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Started off fairly rightwing in my teens early 20s but went left by my mid20s.
One particular instance was I went from a gun lover to anti-guns. I used to own guns, hunt, load my own ammo and generally be fascinated by guns. Don't hunt anymore myself but have no objection to farmers and hunters having guns but see no reason for them in an urban setting. I know it is not going to happen but they should be removed.
If you had ever worked in law enforcement you'd definitely believe there is a need for law abiding citizens to have firearms in an urban setting. The body count is only a fraction of the big picture. Unilateral disarmament is not a solution, it's an invitation to disaster.
I just realized another thing I turned opposite of believing & that is the issue of spanking your child. I grew up in a household & culture where that was the unquestioned norm & over the following years came to realize that one was just modeling bad behavior with violence for children to unconsciously emulate when they got older or frustrated. One issue is that communication in my family was poor at best & slaps & spanking seemed to be the lazy, socially approved way to "motivate" us kids.
I went from believing half the crap I read in newspapers to not believing any crap I read in newspapers.
I think you are throwing away a lot of good informative knowledge and information.
Most of the information and knowledge in newspapers is accurate.
When reading just editorials or opinion pieces usually on the editorial/opinion piece pages of a newspaper, one needs to know from what point of view or from what philosophy it was written.
Maybe you read or were reading the wrong newspapers, such as the equivalent to a newspaper distributed by, for examples, Louis Farrakhan, or the Symbionese Liberation Army or Breibart News or Drudge.
But if one is not able to tell and ascertain what is good accurate knowledge & information and what is not in regular newspapers, that is a problem for that particular individual who lacks abilities to discern.
Last edited by matisse12; 08-10-2017 at 11:54 AM..
If you had ever worked in law enforcement you'd definitely believe there is a need for law abiding citizens to have firearms in an urban setting. The body count is only a fraction of the big picture. Unilateral disarmament is not a solution, it's an invitation to disaster.
Considering all the mistakes made by trained officers, why am I supposed to feel good about putting guns in the hands of rank amateurs?
So actually, that is a big change in my thinking. Growing up in a small town I had very little contact with "the law" but was taught they were there to help. Now I see that cops / security guards spend a lot of time with criminals in criminal environments and end up as criminals themselves, benefiting from that they are supposed to be preventing. And yes, I consider it criminal to plant drugs to try to make a case...of course some go the other way and rip off the drugs they confiscate. And that so many in that line of work seem to have archaic notions of race relations...and no motivation to de-escalate situations. I have definitely lost a degree of respect for law enforcement.
Considering all the mistakes made by trained officers, why am I supposed to feel good about putting guns in the hands of rank amateurs?
So actually, that is a big change in my thinking. Growing up in a small town I had very little contact with "the law" but was taught they were there to help. Now I see that cops / security guards spend a lot of time with criminals in criminal environments and end up as criminals themselves, benefiting from that they are supposed to be preventing. And yes, I consider it criminal to plant drugs to try to make a case...of course some go the other way and rip off the drugs they confiscate. And that so many in that line of work seem to have archaic notions of race relations...and no motivation to de-escalate situations. I have definitely lost a degree of respect for law enforcement.
I was changed forever (you could say 180 degrees) by seeing Staten Island NY police put Eric Garner in a chokehold, pushing him to ground on his stomach, putting all their weight into his back with their knee on top of him, and killing him by doing this, cutting off his ability to breathe -
all for merely selling single loose cigarettes on the street.
Oh, I think the usual becoming much more conservative (libertarian) as I got older and actually learned how the world works.
I disagree that it is usual to become more conservative and much more conservative as one becomes older. I think that is a wrong assumption. And also, as to libertarian, there are not all that many libertarians. (one can quote figures, but one could also say many people do not even know what a libertarian is, and others who do know what it is, do not bother to vote for libertarians in elections.
Another wrong assumption to me is that anyone would become conservative and more conservative if they actually only knew and "understood how the world works". I disagree with that.
I disagree that it is usual to become more conservative and much more conservative as one becomes older. I think that is a wrong assumption. ....
Absolutely, after becoming a disciple of libertarian thought in my mid 30's for quite a number of years, I saw that the promise of individual "freedom & liberty" was actually being used by those in more powerful economic & political positions to overpower & rule those those who weren't rich & powerful but who took the bait of individual "freedom & liberty" & small government naively & "got took". It reminded me of the old time idealistic commies being used by the leadership who had other goals than stated. For example since Reagan & the constant depictions of unions as bad the middle class wage has hardly moved & working class people are in much worse shape in every way... but they have their "freedom"... just one example.
For all it's faults government has to insure the safety & justice of it's citizens through fair laws & regulation. My experience is that libertarianism & thinking the 1950's was a better time than now so we need to return to "great again" is misguided.
Considering all the mistakes made by trained officers, why am I supposed to feel good about putting guns in the hands of rank amateurs?
Civilians with a concealed carry permit actually have a better record of hitting what they are aiming for than the police do. Besides, do you really think there is going to be a cop around when you need one? When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.
My 180 degree turn is that I don't talk politics or religion with anyone except my spouse.
The other part is that as an introvert who had to perform at work as an extrovert for many years, I am enjoying being a quiet observer and MYOB is my new mantra.
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