age and change?

[yesdachi]

After seeing some of the young faces in the "show the evil" thread it made me think. I have formed an impression of several of the regular posters and didn’t really associate age to the impression. However, seeing GC’s evil mug has made me more aware of the age differences out there. So just for the fun of it…

Do you think your political and/or social views have changed with age?

Do you think your views will change as you age?


I know mine have changed. Socially I am far more accepting of others opinions now than I was when I was younger. And I am also more apt to question authority than I use to be. I know now that my teachers, priests, parents, etc. were not always right and it makes me less believing than when I was younger.

Politically I have also changed. Same political party but for different reasons.

I think it is interesting that (in my experience) many younger people already have such strong opinions on, well… just about everything.

[Geoffrey S]

A couple of years back I was more certain of my views, on the Iraq war, religion, and various other issues. Nowadays I'm less certain about such things and more willing to actually listen to other people's views. I certainly make more of an effort to look at as many sides of an issue as possible before really commiting, and I wouldn't be surprised if over the years my views change even more than they already have.

It's strange how so many things taken for granted when younger can change fairly subtely into more rounded opinions, but I guess it is a major part of leaving puberty behind.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Would you believe I was once a long haired hippy freak?

[Duke Malcolm]

My views have changed with age.

At first, an unquestioning protestant presbyterian and liberal, assuming god as the only explanation for the wonders surrounding, and thinking everyone equal.

Then, at around the age of 9, started reading into the sciences, and assumed my title as athiest. My nationalist views started here, and anglophobia. starting to think slightly consevatively.

Later, about 13, my nationalist views were at their peak, and conservative views were also present. I started reading into String Theory and such, and became agnostic.

Now, at the ripe age of 15 (16 a week on Saturday), I am an apathetic protestant. I am a staunch Imperialist, Monarchist, conservative (note the small "c"), who would only support nationalism if separation was done the right way. String Theory is still one of my beliefs.

[Tiger_Tamerlane]

yeah,sure

[Aenlic]

Absolutely.

In high school I was a Republican who thought the candidacy of Jimmy Carter was silly.

I voted for George Bush in the primary against Reagan, believing that Bush was correct in identifying Reagan's policies as "voodoo economics" and I still think that he was right the first time. When he then joined Reagan as VP candidate, I realized he was just another mealy-mouthed politician and began to question my beliefs. I ended up voting for John Anderson.

After serving in the military and encountering differing viewpoints in college, I started drifting to the left as I gained a greater understanding of economics and politics and Reagan and the newly arrived neocons began their assault on reason.

In 1984, I voted for Bob Richards, the Populist Party candidate, because I couldn't stand Mondale and I refused to vote for turncoat, hypocrite Bush even as just a VP.

In 1988, I was left with a list of useless candidates from which to choose and ended up voting for Ron Paul, the Libertarian candidate.

I voted for Clinton in 1992, because there was no way in hell I was going to vote for Bush, or vote for someone else and thus possibly help Bush get re-elected.

By the time the country re-elected the most successful Republican in decades, Bill Clinton, I had drifted so far left that I was almost right again. In 1996 I refused to vote for any of the Republicans on the ballot, no matter what party to which they supposedly belonged. Harry Browne was an idiot, and Ralph Nader was an alien from Pluto, so I ended up voting for Mary Cal Hollis, the Socialist Party candidate just because I could.

2000 was a no-brainer, since both of the main candidates were no-brainers. Ralph Nader was still an alien from Pluto, Harry Browne still had his head in nether regions, and the Socialist Party and the rest were pretty much just platforms for extremists to express their undying affection for themselves.

It's pretty obvious at this point that I'm getting disgusted with the political process in general and government specifically. Then I happened to pick up a book called The Ecology of Freedom by Murray Bookchin. I stopped wandering around the political spectrum, which is really just a circle with no ends, and left the circle altogether.

In 2004, I saw the whole issue as one of voting against Bush, which I did.

I went from being a middle-of-the-road moderate sort-of Republican in high school to a radical libertarian socialist or anarcho-communist or neo-syndicalist or any one of a number of poorly fitting but partly accurate ism and ists. What a long strange trip it's been.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I have changed and will continue to change many of my views.

