Events that Changed your Worldview & Politics

Off Topic Politics and World Issues
1

Hey all,

I’ve been browsing PWI for six or so years now, and have built up a tentative mental roadmap of how everyone formed their current political/ethical positions. The problem lies in that it’s 95% supposition. So…

What were the events/periods/realizations that formed or altered your views?
How likely did you think it was that your former views would change before they did?
Do you think your current views will change significantly, and what could change them?

One relatively recent event which caused me to take a good hard look at my views:

  • Transitioning from a having a quite comfortable income in a trade with a lot of autonomy as a partner, to contractor work at multiple jobs and university. Politically, this prompted me to change who I aligned myself with more to the left, after listening to our federal treasurer (Aus) repeat that a city in which the median house price has just topped $1,000,000 is affordable for first home buyers. Previously my response would be along the lines of suck it up mate, work harder. There’s nothing like having money to make you forget the shit others go through.

Cheers,
Steak

2

[quote]Steak Lover wrote:
Hey all,

I’ve been browsing PWI for six or so years now, and have built up a tentative mental roadmap of how everyone formed their current political/ethical positions. The problem lies in that it’s 95% supposition. So…

What were the events/periods/realizations that formed or altered your views?
How likely did you think it was that your former views would change before they did?
Do you think your current views will change significantly, and what could change them?

One relatively recent event which caused me to take a good hard look at my views:

  • Transitioning from a having a quite comfortable income in a trade with a lot of autonomy as a partner, to contractor work at multiple jobs and university. Politically, this prompted me to change who I aligned myself with more to the left, after listening to our federal treasurer (Aus) repeat that a city in which the median house price has just topped $1,000,000 is affordable for first home buyers. Previously my response would be along the lines of suck it up mate, work harder. There’s nothing like having money to make you forget the shit others go through.

Cheers,
Steak
[/quote]

Who do you normally appear as? Nobody browses PWI for 6 years, says nothing, and keeps track of everything.
What ever your normal identity is, ‘Steak Lover’ is a way better name. I suggest keeping it.

3

It may seem a bit odd, but that’s what I’ve been doing. I haven’t kept track of everything (or even most things) but yeah, you conceive ideas of people based on a few tidbits and those tidbits need fleshing out occasionally.

Thanks. It might more appropriately be “Fourteen-hour-lamb-shank Lover” but it didn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

4

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Steak Lover wrote:
Hey all,

I’ve been browsing PWI for six or so years now, and have built up a tentative mental roadmap of how everyone formed their current political/ethical positions. The problem lies in that it’s 95% supposition. So…

What were the events/periods/realizations that formed or altered your views?
How likely did you think it was that your former views would change before they did?
Do you think your current views will change significantly, and what could change them?

One relatively recent event which caused me to take a good hard look at my views:

  • Transitioning from a having a quite comfortable income in a trade with a lot of autonomy as a partner, to contractor work at multiple jobs and university. Politically, this prompted me to change who I aligned myself with more to the left, after listening to our federal treasurer (Aus) repeat that a city in which the median house price has just topped $1,000,000 is affordable for first home buyers. Previously my response would be along the lines of suck it up mate, work harder. There’s nothing like having money to make you forget the shit others go through.

Cheers,
Steak
[/quote]

Who do you normally appear as? Nobody browses PWI for 6 years, says nothing, and keeps track of everything.
What ever your normal identity is, ‘Steak Lover’ is a way better name. I suggest keeping it.[/quote]

I believe him, and unless hes trolling (which his post doesn’t appear to be) what difference does it make anyway?

5

[quote]Steak Lover wrote:

What were the events/periods/realizations that formed or altered your views?[/quote]

College, and reading actual history books really shifted me from thoughtless “ban what I don’t like, you MUST celebrate what I do” Contemporary American Liberal to Reformed Former Democrat.

The 2010 landslide made me refocus on “how in the hell can anyone support republicans?” issues.

PJ Media really opened my eyes to the drivel I was being spoon fed and believed.

Economic Facts and Fallacy by Sowell changed the way I looked at data being pushed on me.

Reading about Logical Fallacy allowed me to start seeing political speeches for the utter garbage they are, and showed me, 99% of people vote off their “feels” and for a letter above all else.

Obama failing on the vast majority of reasons I voted for him in 2008 changed my opinion of him, and the party.

