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Post by enchanted on Feb 27, 2020 15:21:53 GMT -6
And thank you ♥️
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Ls2012
Amethyst
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Post by Ls2012 on Feb 27, 2020 15:46:52 GMT -6
For me, it's that I just didn't think about things really at all. I was so wrapped in a privileged middle class white Catholic conservative bubble, and flowed along with whatever currents of belief surrounded me. Nobody rocked the boat.
And then college. And people. And viewpoints. And experiences. And all the things I had never been exposed to to realize there were other, differing points of view. And I listened, and absorbed, and started to come to my own conclusions. It was, in many ways, the beginning of my formal education rather than the end.
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Post by Uncaripswife on Feb 27, 2020 17:25:52 GMT -6
Climate change. It's not that I ever felt it was ok to shit on the planet, but I was raised that these things were #1 not man made, just natural cycles, and #2 used by alarmists to find new ways to control you. On #1 I don't think there is any denying that human activity has massive impact on the planet. Like, the fact that there are people out there who believe our literal 7+ billion people species with our constant consumption and development has no impact. Some of the denial, IME, was rooted in people believing that God gave humans dominion over the Earth, therefore we were free to do to it what we want. They miss the stewardship element, that we were entrusted with something, completely. (sometimes when I say things like that to a religious denier they make that Tucker face like their minds cannot comprehend that this might be a responsibility of ours and it makes me sad.) #2 Nobody is sitting there twirling their mustache over their big win of making you set your AC at 74. Like find a better conspiracy theory because I'm embarrassed for you, dude. Obviously climate change matters, but even if the climate weren't changing, there are plenty of reasons why treating the planet with care is important - human health, biodiversity, etc. I cannot claim to be perfect but I am trying to make conscious decisions about how we use resources in & outside our home. And I have put in a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out the best way to add thoughtful flora and other features to our yard to support wildlife, specifically birds and pollinators. This is stupid, but I put in a suet bird feeder the other day and it makes me so damn happy. There's a woodpecker on it now, a blue jay waiting his turn, and plenty of birds hopping around for dropped seed. That's not stupid!
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jaygee
Diamond
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Post by jaygee on Feb 27, 2020 17:28:56 GMT -6
I've always been pretty liberal due to my liberal parents. Even though we were Catholic, we were what were called "cafeteria Catholics" because we didn't agree with many of the churches beliefs and teachings. My parents were pro-equal rights, pro-birth control, pro-choice. (I say were. They still are.) I do feel like I have moved further and further to the left as I've gotten older. The only two specific instances I can pinpoint are: 1) (This isn't really political, but it kind of is?) I don't believe in any sort of higher power anymore. I am firmly an atheist, but not a "militant" one. You do you and let me do me. As long as you aren't using your faith and higher power to hurt people, legislate the country, or trying to force me (or my kids) to believe what you believe, we're all good. Live and let live. I could have written your 1st point word for word. Also grew up a cafeteria catholic and went to catholic school for a portion of my education. I was baptized but not confirmed. Seriously Considered adult confirmation as a young adult and tried to become more religious until eventually just accepting that I don’t have a brain or heart that believes. It’s more peaceful for me to accept it.
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Feb 27, 2020 17:35:49 GMT -6
This is a long time ago but in high school I was pretty against affirmative action. I was very poor and grew up in a not great area in terms of resources and schools, etc. I had a hard time understanding why people of color had it more difficult than white poor people. I also saw a white friend fudge a minority status on college apps and felt she got an unfair advantage to get in to a better school than she could have. So in my mind that one anecdote was a big deal because at 18 I didn’t have a big world view yet.
I’d say just in general I had a limited understanding of privilege and systematic racism and injustice. Partly due to my own privilege that I didn’t understand (at the time I didn’t feel privileged but woo boy I was) and partly due to my education and it being the 90s. I was more bootstrappy because I just didn’t understand how the world worked.
Then I became a sociology major in college and the rest is history.
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Post by Uncaripswife on Feb 27, 2020 17:35:58 GMT -6
For me it was a belief that classism was a bigger problem than racism "in this day and age." For a long time I believed that if we only could smooth out class inequality racial inequities would drop away, too. I grew up in the northeast in an area that is 98% white and where people are mostly struggling to get into or stay in the middle class, and I just really had no idea how sheltered I was. That's not an excuse, of course.
It wasn't until my senior year of college that I started to realize that isn't true. I took a couple classes about women's rights and the labor movement, taught by and from the perspective of African Americans, and that is when it started to dawn on me that racism is much more deeply entrenched in our societal structures. Then studying criminal justice in grad school was even more eye opening.
