal are taking a mental shortcut. It's the lazy way to set up your political positions: follow someone else's lead.
Quote:I'm kind of the same way. My political beliefs have changed, mostly as a result of being repelled more than being attracted. When I went off to college, I was very left wing, but as I went through college, and was exposed to a lot of left wingers, professors, university policies on affirmative action, etc, I became much less liberal and more conservative. Then when the religious right came along, I was repelled by them and became much more liberal and less conservative.
Although I would add, a lot of people like myself cannot be put into a left or right pigeonhole. For a lot of people, myself included, political beliefs are all over the map. I don't think you can predict my opinion on one particular issue based on my opinion on another particular issue. For example,are you for more regulation or less regulation? I am not for more or less regulation; I am for the right amount of regulation. A little more here, a little less there.
A lot of people just choose left or right rather than thinking independently about each issue. People who say they are conservative or they are liberal are taking a mental shortcut. It's the lazy way to set up your political positions: follow someone else's lead.
This is pretty much how I feel. Even though some test says I'm Libertarian I find that not to be entirely accurate on all things. There are things I am more conservative on and others I'm more liberal and some I'm in the middle or don't have enough information to make an informed decision even though I may have an opinion about it.
I've always called myself a policy voter, I'd vote for whoever had the most policies in line with my thought process at the time. Some have called me wishy washy or say I don't have a backbone. Not true. Some beliefs never ever change for sure, but the way you look at things can and does. Plus, your ideas of things change when you enter your career, get married, have kids, etc. I have a friend who has never really had an opinion of things relating to kids because she thought she'd never have one, out of choice. Then she did a year ago, and in her mid-30's at that, and now her perspective has done a 180.
I kind of agree that people who put themselves in a box regarding right and left are being lazy, because no matter the issues or how bad the candidate, they will always vote that way. But there are some that are true republicans and true democrats to the core. The crazy thing is my father-in-law is super conservative in his daily life and his beliefs, but he votes democrat every single time because, and this is a true quote, "the rich man has never done anything for me." My husband has tried to let him in on the not-so-little secret that democrats are rich, too. And my mother-in-law votes for exactly the same people as her husband. Drives me nuts. My mom does the same though as she votes for the same candidates my step-dad does. My husband and I are almost polar opposites on most issues but do agree on some.
Back in High School I was definitely very left leaning. During the 2004 election I wanted Bush to lose more than anything. Back then it seemed like the majority of young people were, it was just the thing to do and logic and reason had very little to do with that decision. My school even had a debate where two students assumed the roles of Bush and Kerry and even though the student who played Bush slaughtered Kerry we all still supported Kerry. Students who supported Bush or were conservative were considered ignorant, stupid, and closed minded and overall thought of as terrible human beings. It's funny though because we all took Civics and American Government where we learned about the Constitution, yet we thought less of those with different opinions, a little hypocritical I would definitely say.
Now that I am older more mature and have experienced life to the point where I have people who depend on me and I have to pay taxes, it is very hard to support anything that the left proposes, perhaps a few social issues but fiscally, absolutely nothing.