I'd be interested to hear some stories here.

I starting getting interested around my early teen years, where I really embraced freedom of speech, expression, etc. This probably comes from my parents being pretty kind with what kind of things I watched/listened to as a kid. I also wasn't raised in a religious environment, so I never understood why osme of the things people would try to forbid based on that.

Around my mid to late teens, going into college, I started to realize how freedom should also expand into the economic realm. This probably arose at when I started taking some economics classes, and coming to the realization how much sense capitialism makes. As a result, I started to want government to do as little as practically feasible, which put me at odds with a lot of people at the early years of my college days in Portland (though I tended, and still do, to make exceptions with regards to the environment, which placated some of the crowd). In fact, in 2000, I definitely preferred Bush over Gore, though I didn't vote for either of them. That got some people ruffled.

After September 11th, I took another big swing. I started to pay more attention to foreign policy, which always confused me before then. I came to realize how awful war is, and how it really should be used a lot less than the US has used it, which I then discovered how many awful policies administrations have had, especially post-WWII. (especially after reading books from guys like Zinn, recommended by one Ed Vedder ) I came to oppose the Afghanistan War as it was waged (I preferred a special forces operation to get the terrorists responible instead of a full-out invasion), and I was right behind my college peers in a staunch opposition to the Iraq War (though we disagreed on why the war should be waged).

Turns out, being anti-war fit in very well with my prevoius beliefs of less government spending. I realized much more how both parties love to spend money recklessly, not just the Democrats. I had realized a little bit of it with Reagan from studying, but it was nothing like watching Bush right in front of your eyes blow billions on dollars on stupid things like war.

I've been pretty steady in those beliefs since then (around 2003).

That sounded jumbled at some points, I might make some addenda later. Now, share your stories!

Growing up in Belfast during the Troubles pretty much took care of that for me.

I think the most important lesson I learned was that politics isn't worth killing someone over.

I'll come back to this but that's about all I'm comfortable talking about now.

eddie vedder told me, duh

i guess my parents, they used to take me with them when i was little and they were picketing things. It made an impression. Plus they were teachers and they were always making sure title 9 shit was right at their school

My family was always vaguely liberal in a help the poor give to charity people should pay their taxes. Even though I buy into a lot of th marxist analysis of capitalism (which I didn't really learn about until grad school) my politics have always been grounded in my own personal morality which is heavily colored by a belief that no one should have to suffer if it is avoidable and that almost all political questions should be guided by that principle.

I always felt that implicitly but the experience that really brought it home happened in college. I went to school in maine and one night at 3 in the morning some friends and I walked down to a local 24 hour 7-11 type place. it was a cold and windy night. While we were in there a homeless guy came in, bought a 1/2 gallon carton of milk, and paid for it in change--adding up pennies and what not. We got our food and left and on our walk back to our warm dorm rooms, surrounded by friends and without any serious problems in our lives, I saw this guy leaning up against the outside of the store, huddled inside his coat for warmth, drinking his milk alone.

No one should be cold and alone anywhere, lest of all in the richest country in the history of the world.


I never started paying close attention to politics until I started teaching, even though I was a poli-sci major in college. I liked politics as philosophy and history, not as something living. But having to teach it really opened my eyes.

Reading On Liberty by John Stuart Mill helped too. He enapsulates my views more than anyone else.

What kind of things would they picket?

just a couple of strikes for themselves(teachers union stuff) and various womens events with my mom, political stuff. My mother was very active in politcal vounteering when i was young.

I would say a great deal of my political beliefs come from my parents. They are both strong democrats, though, I would say my dad could be confused for a republican in some places. I don't believe I learned that much about actually stances on issues from my parents, but from a pretty early age I knew democrats were the good guys.

My freshman year in high school was the 2000 election. That's when I really started paying attention to politics. I started learning about what democrat and republican really meant as far as idealogies go. I actually remember telling my classmates that we would probably go to war with Iraq if Bush was elected. We all know how that turned out, but after Bush was elected, I continued learning more about politics.

The 2004 election was the first one I was able to take part in. Though I liked Dean, I purchased a John Kerry for president t-shirt after he was pretty much a lock for the nomination. I was the most vocal person in my school about politics. I would wear that Kerry shirt and have people cuss me out about it, lol. I did my senior presentation on the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes and obviously had to bash the hell out of Bush.

Now I am, a politcal science major after changing from biomedical science. I'm still learning a lot about politics. I will admit don't know everything, there are still a things I'm not sure how I stand on.

my 8th Grade social studies teacher was a big Perot supporter....
but more of a 3rd party supporter then anything.....

between him, the 60's bands, and Pearl Jam
just kinda floated me to where i am.....

cause i aint no democrate
sure as fuck aint no replublican either....

