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So have you changed your political lean since you've been here?

So you've crossed the aisle or changed ideology?

  • Total voters
    8
Hare said:
Looks like it worked.
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True, because none of the people who voted, became liberal while they were here, they came here already liberal.
 
American said:
You know I was hoping for serious responses, but there are always assholes who have to **** up whatever you try to do.
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Perhaps it's a reflection on the quality of the OP.
 
American said:
You know I was hoping for serious responses, but there are always assholes who have to **** up whatever you try to do.
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Right, but unless you were born yesterday, you should know that telling others you don't want to "buzz off" actually only encourages them.
 
I started my interest in politics a few months back, when I naively declared myself a democratic socialist. As my political knowledge grew, pragmatism and skepticism eventually won over. This cause me to shift from socialism to a moderate social-democratic position (basically center-left in all regards). As I learned even more about different viewpoints, my economic views moderated further over time (along with a very slight gain in social authoritarianism). Later I began to appreciate views around the entire spectrum. This basically ridded me of the dogmatic intolerance that was a natural byproduct of my social-liberal upbringing (I feel that dogmatic intolerance is demonstrated by both the liberal and conservative sides of the [false] dichotomy). As of now I sympathize heavily with liberalism, centrism, integralism, and social-democracy. I would best characterize myself with the broad term 'left-nationalist' currently (although I am still a social libertarian), and I've developed a harsh opposition to both totalitarianism and libertarian economics.
 
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FreedomFromAll said:
The only choices in your world is Liberal or Conservative? How narrow minded.
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I agree. The 'liberal-conservative' dichotomy is especially annoying, because socially libertarian and economically left-wing views do not necessarily go together (just as the authoritarian and right-wing counterparts don't go together).
 
JustinS said:
I agree. The 'liberal-conservative' dichotomy is especially annoying, because socially libertarian and economically left-wing views do not necessarily go together (just as the authoritarian and right-wing counterparts don't go together).
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Exactly, plus many voters just vote for personal reasons not because of what their party wants. After all once inside the voting booth no one really knows how you voted.

Personally Im all over the field, its always funny when people accuse me of being Left or Right, and they think that I am being dishonest by not adhering to either philosophy.
 
JustinS said:
I started my interest in politics a few months back, when I naively declared myself a democratic socialist. As my political knowledge grew, pragmatism and skepticism eventually won over. This cause me to shift from socialism to a moderate social-democratic position (basically center-left in all regards). As I learned even more about different viewpoints, my economic views moderated further over time (along with a very slight gain in social authoritarianism). Later I began to appreciate views around the entire spectrum. This basically ridded me of the dogmatic intolerance that was a natural byproduct of my social-liberal upbringing (I feel that dogmatic intolerance is demonstrated by both the liberal and conservative sides of the [false] dichotomy). As of now I sympathize heavily with liberalism, centrism, integralism, and social-democracy. I would best characterize myself with the broad term 'left-nationalist' currently (although I am still a social libertarian), and I've developed a harsh opposition to both totalitarianism and libertarian economics.
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Wow. That's quite a journey for just a few months.
 
radcen said:
Wow. That's quite a journey for just a few months.
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It is. I don't expect any more of my ideological shifts to be quite as dramatic though, because this one began just when I started learning about politics.
 
FreedomFromAll said:
Always leave room for growth. :p
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That is a good rule to follow by. :) The only two ideologies that I'm not really open to are libertarianism and conservatism, because my moral philosophy is at odds with both of those.
 
I was raised in a conservative home and then became very liberal. Then I realized liberalism was flawed in many places and became more of a centrist. My views have evolved while I have been here, but I wouldn't say they've gotten more conservative or liberal overall.
 
Was raised as a Pat Buchanan paleoconservative, wound up as a Ron Paul libertarian.
 
Ikari said:
Perhaps it's a reflection on the quality of the OP.
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If you can't get through it, maybe you shouldn't be here. If you can't decide whether you became liberal or conservative, then don't vote. Really simple, even for you.
 
This forum along with others has strengthened my view that most libs are young and most young are libs. You can tell a kid by their snarky little smart ass post and their I know everything attitude but I cut them alot of slack because I was a lib kid too. Old libs do exist but they always strike me as stubborn and unable to give up the idealism of their youth. The good part of this forum for me is it gives me a place to argue politics so that I don't feel the need to do it in real life so when some lib at a party tries to bate me into a political confrontation I can just smile and walk away, it really annoys them.
 
