Who or What Shaped Your Politics?

[kalm]

How did each of the following shape your world view:

Parents?

Teachers?

Friends?

Location?

Career?

[kalm]

I'll go first:

Parents? Both educators, but born during the great depression so moderate donks with traditional values.

Teachers? Not much influence, but a poli sci teacher I had in college was very good and probably left leaning although he never let on to this.

Friends? In my formative years, mostly libertarian donks, who were pro choice, pro pot, had no problem with the gays, and one in particular who was very green and still to this day walks the walk which I greatly admire.

Location? Washington State is solidly donk for the most part but Eastern Washington, where I've lived my whole life, is very solidly conservative with the exception of Speaker of the House Tom Foley from a few decades back.

Career? Manage and have interests in a small business of less than 50 people who mostly make low wages, so yes I get to play the role of the man, underpaying and under-appreciating labor. I also get to deal with and write checks to the over-regulatory nanny state. So I dig the small businessman's vibe even if I don't completely buy into it from a big picture standpoint.

[∞∞∞]

I think it's impossible to pinpoint who or what shapes anyone's political stances. I imagine everything you mentioned plus some shape an individual's political views.

That said, I do believe certain things have big influences on people. I know Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" has had a profound impact on the way I view all the aspects of humanity, which of course include politics.

[kalm]

I think it's impossible to pinpoint who or what shapes anyone's political stances. I imagine everything you mentioned plus some shape an individual's political views.

That said, I do believe certain things have big influences on people. I know Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" has had a profound impact on the way I view all the aspects of humanity, which of course include politics.

A book! Excellent addition to the list.

[∞∞∞]

A book! Excellent addition to the list.

I take back what I said about not being able to pinpoint what shapes someone's politics. Books, specifically religious texts, can certainly shape someone's political views all by themselves.

[93henfan]

Parents? - I come from a family of Democrats. My grandfather was a businessman and was involved, along with some of his friends, in local politics. He was not a flaming-liberal Democrat, but more a southern-style Dem more interested in obtaining favor for his interests. There was a particular candidate that he stumped for on the county council. True story: I remember riding in a truck with my grandfather in the late 70s to the little crossroads towns where the black folks lived in Sussex County and my grandfather, ahem, offering pints of whiskey to brothers and/or other $tuff to get in the back of the truck and go to the polling place to vote for his guy.

Teachers? - Teachers have had zero impact on my political views.

Friends? - Most of my friends are open-minded, independent, judge each issue on its own type people. I consider myself one of them.

Location? - Lower Delaware is solidly conservative.

Career? - Federal employees tend toward Democrats, as few of us are millionaires and Republicans want us all to be unemployed.

So my progression has been:
1. Grew up sort of blue dog Democrat
2. Became more conservative during my college years as I was exposed to hard-core liberals for the first time in my life and I really disliked them.
3. Served six years in the USMC and became even more conservative.
4. Fully supported GWB until late 2003.
5. Not entirely pleased with the Obama presidency, but think he's doing the best he can with the doo doo sammy he inherited from GWB.

[citdog]

[AZGrizFan]

My intelligence level. The smarter you are, the more conservative you are.

[CID1990]

My intelligence level. The smarter you are, the more conservative you are.

Snap

[93henfan]

Nice hair. Probably a catcher.

[green&gold75]

Grew up in Northern Virginia; reading the Washington Post probably influenced me early on.
Also - Walter Cronkite.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

I would have to say that all of the level headed, objective, fair, non-partisan points of view expressed on this board have had the most influence on my political leanings.

[kalm]

My intelligence level. The smarter you are, the more conservative you are.

And you're just not quite as smart as JBB.

[kalm]

I would have to say that all of the level headed, objective, fair, non-partisan points of view expressed on this board have had the most influence on my political leanings.

And there is much to be learned from a few of the hacks as well.

[Vidav]

My intelligence level. The smarter you are, the more conservative you are.

And you're just not quite as smart as JBB.

And you guys say I'm an asshole.

[kalm]

And you're just not quite as smart as JBB.

And you guys say I'm an asshole.

Was that assholish of me? Sorry Z.

[89Hen]

Logic

My parents were both Dems, my sister is as middle of the road as it gets, one brother is conservative, other is over the top conservative.

[YoUDeeMan]

Logic

My parents were both Dems, my sister is as middle of the road as it gets, one brother is conservative, other is over the top conservative.

And you offer the balance as the newly minted lefty offspring in the family?

[ASUMountaineer]

Wow. This is a good, and tough question.

Parents? Both of my parents are Republicans. Mostly social conservatives and don't like taxes, but certainly do not have a problem with certain government involvement. My dad is a Southern Baptist deacon, my mom is a teacher's assistant. Both definitely had an impact on my political beliefs as I grew up, but now I'm much more libertarian than my parents could ever dream of--probably started that trend in '92 when I urged them to dump Bush and vote for Perot, but to no avail.

As to parents/ family I would say being raised in baptist home, religion probably played a sizeable part in my initial political beliefs. However, as I've gotten older I've come to believe that my faith has little to do with governing. I don't believe Jesus gave us political ideology.

