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Growing up, my family was staunch Republican and very fundamentalist Christian. I believed the Democrats hated America and were inviting God's judgment on the country by allowing abortion and gay rights. Through high school and college, every time there was an election, I voted straight Republican no matter what. As I became older and started questioning things, my loyalty to the GOP weakened. It started with the Iraq War. Something seemed off about it from the beginning and I could not support a war with a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. The WMD case made for invading Iraq seemed a little weak to me.
I still voted Republican through 2012 because I was an evangelical Christian and felt that I had no choice. I wanted Obama to win in 2008 and 2012 however. After leaving church in 2015 I changed my registration to Democrat. For me, it's primarily because I don't agree with the narrow-minded social agenda of the GOP and I also disagree with trickle-down economics. I don't like that today's GOP has become very "anti-intellectual."
Do you still hold the political ideology you were raised with? Why or why not?
I was raised politically neutral. My dad took great pride in watching the news with us each night (CNN, CSPAN), having me read the paper cover to cover starting from age 7 or 8, and discussing what I thought about the news. And then he would argue against whatever I believed in order to make me question why I thought the way I did.
That upbringing made me incredibly liberal.
It took me by great surprise when I was 25 years old and my dad announced he was, and always had been, a socialist. My libertarian brother and I had always thought he leaned conservative based on the way he discussed politics with us. Nope, not at all.
I was raised politically neutral. My dad took great pride in watching the news with us each night (CNN, CSPAN), having me read the paper cover to cover starting from age 7 or 8, and discussing what I thought about the news. And then he would argue against whatever I believed in order to make me question why I thought the way I did.
That upbringing made me incredibly liberal.
That is great. If only more parents would encourage their children to actually be informed and be able to back up why the believe what they believe with facts, no matter what side of the aisle they are on, our country would function much better.
Mother was Republican and Dad was a Democrat who worked for the State of North Carolina. Was a Democrat until I grew up and saw how things really are. I even believed the Clinton's were innocent victims until Vince Foster was found in a parking lot. I split a lot of tickets but right now I am not in the mood to EVER vote for that bunch of crooks who call themselves Democrats. Looks like the whole party is corrupt. I didn't leave the party; the party left me.
I just watched on this thread a congresswoman deny the right of Americans while cuddling her illegals. It is time for citizen groups to sue their traitor representatives for their actions. Congress should be representing our USA citizens, not criminals who are destroying this country.
No choice I can vote on your pole. Raised in a very active two party family where discussions were lively. Became more conservative as I lived long enough to get away from the brainwashing our schools gave the students.
I was raised politically neutral. My dad took great pride in watching the news with us each night (CNN, CSPAN), having me read the paper cover to cover starting from age 7 or 8, and discussing what I thought about the news. And then he would argue against whatever I believed in order to make me question why I thought the way I did.
That upbringing made me incredibly liberal.
It took me by great surprise when I was 25 years old and my dad announced he was, and always had been, a socialist. My libertarian brother and I had always thought he leaned conservative based on the way he discussed politics with us. Nope, not at all.
I was raised very similarly. My father was interested in what we thought, and felt it was important that we understand how to argue our views. Growing up, I believe my father was pretty middle-of-the-road. But as he's gotten older, he's become more liberal. My mother, if left to her own devices, would be Jerry Falwell conservative. But she's exposed to a lot of liberal arguments over the dinner table. And then she gets the conservative arguments from her girlfriends on the golf course.
My parents were not overly political but in general, my mom was a Dem, my dad was definitely more middle of the road, but at least back in the day, more Republican (would not be with the current party though)
I don't know that I was specifically "raised" with an alignment but by the age of 13, I was spending my summers working on political campaigns for Democrats. My son has definitely absorbed my outlook and at least as of now, is in agreement with my point of view.
That is great. If only more parents would encourage their children to actually be informed and be able to back up why the believe what they believe with facts, no matter what side of the aisle they are on, our country would function much better.
More important than anything is media literacy and critical reading skills. "What isn't being said?" was a frequent topic of discussion. That seems to be missing on both sides of the aisle (though obviously I have my own thoughts on who is the worst culprit) in the past few years.
I feel lucky that I grew up just before the internet became common in homes. We got the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, local newspaper, the local paper from my parents' hometown in New England (a few days late), and a few monthly news magazines. I'd read them all, though only the AJC cover to cover (minus sports :P). It might have been easier to fall into a silo of thought earlier if I could self-select with the internet. As an adult, I get my news from a wide array of sources and read papers from the US, UK, Israel, and Mexico. I might not have been so proactive about it if not for the habits I formed as a kid.
No option for me. I started a Democrat (FELT good). Then switched to Republican. (FELT right). Then as I matured philosophically, became libertarian (philosophical not "party"), agorist, anarchist. (KNOW is right, at least morally). Now I couldn't detest Democrats/Republicans more. As they are two sides of the same barbaric authoritarian coin. Both statist/collectivist nightmares for individual human freedom. I actually believe that humans can one day still evolve beyond using government aggression as the primary foundation of its "society". Society is in quotes as there is nothing civilized about humans interacting with each other only through aggression. In real terms, we are far less civilized than we were as cavemen. There is nothing enlightened about our modern societies, they glorify aggression, extortion, violence, and slavery as virtues of human nature. They are the only thing which make our "societies" "work".
I am the ultimate liberal, not in quotes :P, as I believe only in maximizing individual freedom with the only limitation being that no person (and thus no group or government) has a right to initiate force upon another.
There are more than two political views one can have. None of the choices represented my personal situation.
My dad was a staunch Republican. I got the impression my mom didn't care much for politics. I never heard her claim an allegiance to any political party. Toward the end of my dad's life, we would talk a little politics. He thought some newer members of the Republican party were nut jobs. He was worried the day would come where negotiation and compromise would cease to exist and our country would suffer.
I remember wearing an "I LIKE IKE" button when I was a kid. I thought the button was cool but couldn't tell you much about Eisenhower other than he was a great general. As far back as I can remember, I thought all politicians were full of it.
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