As a teen, I had a communist phase for one or two years, at the beginning of my interest in politics. I found my mother's old "poison box", the books from her youth around 1968, hidden in an old shelf in my parents' basement. Marx and some leftist stuff and I read it. But it didn't take me long to realize communism is not workeable and in contradiction with many of my actual views.

While I now loathe the most leftist party in Germany, the socialist Left Party, and have grown much more fond of the strengthes of markets, so much that at some point, I even voted for the libertarian party FDP, I remain solidly liberal on social issues. And, as I said before, I am much less pacifist than I used to.
 
It wasn't here, but the previous forum I used to debate on turned me towards socialism. I actually used to call myself a libertarian, but it was almost entirely over social issues. I still maintain a strong "live and let live" mentality over social issues, and feel that we shouldn't regulate a lot of it. That's a big reason why I tend to get along with the more level headed libertarians here. But I learned that our self centered take on economics is killing us, and that a focus on community and actually solving our problems, rather than showing token support is the way to survive.
 
I have changed in a number of ways mostly irrelevant toward the posts of DP. In many ways, I became more conservative, even embracing some notions of conservatism modern conservatives seemed to have tossed aside. In other, smaller ways, I have continued to be influenced by the Left. Again, not because of DP.
 
ecofarm said:
Last I heard, neocons were libertarian hawks... but the definition changes with every pundit and angle of demonization.
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Generally not. Whereas some of the older neoconservatives are located in various sections of liberalism, many are social conservatives, fiscal moderates, and many of your current prominent neoconservatives are identified with a hawkish tendency toward foreign and defense policy (and they need not agree with all of the above, and just have portions of one or the other). Libertarianism generally was not a conversation of many neoconservatives, other than to perhaps say in certain issues they may have a point.
 
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my political views are constantly evolving in light of new evidence.
 
I have changed somewhat. For my political positions, I have become more liberal on the economical issues, but I have become more confident in my positions. I don't think DP had a large effect on me, but my experience from looking at countries/states such as Taiwan and Hong Kong turned me off libertarianism. And my travels in Singapore and China have made me more supportive of China and Singapore's model of governance, although I don't prefer it.

On immigration, crime, education, EU, Eurozone I have kept my positions, which is a strong dislike of the cultural left.

My real change is my view on the Republican Party and the American economy. I actually wanted to move to America previously, but now I have no interest in doing that. I really despise the GOP establishment, and believe they are corrupt and don't care about conservative ideals. There is the Tea Party, but they are too dumb and extreme, hence they promote dumb policies, and often have to have people making their policies if they are going to make any sense. Also, they are too dumb to come together and fight off the corrupt establishment or even know who is a Tea Partier or an imposter. It is obvious for me that the GOP is dead, and I do not believe Democrats with their class warfare will do any better.
 
My leans remained pretty much exactly the same in a general sense since I came to this board
 
Interesting
A majority here are , IMO, growing up.
As I have, but its taken decades....I am a slow learner.
Still, what counts is being balanced, as man is slowly becoming civilized, he is also being more and more "social".
JMO
 
Camlon said:
I have changed somewhat. For my political positions, I have become more liberal on the economical issues, but I have become more confident in my positions. I don't think DP had a large effect on me, but my experience from looking at countries/states such as Taiwan and Hong Kong turned me off libertarianism. And my travels in Singapore and China have made me more supportive of China and Singapore's model of governance, although I don't prefer it.

On immigration, crime, education, EU, Eurozone I have kept my positions, which is a strong dislike of the cultural left.

My real change is my view on the Republican Party and the American economy. I actually wanted to move to America previously, but now I have no interest in doing that. I really despise the GOP establishment, and believe they are corrupt and don't care about conservative ideals. There is the Tea Party, but they are too dumb and extreme, hence they promote dumb policies, and often have to have people making their policies if they are going to make any sense. Also, they are too dumb to come together and fight off the corrupt establishment or even know who is a Tea Partier or an imposter. It is obvious for me that the GOP is dead, and I do not believe Democrats with their class warfare will do any better.
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This post I "like", but I do not agree with some aspects. I find the liberal ideologies more palatable, IMO, they are much more intellectual.
 
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