I suspect that I will not change my core beliefs, though it took me from puberty (aaargh!) to my mid 30's to arrive at a full understanding of them.


When Churchill quipped that

"A man at 20 who is not a liberal has no heart. If at 40 he is not a conservative, he has no head."

he was not (solely ) trying to justify his political weathervaning. It is perfectly normal for a person's views -- and to some extent beliefs -- to alter substantially between 15 and 40. It's called growing up.

Now, if I could only mesh my sense of self at 41 with the metabolism I had as a 19-year-old!

Seamus

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I went from being a middle-of-the-road moderate sort-of Republican in high school to a radical libertarian socialist or anarcho-communist or neo-syndicalist or any one of a number of poorly fitting but partly accurate ism and ists. What a long strange trip it's been.

Yes and the opposite of most. As has been said if your under 30 and are not a liberal you have no heart and if your over 40 and your not a conservative you have no brain. Where does that leave you?

[King Henry V]

Well from someone who has been bred on King Henry V, Hornblower and Sharpe since the age of two, I have been an imperialistic, nationalistic, monarchist and religious person for much of my life. I decided to support the Conservative Party when I was eight years old. I was previously quite anti-American, although this could be attributed to sour grapes because of the "Revolution". I have always been anti-French, something which even nine years in the French schooling system has done little to change.

[Kagemusha]

When i was under 20 i couldnt care less about politics i simply didnt have intrest or time for that.Now im 26 and im still not very enthusiastic about politics,but im aware that i should be aware whats happening in my country and in the rest of the world.

[Lazul]

More hatefull and angry for each year that goes by....

[Aenlic]

Yes and the opposite of most. As has been said if your under 30 and are not a liberal you have no heart and if your over 40 and your not a conservative you have no brain. Where does that leave you?

Not needing to rely on pithy aphorisms and instead thinking for myself?

[Redleg]

Well lets just say my politics have been pretty consistent since I graduated from High School.

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

used to be a full on far leftwing nut job (big fan of anarcho-syndicalism and such).

And now I'm not.

Which I guess means that I have no heart.

but I can still spout utter rubbish

[Seamus Fermanagh]

but I can still spout utter rubbish

Member in good standing I take it?


Seamus

[Lazul]

Which I guess means that I have no heart.

Remember that everyones heart is to the Left!

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Yes and the opposite of most. As has been said if your under 30 and are not a liberal you have no heart and if your over 40 and your not a conservative you have no brain. Where does that leave you?

Heartless pride!

Though once I was a hippy freak who liked Jerry Garcia and Bob Marley.

[Steppe Merc]

Well, I actually started to care and take intrest as I got older, and I profoundly hope I will not change much when I get older.

[PanzerJaeger]

I have always been right wing since I began thinking on politics. That will not change.

[Azi Tohak]

Yup. I have changed a lot over the past few years. Probably because I have been in College... gee ya think?

But I am now more conservative on somethings, but more liberal on others. I am also Christian again. So yes, I do think our views change with age. Well... they should anyway. If they don't, chances are you haven't thought about your beliefs.

Azi

[yesdachi]

Though once I was a hippy freak who liked Jerry Garcia and Bob Marley.

Only once?

[ICantSpellDawg]

when i was younger, throughout school - i fought every type of authority that i could. Parents, Church, teachers, government. i would kick and scream and fight for the sake of fighting. i was also described as an extremely paranoid child and young adult by psychiatrists.

In the past few years, i have become less hardened agaisnt things that i disagree with and changed some opinions, but i have also carried ideas from my youth with me. I have become more pro-government, less venomously anti-religious and more confused. I view people as misguided with no real purpose - so my paranoia has subsided considerably. My illusions of a well-orchestrated anything, much less conspiracy have slowly vanished, replaced by more realistic interpretations of events. Vilification of others has lessened, but Vilification of bad deeds has increased.

