Are you becoming more or less open-minded, more or less liberal?

[Amelia G]

There is a saying about how anyone who is twenty and not a liberal has no heart and anyone who is forty and not a conservative has no brain. I think this is beautifully phrased, but I'm not sure I agree with it. Only heard the expression for the first time around a year ago actually.

Over time, do you feel you are moving towards being more open-minded and tolerant and liberal or less? Do you feel that you are becoming more of one thing and less of another i.e. for example, more socially liberal and more fiscally conservative at the same time?

[Bikerpunk]

I'm becoming more fiscally conservative, and more socially liberal. Does that even make sense?

[Bacchus88]

As you get out in about in the world, it only nature that your political views change. In the last 7 years my own views have changed from being a hardline southern baptist neo con, bush voter ...

Now on the socially Issue will agree I am more liberal people might think to point. Just the same I am open to most issue , will take them in think them over. In those 7 years my own view have become Liberal, Fascist, what have you all it matter is the issue at the time.

I am a Federal Republic Nationalist.... wow... ok

[One Eyed Cat]

Social Libertarian. Fiscally: my concentration is on the failings of financial institutions, trade agreements, (large) corporate-government relations: subsidies, bailouts etc. I don't have the solutions on these matters.

Left Libertarian, smaller govt green, radical centrist. It really depends on the issue I am addressing. I'd say I've come full circle in my views.

OEC

[Bikerpunk]

An upwinger, in other words - neither right nor left - following whatever makes sense rather than dogma.

[One Eyed Cat]

An upwinger, in other words - neither right nor left - following whatever makes sense rather than dogma.

I try to. My roots are a hodgepodge of radicalism (anti-corp leanings) and libertarianism. I have to go with pragmatic, incremental changes now. The need to address structural and institutional deficiencies outweigh other concerns.

[Head Wreck]

I'm me.

I believe everyone has the right to do what they please as long as it doesn't harm or encroach on others.

I believe that if you have proven yourself inhuman, you have no human rights

I believe that in order to benefit from society one must contribute to it

[Mr Karl]

I totaly agree with that one

[Morning Glory]

I'm not really seeing a whole lot of new ideas to become open minded about. I'm certaintly not becoming any more closed minded about topics that I used to be accepting of.

I think that maybe people as a whole need to be a little bit LESS open minded. There's a saying about throwing out the baby with the bathwater, this is sort of a reversal of that. it's like taking the shit with the sceptic tank.

I think that we all have seen and understood the trend toward Political Correctness, which isn't designed to spare people's feelings, because it doesn't limit any of the bastards from being bastards, but it imposes the will of the censurs on the people so that they are blocked out from the real issue- which is that the bastards are still being bastards and we have to suffer for it without being able to call them out on it.

I think that if your world view vastly changes it's either because you've had a spiritual epiphany, you were dumb and naive before and you are probably just jumping on another bandwagon now, or because you just become a tool and give up any free-thought under the justification that you are getting wiser aka. become a conservative at 40. another word for that is becoming a hypocrite. must people seem to want to get a helping hand to push them into success and then once they achieve it, burn that bridge and refuse to offer their's out to help others do the same because they don't want to share it.

[One Eyed Cat]

I'm not really seeing a whole lot of new ideas to become open minded about. I'm certaintly not becoming any more closed minded about topics that I used to be accepting of.

I think that maybe people as a whole need to be a little bit LESS open minded. There's a saying about throwing out the baby with the bathwater, this is sort of a reversal of that. it's like taking the shit with the sceptic tank.

I think that we all have seen and understood the trend toward Political Correctness, which isn't designed to spare people's feelings, because it doesn't limit any of the bastards from being bastards, but it imposes the will of the censurs on the people so that they are blocked out from the real issue- which is that the bastards are still being bastards and we have to suffer for it without being able to call them out on it.

I think that if your world view vastly changes it's either because you've had a spiritual epiphany, you were dumb and naive before and you are probably just jumping on another bandwagon now, or because you just become a tool and give up any free-thought under the justification that you are getting wiser aka. become a conservative at 40. another word for that is becoming a hypocrite. must people seem to want to get a helping hand to push them into success and then once they achieve it, burn that bridge and refuse to offer their's out to help others do the same because they don't want to share it.