Working in industry, study of economics, taxation and business really opened my eyes.

Watching my daughter be born changed me from adamantly pro-choice to call abortion what it is, murder, and letting the chips fall where they may.

Having kids, a house, and other various financial responsibilities really changed my opinion of voting for leftists.

Understanding how unique and amazing it is that we have a founding document that protects our rights, brought me to the point of celebrating that, by exercising the shit out of as many as I can.

I was a born and raised, indoctrinated Militant Atheist and Contemporary American Liberal. I didn’t think, I felt my way through life. So none.

More likely than not I’d say (51% chance).

Immeasurable. I could shift either direction, but I doubt I’ll give up the “individual rights are the beginning and end of freedom, and freedom is the only true equality the human race can achieve” very much.

6

[quote]Steak Lover wrote:
It may seem a bit odd, but that’s what I’ve been doing. I haven’t kept track of everything (or even most things) but yeah, you conceive ideas of people based on a few tidbits and those tidbits need fleshing out occasionally.

Thanks. It might more appropriately be “Fourteen-hour-lamb-shank Lover” but it didn’t exactly roll off the tongue.[/quote]

Okay. If you say so, I believe you. It just seemed odd and it’s not unheard of for people to assume new identities here. So forgive my suspicions.

7

[quote]sufiandy wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Steak Lover wrote:
Hey all,

I’ve been browsing PWI for six or so years now, and have built up a tentative mental roadmap of how everyone formed their current political/ethical positions. The problem lies in that it’s 95% supposition. So…

What were the events/periods/realizations that formed or altered your views?
How likely did you think it was that your former views would change before they did?
Do you think your current views will change significantly, and what could change them?

One relatively recent event which caused me to take a good hard look at my views:

  • Transitioning from a having a quite comfortable income in a trade with a lot of autonomy as a partner, to contractor work at multiple jobs and university. Politically, this prompted me to change who I aligned myself with more to the left, after listening to our federal treasurer (Aus) repeat that a city in which the median house price has just topped $1,000,000 is affordable for first home buyers. Previously my response would be along the lines of suck it up mate, work harder. There’s nothing like having money to make you forget the shit others go through.

Cheers,
Steak
[/quote]

Who do you normally appear as? Nobody browses PWI for 6 years, says nothing, and keeps track of everything.
What ever your normal identity is, ‘Steak Lover’ is a way better name. I suggest keeping it.[/quote]

I believe him, and unless hes trolling (which his post doesn’t appear to be) what difference does it make anyway?[/quote]

Fair enough. It’s PWI, I am naturally suspicious. Might as well the whole identity thing out of the way, you know it happens all the time here and his opening statement gave me reason to pause.
Alter egos do matter as some people use it as an excuse to come and be assholes without consequence. I am not accusing Steak Lover of being an asshole. Like I said, the opening statement gave me reason to pause. I am satisfied and will bring it up no more.

8

[quote]Steak Lover wrote:
Hey all,

I’ve been browsing PWI for six or so years now, and have built up a tentative mental roadmap of how everyone formed their current political/ethical positions. The problem lies in that it’s 95% supposition. So…

What were the events/periods/realizations that formed or altered your views?
How likely did you think it was that your former views would change before they did?
Do you think your current views will change significantly, and what could change them?

One relatively recent event which caused me to take a good hard look at my views:

  • Transitioning from a having a quite comfortable income in a trade with a lot of autonomy as a partner, to contractor work at multiple jobs and university. Politically, this prompted me to change who I aligned myself with more to the left, after listening to our federal treasurer (Aus) repeat that a city in which the median house price has just topped $1,000,000 is affordable for first home buyers. Previously my response would be along the lines of suck it up mate, work harder. There’s nothing like having money to make you forget the shit others go through.

Cheers,
Steak
[/quote]

To answer your question, non-State aggression in the form of terrorism particularly, has changed the way I see things. The lines used to be nice and clear and you knew who your enemies were with states like the USSR.
The non-State based aggression has changed all that because now the lines are blurred. You could have a friendly state, with a terrorist element that uses the friendliness of the state as a means to gain access.
I changed everything. You can look at air travel as one of the most stark examples. The changes before and after 9/11 are stark. You can be viewed as an enemy no matter where you are from or where you are going.