I get lost easily so I used Tom Tom.

this is really difficult for me to figure out. i honestly believe they may have developed as a bad reaction to how strong my parents political ideologies were.

i remember when the 1988 presidential elections were going on... my mother actually told me that if a democrat won the election, they wouldn't be able to afford christmas presents. (this isn't true... at all). thats my parents' warped sense of humor for you. they taught me to recognize ronald reagan from the time i could speak. when the Challenger shuttle exploded, i apparently asked my mom "why president reagan was crying." that was 1986. i was born in december 1983. they tried to train me from a young age.

around the age when i started to read newsweek and actually have the capacity to understand politics and the news my parents watched was right when bill clinton emerged as a candidate for the 1992 election. i was MESMERIZED by him. i used to watch his speeches and read about him and was just absolutely fascinated. that just kind of opened the door to liberalism and my own self discovery. and socialism.

I guess we're just doomed to be political adversaries, Lauren.

I read what these genuinely smart bastards had to say on RM, watched and listened to non-commercial media, and sparred with my mentor professor at uni.

My parents were pretty conservative when i was younger. My mom went to Catholic school and was conservative. My dad was a Vietnam Vet so he also sided with the right on most issues. I never really paid attention to politics(I was too focused on sports) but i basically agreed with whatever they thought. College opened my eyes to a lot of things. I started hanging out with more minorities and people of different social classes and that changed my view on a lot of things. I also took a lot of acid and mushrooms and many bong hits so that leaned my opinion left on most issues.

To my surprise my parents have become much more liberal. My dad realized how awful the war was and how much it fucked him up and the people around him, my mom dealt with my sister's abortion, a lot of things opened their minds and changed their views on many political issues. I'm happy they changed cause i couldn't deal with ultrconservative parents. They probably would have disowned me by now

I try to make decisions and opinions based on a belief that God created everything and everyone, and everything he created has a purpose and is an expression of God. When we fail to help others, ease suffering, and support the weakest members of society, you're failing God.

In that sense, we all have a humanity and autonomy (or a little piece of God) that can't be taken away. When you make laws that place restrictions on people that are unneccessary to the maintenance of society, you're disrespecting that autonomy.

It's a common thread through Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and others major religions, I assume, and they all claim for it to be the most important concept. Sometimes I just don't see why religions can't put aside the little rules and embrace the spirit of teachings by their great teachers. That's why I don't go to chuch anymore. Muhammed, Jesus, Buddha, were these guys God? Prophets? I don't know, but they were all great teachers stressing the same concepts with minor variations.

Sometimes I fail at living that way, or struggle with fitting that philosophy into the real world, but I'll keep trying to figure out why some things feel right, and some things feel wrong, and how those things fit into my beliefs.

I guess that is what my political beliefs are and not how I came to them. Fuck, I don't know ... that's always been the way my parents lived their lives, and I look at them and the way people around them admire them ... and I want to emulate my parents. I don't know ... some bullshit like that.

I'm not sure I have political beliefs. Mostly, I consider politics as beneath me. I do however abhor bullying of any kind, and I always do my best to stand up against it.

To be honest, I'm not really sure. It's likely an amalgamation of a whole bunch of different things.

My parents are conservative, but not overly. Being a farmer, my dad sort of has an allegiance to Republicans, since historically they've been more pro-ag than the Dems. Doesn't really ring true as much these days, but it's tough to break tradition. They never forced their beliefs on me, though. They took me to church, but never preached religion too much beyond that. In the end, they raised me with basic moral values and have left a lot of it up to me. I can't thank them enough for that.

The area I grew up in was extremely conservative. I realized early in high school that I didn't fit in that frame of mind. What led me to that conclusion, I can't fully say. I had some amazing teachers who I looked up to. I'm sure they had some influence. Once again, I should thank my parents for exposing me to more than just this small farming community. The majority of people I went to high school with had likely not strayed more than a couple hours away. My parents took me places. Let me see other parts of the US. That surely had an impact.

I also had an uncle and grandfather, still have an aunt, that strongly leaned to the left. I hate to play favorites with my family, but she's my favorite aunt, he was my favorite grandpa, and I'm quite certain if he'd been around longer, he'd have been my favorite uncle. So, I'm sure they played a role as well.

College solidified my beliefs, but they were firmly planted before I went there. It's funny. One of my best friends from all those years is a die-hard Republican. She doesn't argue her position very well, though.

Maybe "What is your worldview?" would be more appropriate.

I did a lot of ducking frugs.

but youre so RESPECTABLE.