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When I went to college, it seemed like most arrived there with a political pov already having been formed. In my case, I got it from my parents, although I wasn't 100% what they were. I had some questions.
Mine developed gradually. I would say, my Christian upbringing, interest in and concern for the environment, time living abroad (Sweden), and a brother getting cancer at an early age were major events. I know that we can build/maintain a clean, safe,beautiful, and biologically rich country, where peoples' basic needs are met. And we can work to promote peace abroad. It just takes a commitment to stay informed and to give to something larger than ourselves. I also believe that our greatness as a country is determined not by the wealth of a few, but how we provide opportunity for the least fortunate. I'll credit that to my time in Sweden. That place is pretty amazing. Clean, well-run, and with a high quality of life for most of its citizens.
While I don't think my family has had a huge role (we have pretty varied political views), although they did instill a strong work ethic and healthy sense of shame about slacking off or taking a handout. I do think my temperament has been important. I have always been a big picture person who wants to have a larger influence. I get very bored with routine work, and chasing money for its own sake. I need to always understand what the work means and where it is headed, and what that means for people. I am an idealist in Myers-Briggs terminology (ENFJ). That is why I "get" Obama.
Last edited by Fiddlehead; 08-28-2012 at 08:11 AM..
My politics are shaped by the reality that I encounter in life everyday. I see statists on the left and right every day clamoring for more government intervention from their ivory towers and halls of power yet they don't have to live in the real world with the rest of us and see the unintended consequences of their good intentions. I have learned that the idiom of the road to hell being paved with good intentions is very true.
I have also read countless books and spent an ungodly amount of time online researching politics, philosophy, and theory. I haven't limited this to limited government positions either, I have read many progressive writers such as Ralph Nader and researched a plethora of differing viewpoints.
"What do you think is behind your personal point of view concerning politics?"
Experience, logic, reason, common sense and circumspection.
"Were you influenced in your pov by your family or a favorite and influential family member?"
No. My parents are politically inactive, and political issues were never discussed when I was young.
"Were you influenced by a spouse or significant other?"
No.
"Were you influenced by friends or by some particular friend?"
Maybe, but probably not. I'm very liberal on social issues, which is a holdover from my youth, so there could be some influence there. I think it's more of a coincidence, though.
Exposure to the entertainment industry through a friend that works in it certainly opened my eyes about some things, though. Particularly labor unions and how badly they can soak an employer. The next time you find yourself complaining about how many commercial breaks there are during a show or how long those breaks last, thank a labor union for making production so expensive.
"Were you influenced in school (a special teacher, classmates, a subject)?"
No way. I thought (and still do think) that for me, high school was a complete joke. There are exactly two instructors I've had that I respect, and one of them wasn't even a high school teacher - he taught the electronics course I took for extra credit at the local adult education center (trade school).
"Were you influenced by what you've read and heard on tv and newspapers?"
Not really. I take just about everything with a grain of salt these days, and if I care enough about a story to be 100% certain of the facts, I'll usually do some additional research. In the world of media bias that we find ourselves in today, very little can be taken at face value, if it concerns politics or any kind of controversial issue.
Mine developed gradually. I would say, my Christian upbringing, interest in and concern for the environment, time living abroad (Sweden), and a brother getting cancer at an early age were major events. I know that we can build/maintain a clean, safe,beautiful, and biologically rich country, where peoples' basic needs are met. And we can work to promote peace abroad. It just takes a commitment to stay informed and to give to something larger than ourselves. I also believe that our greatness as a country is determined not by the wealth of a few, but how we provide opportunity for the least fortunate. I'll credit that to my time in Sweden. That place is pretty amazing. Clean, well-run, and with a high quality of life for most of its citizens.
While I don't think my family has had a huge role (we have pretty varied political views), although they did instill a strong work ethic and healthy sense of shame about slacking off or taking a handout. I do think my temperament has been important. I have always been a big picture person who wants to have a larger influence. I get very bored with routine work, and chasing money for its own sake. I need to always understand what the work means and where it is headed, and what that means for people. I am an idealist in Myers-Briggs terminology (ENFJ). That is why I "get" Obama.
My answer has a lot of parallels to this. Differences are that I had a Jewish-agnostic upraising, spent time living abroad in Iceland, Mexico, and Europe, and that it was me that got cancer at a young age. Spending time abroad and getting cancer just justified the beliefs I had previously held. I'm an INTJ, a pragmatic "mastermind", and that's why I get progressiveism (and therefore am not Obama's biggest fan).
My parents were fairly liberal (though I would really consider them more of a weird mix of environmentalist libertarians) who have become more liberal in their later ages. We encouraged to work hard, work smart, and value education - but also reminded through regular volunteer work that my brother and I were lucky to have been born healthy, naturally intelligent, and into a home with stable parents and finances. We were given the responsibility from birth to help our neighbors and community, because you never know when you could be the one who needs help. My family has always been very politically active, but I didn't actually know my parents' political views or who they voted for until I was in high school because they made sure to play devil's advocate as much as possible.
My ex-husband didn't vote. My father didn't vote. My mother voted occasionally but never talked politics.
I have a brain. I'm a rational analytic thinker. As soon as I turned 18, I voted. In the period 1969 (when I turned 18) and 1972 (the hippie era), I was a member of the Young Republicans on my college campus in Washington, DC where all of the demonstrations were going on, a righty in a lefty world.
I must say I did vote for Bill Clinton once. I was a fed and wanted a pay raise. That's how I know feds vote their paychecks. That's what Obama knows too and why he keeps trying to increase the size of government.
What do you think is behind your personal point of view concerning politics?
Were you influenced in your pov by your family or a favorite and influential family member? We're conditioned to a lot of things when we are young. NO.
Were you influenced by a spouse or significant other? This happens quite often. NO.
Were you influenced by friends or by some particular friend? NO.
Were you influenced in school (a special teacher, classmates, a subject)? NO.
Were you influenced by what you've read and heard on tv and newspapers? NO.
Other? My political views are my own, developed by me overtime and doesn't follow the ethos of any one political party.
The question is being raised now about genetics having something to do with it? Thinking about my families political past it certainly doesn't look like it.
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