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Feb 27, 2020 17:37:53 GMT -6
I also used to say I was “fiscally conservative and socially liberal”. I am a data and numbers person (also have a Econ degree to go with my Sociology one) so I didn’t like deficit spending and unbalanced budgets. But now that’s not even a conservative value so I can just say I’m all liberal. Lol.
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Feb 27, 2020 17:40:25 GMT -6
For me it was a belief that classism was a bigger problem than racism "in this day and age." For a long time I believed that if we only could smooth out class inequality racial inequities would drop away, too. I grew up in the northeast in an area that is 98% white and where people are mostly struggling to get into or stay in the middle class, and I just really had no idea how sheltered I was. That's not an excuse, of course. It wasn't until my senior year of college that I started to realize that isn't true. I took a couple classes about women's rights and the labor movement, taught by and from the perspective of African Americans, and that is when it started to dawn on me that racism is much more deeply entrenched in our societal structures. Then studying criminal justice in grad school was even more eye opening. Same. Criminal justice classes were crazy eye opening to me on so many levels. I am very grateful for my education and wish more people could experience the coursework and professors I did.
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Feb 27, 2020 17:48:03 GMT -6
enchanted I’m sorry you had that experience wrt #2. I have also had people assume that I am anti abortion because we adopted our son. If anything it has made me more pro choice (I was always 1000% pro choice but still). Like yes I’m supremely grateful that his birth mother decided to carry him and sacrifice so much to do so and that I get to be his mom. BUT what she went through was rough and if we lived in a time when it had been her only option I would have been beyond sad that she had to endure that out of lack of choice. Interestingly and PDQ this part she was anti abortion which was part of decision to make an adoption plan and she has now evolved to be pro choice. She still maintains that for her she would not personally have one but she is open to choice for other people now.
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Post by bunnyfungo on Feb 27, 2020 19:50:45 GMT -6
This isn’t necessarily policy related, but I have changed my views a lot on the opioid crisis. If you hang out on GD, you know that MH is, damn, 12 years sober. He had an opioid addiction but no longer uses any substance including alcohol because of risk for relapse. When I met him, he was already several years sober, but he was very forthcoming. Our first date was at BWW and I ordered a beer and he was like, yeeeaaahhh, I don’t do that. I felt like such an asshole. But his insight and openness has really colored my views on all people with addictions. Honestly, I wish he would go into some sort of drug counseling because he is so knowledgeable from the inside and outside about the topic. If it wasn’t for drug court he would not be able to have the job he has today and it makes me realize that we need to stop ruining lives over felony records and arrests. That shit follows you everywhere and I like to believe that most people are just doing the best they can in a society that isn’t set up to support anyone.
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Post by justkeepmoving on Feb 27, 2020 20:05:18 GMT -6
For me the death penalty. As a teen/young adult I was all for it. If you killed someone than it’s the punishment. However I’ve educated myself over time and realized just how unjust and racist our justice system is and I am now against it.
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sctiger
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Post by sctiger on Feb 27, 2020 20:47:59 GMT -6
I've evolved on a lot of things. I grew up a bubble where everyone's dad was an engineer (mostly) or other educated professionals and our moms stayed home and we still lived comfortable lives. Even the way my school was set up, the honors kids, who were mostly white, were in separate areas of the school from the other kids. I never thought about race or class. Everyone voted Republican and I remember everyone being for Dole in 1996 and then Bush in 2000 and 2004. I never really thought about politics and people were mostly in favor of the Iraq invasion when I was in high school (I graduated in 2003).
As I went to college I started to become more aware of the world and started paying attention more. I very nearly voted for Kerry but let other get inside my head and I voted for Bush. Once I got closer to graduation I thought more about getting health insurance and I also went through a celiac diagnosis and the cost of all the procedures made me think about the cost of health care and that no one should have to worry about paying for health care costs. When Obama started to talk about affordable health care I started paying attention. I came around on reproductive rights, realized that I have no issue with gay marriage, etc and that the Democratic party represented my values more than the Republicans. The Trayvon Martin case made me think more about systemic racism and it evolved from there. That's just the tip of the iceberg but I think you get the idea. I'm not super left, but somewhere between moderate Dems and the progressive wing, but continuing to feel more "left." I've realized that not everyone has the same opportunities as I have had and that we need to all work together to fix it.