All in all - i am not sure of the direction, but i am sure that i have changed considerably from when i was a kid. I am more of a leader now, more confident in myself and less abrasive against authority - while being even more steadfast and altruistic in my sacrifices

less of a spineless lightweight id guess, but i pick my fights carefully

[JimBob]

As I've gotten older I've gotten more and more liberal. I started as a fullblown, the military knows better than us militarist. And have become a whacko post-left anarcho-communist. In between I was a moderate weak kneed middle of the roader and then a 'progresive' ('progresive' is a big lie, pretty fake).

@Aenlic: AK Press is a wonderful place no? Bookchin is a pretty cool dude.

[Aenlic]

@Aenlic: AK Press is a wonderful place no? Bookchin is a pretty cool dude.

Indeed it is, and I suspect that AK UK employs a number of the fine people responsible for creating and maintaining one of my favorite internet FAQ sites: Anarchist FAQ, although the site itself is hosted on Infoshop, which is another fine organization.

[Goofball]

In my teens I really cared nothing for politics, I was too busy trying to collect as many (metaphorical, of course) female scalps as I could, just about to the exclusion of all other activities, with the exceptions of baseball and football.

In my twenties I was a staunch conservative (both with respect to social issues and economic issues). This I attribute mainly to three factors:
1) I was still quite a shallow individual who really didn't care too much about the problems of anybody not in my immediate family.
2) I had not gone to university yet, and my training in disciplined critical thinking was at that point very minimal.
3) I just didn't have enough life experience under my belt yet to really start to get a good understanding of the world I lived in.

Now in my thirties, I still subscribe to economic conservatism, but with respect to social issues I have become quite liberal. I attribute this to a number of factors, including, but not limited to:
1) I have now married and started a family, which seems to have given me a much-improved ability to empathize with others.
2) I have now completed university (and then some) and am a much better critical thinker than I used to be
3) I am experienced enough now to know that blind faith in any politician is simple stupidity, as they are just as weak and fallable as the rest of us. Therefore, I want government to play as little of a role in my life as possible.

As for the future, who knows? I know than given the evolution of my views over the first 35 years of my life, it would be silly for me to assume that I won't continue to change or modify my beliefs as I continue to gain life experience.

I think anybody who has decided they have evolved all they need to and sets their views in stone needs to do a little more thinking. Otherwise, there will be a lot in life they will miss out on.

[Aenlic]

I do not sit on my porch and stagnate! I sit on my porch wearing a wife-beater, yellow and green plaid shorts, black knee-high socks with garters, and sandals while sipping iced tea and yelling, "Hey you kids! Get off my lawn!"

[bmolsson]

When I was young, all those old farts only interferred with my life and kept all the resources I needed away from me.
Now when I am old, all those young irresponsible, immoral hippies only spend their times to cheat me of my hard earned money and live in sin and never make a good days job.......
So I don't change, by the bloody society does.....

[ah_dut]

I think I've changed considerably. Let's just say my views are by no means fully developed and people WILL change whatever you think (even if only a little)

Most people start off life with a belief in some type of deity which will make everything alright, I did.

Now, I am less sure. While I think there is something beyond the curtain (so to speak,) I am not sure what it is anymore.

I guess I have always been pretty whacked up inside and relatively partisan at that. As such, I guess my view mirror goofball's in many ways. I don't like spending money (parental legacy that may well last a lifetime.) but really, people suffering generally doesn't do any good.

So I'm an economic conservative and social liberal. But not all that much either side so I'd say I'm vaugely moderate

[Paul Peru]

I was told about Jesus etc. when I was a kid, and believed most of what was presented as truths from authorities such as teachers until I was a teenager.

Then, until I was 18, I was some kind of agnostic.
After that I started reading and thinking a great deal.

My pacifism has grown stronger lately.

I like kids better. And babies, luckily, as I've got one coming.

Whereas women are concerned, I've always been quite...fond of women, but lately I find that I'm much more opposed to all kinds of treating women as objects.

My view on whether Norway should join the EU has changed twice, but that has been because of external changes, not my maturity.

Other than that it's much the same, I think.

me, 33

[Spetulhu]

I think it is interesting that (in my experience) many younger people already have such strong opinions on, well… just about everything.

What's so odd there? Young people are known for having strong opinions, aren't they?