Teachers? Only one. My Advanced Speech Writing professor at ASU. Bleeding-heart liberal from Oregon. Had pro-Kennedy and anti-Jess Helms posters all over his office. However, he was very open-minded to differing views and we discussed politics several times and were very respectful. I think he helped re-affirm my political leanings because I had to think about why I had such leanings, and he taught me how to consider other views.

Friends? My friends are all over the place. I have some who still think Newt is the best thing since sliced bread, one that has a W "Miss me yet?" bumper sticker on his car, a friend who is so gay he makes Travis look straight and worships the ground Dems walk on, some who could give a crap, and some that actually work for both political parties (whether it be campaigns or PAC's). I would say they have had little impact on my politics.

Location? I grew up in a small town (6k people) in the middle of North Carolina--AKA the "Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt." I encountered very few Democrats, or at least people willing to admit it. It's solidly Republican. I'm sure being around mostly Republicans had some impact early on, but none now.

Career? I don't think my career has much to say about it. My politics haven't really changed at all since starting a career.

[Ivytalk]

My parents were moderate-conservative Republicans, but I was quite liberal in high school. Then I went to Harvard, experienced the intolerant liberalism of students and faculty there in the late-Vietnam era, and moved steadily rightward. By law school, I was an editor of the conservative law journal. I haven't looked back since!

[Grizalltheway]

Methinks Ivy got shot down by one hottie-hippie too many.

[ASUG8]

My parents never really talked politics - in fact, to this day my parents won't share their political leanings (I suspect Democrat).

Personally, I think being a business major and working in finance most of my life kept me a fiscal conservative. When I was wet behind the ears in college and didn't know any better I was more of a social liberal, but now with a bit more life experience my views vary depending on the social issue. Basically I read a lot from several sources to mitigate journalistic bias (if that's even possible).

[Skjellyfetti]

Parents? both hardcore Republicans from the deep South. My dad could give Citdog a run for his money with the Confederate bullshit.

Teachers? none shaped my politics in anyway that I can recall, really. My English teacher, junior year in high school made us all subscribe to the Washington Post... so I started my newspaper reading habit then.

Friends? none shaped my politics, really. I have conservative, libertarian, and liberal friends... but, i really don't talk about politics much off of this site (this is where I vent )

Location? grew up in the Deep South. If location shaped my politics at all... it was in rebellion.

Career? Career still in the works. Start grad school classes in a couple of weeks. I don't think my plan for my career was shaped at all by my politics or vice-versa.


I think I've shared a story on here before that really formed my politics... here's an abbreviated version. I don't feel like typing it all out again... may come back and do it later. But, it deals with noticing that the private schools in Montgomery, AL (where I grew up) all opened soon after the Brown vs. Board decision. All the white families that could... took their kids out of public schools and put them in private schools. Private schools are overwhelmingly white... public schools are overwhelmingly black. Montgomery... being the state capital... a lot of the white rich folks with their kids in private schools are also the people that run the government... state senators, lobbyists, judges, etc. and they're the ones that defund the public schools that their kids don't attend. so, of course... alabama's public school system pretty consistently ranks among the worst public schools in the country. but, at least the minorities stay marginalized.

[bulldog10jw]

My parents were moderate-conservative Republicans, but I was quite liberal in high school. Then I went to Harvard, experienced the intolerant liberalism of students and faculty there in the late-Vietnam era, and moved steadily rightward. By law school, I was an editor of the conservative law journal. I haven't looked back since!

Hard to believe there was (and are) liberals on an Ivy League campus. And saying the faculty was liberal, am I reading you correctly, IT?

[YoUDeeMan]

Parents? both hardcore Republicans from the deep South. My dad could give Citdog a run for his money with the Confederate bullshit.

Teachers? none shaped my politics in anyway that I can recall, really. My English teacher, junior year in high school made us all subscribe to the Washington Post... so I started my newspaper reading habit then.

Friends? none shaped my politics, really. I have conservative, libertarian, and liberal friends... but, i really don't talk about politics much off of this site (this is where I vent )

Location? grew up in the Deep South. If location shaped my politics at all... it was in rebellion.

Career? Career still in the works. Start grad school classes in a couple of weeks. I don't think my plan for my career was shaped at all by my politics or vice-versa.


I think I've shared a story on here before that really formed my politics... here's an abbreviated version. I don't feel like typing it all out again... may come back and do it later. But, it deals with noticing that the private schools in Montgomery, AL (where I grew up) all opened soon after the Brown vs. Board decision. All the white families that could... took their kids out of public schools and put them in private schools. Private schools are overwhelmingly white... public schools are overwhelmingly black. Montgomery... being the state capital... a lot of the white rich folks with their kids in private schools are also the people that run the government... state senators, lobbyists, judges, etc. and they're the ones that defund the public schools that their kids don't attend. so, of course... alabama's public school system pretty consistently ranks among the worst public schools in the country. but, at least the minorities stay marginalized.

It's all clear now.

You got left behind in the public schools and lost your last and only girlfriend and your spot on the football team to Tyrone...and you've been hating the successful white man ever since.