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jorkzy
Emerald
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Post by jorkzy on Feb 27, 2020 21:00:05 GMT -6
I used to be very anti GMO but the more I read the more it seems it's not GMOs that aren't inherently the problem, but instead monoculture and corporate factory farming. Also some GMOs are problematic like Roundup altered seeds, but it isn't that GMOs are innately problematic. Also I'm still 110% fuck Monsanto.they are terrible. Late here but if you’re on IG, there’s a food chemist whose page is essentially to fight misinformation in food production, manufacturing and nutrition. She’s always got studies linked and writes in an easy to understand way. Lots of info on glyphosate (roundup). @foodsciencebabe if you’re interested.
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Post by oreobitsy on Feb 27, 2020 21:18:44 GMT -6
I used to be very anti GMO but the more I read the more it seems it's not GMOs that aren't inherently the problem, but instead monoculture and corporate factory farming. Also some GMOs are problematic like Roundup altered seeds, but it isn't that GMOs are innately problematic. Also I'm still 110% fuck Monsanto.they are terrible. Late here but if you’re on IG, there’s a food chemist whose page is essentially to fight misinformation in food production, manufacturing and nutrition. She’s always got studies linked and writes in an easy to understand way. Lots of info on glyphosate (roundup). @foodsciencebabe if you’re interested. Thanks for this, I'm going to check it out. I buy organic food but it's not lost on me that I'm doing so based on a sense that it's "better" without really understanding the big picture.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2020 7:30:07 GMT -6
For me, it's that I just didn't think about things really at all. I was so wrapped in a privileged middle class white Catholic conservative bubble, and flowed along with whatever currents of belief surrounded me. Nobody rocked the boat. And then college. And people. And viewpoints. And experiences. And all the things I had never been exposed to to realize there were other, differing points of view. And I listened, and absorbed, and started to come to my own conclusions. It was, in many ways, the beginning of my formal education rather than the end. Politics lurker here and just had to jump in to say, this was essentially my exact experience. It’s why I’m so glad I’m raising my kids in a more diverse area where they will be exposed to different people and things.
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willow
Ruby
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Post by willow on Feb 28, 2020 9:12:23 GMT -6
Taxes. I am not going to say that our taxes are managed in the best way but when I was younger I just was so pissed that I had to give the government money. I'm thinking more in terms of state and local property taxes and as an adult, I really value that the taxes I pay are going to be used to improve my daily life even if I don't always directly "see" it. Again, I know it's not perfect by any means, but I'm going to support tax referendums most of the time when I vote because even when they don't directly benefit me, they are benefiting someone in the community (usually).
I also work for county government so taxes pay my salary now, so I appreciate them. lol.
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fatpony
Amethyst
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Post by fatpony on Feb 28, 2020 11:00:45 GMT -6
I've changed my views on lots of things - death penalty, marijuana, and punishment vs. rehabilitation, to name a few.
I've grown and learned a lot as I've gotten older, and it has been a know better, do better kind of situation.
I am also a county government employee and have lots of feelings about people being mad about taxes. LOL
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Peekaru
Sapphire
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Post by Peekaru on Feb 28, 2020 11:05:58 GMT -6
I also used to say I was “fiscally conservative and socially liberal”. I am a data and numbers person (also have a Econ degree to go with my Sociology one) so I didn’t like deficit spending and unbalanced budgets. But now that’s not even a conservative value so I can just say I’m all liberal. Lol. I used to say this as well. Accounting degree and a financial planner job. But in the past 2ish years I've really realized that by being socially liberal, you are generally being financially conservative. So, likewise, now I'm just straight up liberal.
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emma
Ruby
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Post by emma on Feb 28, 2020 11:46:09 GMT -6
I think the list of issues i've evolved on is too long to even list here. i grew up in a conservative home with a lot of bootstrap low key racism and classism. I have changed A LOT in the last 15 years and now am a very bleeding heart liberal to the point that Bernie looks tame to me. Honestly i'm deeply embarrassed for some of the words that came out of my mouth as a 20yo.
The internet and TV have played the biggest roles in changing my views. Listening to people talk about their experiences and being able to seek out more information about subjects. This place and it's many iterations have had a huge affect.
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sctiger
Platinum
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Post by sctiger on Feb 28, 2020 21:20:06 GMT -6
I've changed my views on lots of things - death penalty, marijuana, and punishment vs. rehabilitation, to name a few. I've grown and learned a lot as I've gotten older, and it has been a know better, do better kind of situation. I am also a county government employee and have lots of feelings about people being mad about taxes. LOL Definitely agree that for me it was a "know better do better" thing. I've learned a lot and been open to new ways of thinking, not just accepting what I knew growing up. I can't even imagine having those beliefs now.
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