PC - Would that be like how a lot of us wait for women to call Hillary Clinton a goddamned sociopathic, self-serving, scorched earth policy, race baiting, de facto McCain shilling bitch .... then laugh in agreement? (Tying in the obvious cognitive dissonance as well)

Open-mindedness - You'd have to unpack the idea a bit. I think I know roughly what you're saying though.

OEC

[VoltaireBlue]

I don't know. I don't get involved in politics. so I wouldn't know. I think i fall into the category of "free thinker", since I make my own descisions and form my own opinions. I listen to others, but always with a grain of salt. I know the difference between the truth and a lie when I hear it, but will still ponder an idea. am I making any sense?

[Morning Glory]

Open mindedness- like fox news is fair and balanced.

To be more precise, willing to be permissive to really bad ideas (i'm thinking people that are still waiting around to make a decision on if global warming is real or just people that are "listening" the one's that say it isn't; people who were satsified or otherwise unwilling to call into question the US 2000 election results and all around continued policies of the Bush administration from that day on till today; people who will vote for Hil - I kid, or do I?) and in doing so ignore real logical (calls for) changes in discourse and public policy that would be the test of the true meaning of open-mindedness (gay marriage, just to name but one example.).

to qoute a freind of mine, "Fool me once, fuck you."

[Vaughn]

My politics have certainly changed with this election.

[One Eyed Cat]

Open mindedness- like fox news is fair and balanced.

To be more precise, willing to be permissive to really bad ideas (i'm thinking people that are still waiting around to make a decision on if global warming is real or just people that are "listening" the one's that say it isn't; people who were satsified or otherwise unwilling to call into question the US 2000 election results and all around continued policies of the Bush administration from that day on till today; people who will vote for Hil - I kid, or do I?) and in doing so ignore real logical (calls for) changes in discourse and public policy that would be the test of the true meaning of open-mindedness (gay marriage, just to name but one example.).

to qoute a freind of mine, "Fool me once, fuck you."

I see the use of the word in roughly the same terms. I don't regret my first (and only) flirtation with a major party, but as you said .... they've fucked with me (and probably a whole generation of decent kids) once. This is one of the reasons I tend to focus on the judiciary absent political considerations. The voters will register a fuck you to any actual change sooner or later. Better to just stand on principle. I don't mind losing on principle. I don't even resent my opponents per se.

OEC

[Bikerpunk]

I don't know. I don't get involved in politics. so I wouldn't know. I think i fall into the category of "free thinker", since I make my own descisions and form my own opinions. I listen to others, but always with a grain of salt. I know the difference between the truth and a lie when I hear it, but will still ponder an idea. am I making any sense?

You make PERFECT sense.

It's a European standpoint - judge ideas and politics on their own merit. And that's to your EXTREME CREDIT.


As opposed to the whole reduce everything to white hat vs black hat and choose a side for life e.g. "well, the democruds are EVIL" or "the Republicrats are monsters".

I DO, however, find this election a most interesting one.

[Amelia G]

You make PERFECT sense.

It's a European standpoint - judge ideas and politics on their own merit. And that's to your EXTREME CREDIT.


As opposed to the whole reduce everything to white hat vs black hat and choose a side for life e.g. "well, the democruds are EVIL" or "the Republicrats are monsters".

I DO, however, find this election a most interesting one.

As someone who lived in Europe during the Pershing Missile Riots, what do you mean about that being a European standpoint?

[Bikerpunk]

As someone who lived in Europe during the Pershing Missile Riots, what do you mean about that being a European standpoint?

One of the things I really dug about living in France was that people actually were ARSED to read the various brochures put out by the various political parties (yes, all of them) and serious, academic and thoughtful discussion of the issues and the pros and cons of various approaches to the Republic were strongly encouraged.

"C'est une question de solidarite" - "It's a question of solidarity" - they teach their kids that voting is a RIGHT and an OBLIGATION as a citizen of the Republic. It made me GLAD to hear people discuss the issues openly and honestly and examine the various party platforms without prejudice and an open mind.

There's none of this "My daddy was a Republican, my grandpappy was a republican, and you'll pull my Rush Limbaugh sticker off my H3 when I've run out of ammo." or "my father was a progressive, his mother was a progressive, and I think we should vote for Hillary Clinton because it would be wonderful to give the job to a woman, to avenge the terrible injustices of the past five million years."