(09-13-2017, 10:26 AM)The Real Marty Wrote:

(09-11-2017, 11:48 AM)americus 2.0 Wrote: I have some friends who are the same. I love them to pieces but we can't talk politics or anything politically charged like pro-life and pro-choice. They automatically think pro-choice means pro-abortion which, for me, it means women have the choice, government shouldn't interfere. But you can't tell them that. 

My husband's parents are democrats, but he's a republican and is a double major in architecture and business management from a liberal college here in NC. 

So there's an argument to be had as to whether or not young adults learn primarily from their parents, or are also influenced by college attendance, being in the military straight out of high school or just learn from life.

My theory is that people choose their political beliefs.   If you make a lot of money, you think taxes ought to be cut.  If you're poor, you think Medicaid should be expanded.   If you're doing manual labor, you think Mexicans should be kept out.  I remember during the Vietnam War, halfway through the war, they ended the draft deferment for college students.   Oh, man!  That's when the college students all of a sudden got REAL interested in ending the Vietnam War. 

Rich people think everyone should make it on their own.  Poor people think the government should help the poor.  People choose their beliefs, and then they go and figure out all the reasons why  they should believe the way they do.  A lot of it has to do with what benefits you personally, and a lot of it has to do with the people you associate with.  I really  think very little of it has to do with our parents or the college we went to.

This may be true for the average person but I didn't choose anything. From the ages of 17-39 I was just trying to survive life. I had some pockets of stability here and there, but for the most part I was living day to day without a thought as to how politics or politicians had anything to do with anything. 

I guess I was molded by life and everything I've lived through has shaped my ideals, political beliefs, etc. I definitely have a core belief.....system, for lack of a better word, but I've also lived enough to be able to be open-minded about things and can agree to disagree. 

I am quite the anomaly in my extended family (husband's people and church people.) I'm like that wandering gypsy girl who showed up and is alien-like in how I lived for so many years. So different from them in mind set.

---