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Many years ago, I used to believe that the U.S. was different somehow, more honest, up front, that our gov really cared about us, more...civilized, if I'm honest (I know, I know, lol)...until...I spent a little bit of time in another country, saw news footage and other things there and talked/compared it with family here who had no idea about any of it...and realized that I had been pretty naive for a very long time.
Ok....VERY naive, lol
Last edited by mostie; 07-28-2017 at 02:56 PM..
Reason: addition
Never changed from liberal; in fact, became more so as I didn't turn away from what others were experiencing and so learned more and more; painful as it was. Never felt the "I got mine, to heck with them; they must have done it to themselves" attitude. Lots of people with problems and family histories they can't escape.
I grew up in a strong Democratic household and most of my immediate family remain Democrats. I was a strong, liberal Democrat until about ten years ago. I was 21-22, and blamed Bush for everything wrong with the world and my life.
I had a rough breakup that year, flunked out of college for a semester, and had a lot of time to think. I realized that I had gotten myself into the mess at school, and that I needed to take some responsibility for my actions. I started listening to Glenn Beck's radio show (no idea why I found him first) and he seemed entirely reasonable. I started listening to Limbaugh shortly after (still listen to Limbaugh a few hours a week) and it was like the world opened with common sense and reason. I voted for Obama in 2008 because I was tired of Bush and thought McCain was a bad candidate (after voting for Kerry in 2004), but have basically voted straight Republican otherwise since 2008, with the exception of a few local elections where I knew the Republican running and didn't like them personally. I try to vote in every election that I know about, including low turnout municipal elections.
Once I came back to school, it was clear I was no longer welcome in the political science program I was majoring in. People would invite me to liberal events, and I'd politely decline, stating my views had changed. The head of the department at the time was Chinese and was a big sympathizer of the Communist Party. He was the only one who taught a required course for graduation, failed me (even though I retained all the graded work with passing grades and appealed to the dean of that college, it was pointless), and I couldn't finish the program. That really confirmed a lot of what Limbaugh and others had said. I had been on the receiving end of the liberal bias, simply because I was a conservative, not on the lack of merits in my work.
After this experience, I switched to the business school, where I completed required major work in a summer, fall, and spring semester. I had a little administrative help and being allowed to take multiple courses currently that usually needed to be done in sequence, etc., and I know my political views helped get a few strings pulled in my favor there. I was able to bring in some what would now be called "alt right" student organizations. Many of the folks in the leadership positions of those orgs back then have moved onto conservative media (I know two of the national leaders I met work for WorldNetDaily now), some are involved in organizations I'd consider nonpolitical, but way outside the mainstream of normal American thinking.
I've basically been alt right for the better part of ten years. I vote Republican, but am not a big business/corporate type. I'm pretty socially libertarian to even liberal depending on the issue.
In academia, one must play the game. This includes both faculty and students. I learned quickly to pretend to be a quasi-Marxist, and I did very well.
1. Switched from supporting the War in Vietnam (stop the dominos from falling) to totally opposing it (our Vietnamese side was not fully committed).
2. Switched from voting for Republicans (Nelson Rockefeller, Frank Sargent, Ed Brooke) to never voting again for anyone associated with the GOP: Party of Hate®.
3. Switched from not really caring about the South to totally despising all the traitors to the Union.
For those of us who have spent 50 or more years being aware of political and social issues we have seen a lot of changes in beliefs and attitudes held by the majority of people over the past few decades. What is something you believe now that you thought that you would never change your mind about when you were younger?
[For me, it was my view about "mixed race" children (especially children who had one white parent and one black parent). When I was a very young adult, even though I was a liberal, I disapproved of mixed race relationships because I thought that their children, if they had any, would grow up being at least somewhat stigmatized and therefore would have self-esteem problems. Now, I think that it is wonderful that I was so wrong, and that mixed race children are now just as accepted as children born to parents of the same race (generally speaking, of course), and I hope I will live to see the day when EVERYONE will look beyond the color of someone's skin or the shape of someone's eyes or nose. Imo, that can't come soon enough!]
When I was the age of the older Millennials of today I was a fire breathing Right Winger.
I still consider myself on the Right, however, the experience of the 2016 election really turned me off to certain factions of the Right.
For years I could not imagine myself voting for a Democrat PotUS candidate but that's exactly what I did last November.
I've been a Conservative all of my life, now even more so. If anything has changed with me it would be that I rarely align myself with Republicans,who IMO are not Conservatives by a long shot. I am, it would seem, a man without a party and I am OK with that.
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