What were you before you were a Leftist?

[L.A.P.]

Throughout my whole life i've always been at least to the center-left. I've always been a Social/Modern Liberal because my parents are and then I started going more to the right and became more Conservative than my parents so I considered myself a Centrist. When I became a teenager I started reading about different political views and I realized how much of a misunderstanding there is of communism and socialism. However, I considered myself an Anarchist and then went back and forth between different types of Anarchism and Libertarianism. After watching many documentaries on the economic crisis and how much worse it is around the world than in America so I just turned to Marxism. There have also been many factors in my personal life that I think have turned me onto Leftism such as how poor my friends were in middle school and how fortunate I really was. That's just me though, I'm interested in learning how other people got themselves into left-wing ideas.

[Sasha]

nothing, mom is an active green (before that pacivist socialist) dad was an social-dem now voting greens aswell, i rolled in the squatscene when i was 14, called myself an marxist for a while to honour my communist fammily history (and because it was great way to pissoff my anarchists friends) than turned undefined autonomist like an good dutch squatter should..

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

A "liberal", as I always assumed that being liberal was the nice thing to be. Most socialists I know called themselves liberals when they first stared to engage in politics, without actually understanding what the term meant.

Luckily I was introduced to socialism by my father, and my family is mostly strongly democratic socialist (old Labourites). I guess in the early days I confused socialist values with the media's portrayal of the liberals as being those who care about the poor etc.

[L.A.P.]

called myself an marxist for a while to honour my communist fammily history (and because it was great way to pissoff my anarchists friends)

Why would Anarchist be pissed off at a Communist?They must have not been true Anarchist but more like radical Libertarians (Anarcho-Capitalists & Free-Market Anarchists). Am I right?

[Adi Shankara]

Throughout my whole life i've always been at least to the center-left. I've always been a Social/Modern Liberal because my parents are and then I started going more to the right and became more Conservative than my parents so I considered myself a Centrist. When I became a teenager I started reading about different political views and I realized how much of a misunderstanding there is of communism and socialism. However, I considered myself an Anarchist and then went back and forth between different types of Anarchism and Libertarianism. After watching many documentaries on the economic crisis and how much worse it is around the world than in America so I just turned to Marxism. There have also been many factors in my personal life that I think have turned me onto Leftism such as how poor my friends were in middle school and how fortunate I really was. That's just me though, I'm interested in learning how other people got themselves into left-wing ideas.

Before I was a leftist, I was a...Leftist :lol:

[Revolution starts with U]

I have been signing my name with the circled A since I was 12, the same year I wrote a short story with main characters Sacco and Vendzetti.
I have always went back and forth between social anarchist/social libertarian and social democrat.

[Friedrich]

I didn't really associate myself with politics before becoming a leftist

[Red Commissar]

Up until I was 18 I considered myself a "conservative" in the American sense, though I was apolitical and angry with elites (If I was still a conservative, I'd probably be a tea bagger :( ). After that I slid to a more towards a left social democrat position, declaring myself "Democratic Socialist". During much of this year I gravitated to a Marxist orientation though unclear of what tendency I'd be.

[Sasha]

Why would Anarchist be pissed off at a Communist?They must have not been true Anarchist but more like radical Libertarians (Anarcho-Capitalists & Free-Market Anarchists). Am I right?

most anachists here are of the ANARKEE! kind, the "state has no buisness to intervene with my mohawk and my underage drinking" crowd.
Its getting a bit better now but back in the day calling yourself an communist pushed everybdoy's "zomg evil stalinist!!!" buttons

[Apoi_Viitor]

I used to be a staunch right-wing libertarian. Which meant I was also, firmly against all "unnecessary" wars - and because of that, I was introduced to Noam Chomsky. From then on, I've sort of hovered between Anarchism and Marxism - which is why I often categorize myself as being a "Libertarian Socialist".

[anticap]

I grew up apolitical, but I swallowed the tripe that I was fed by school and the media about the US being the greatest country in history, capitalism equaling freedom, the Democrats equaling socialism, etc.

Since capitalism equaled freedom, and since the Democrats equaled socialism, it followed that the Republicans equaled freedom, so that was where I stood when I first staked out a political position.

Digging deeper, I discovered the "Libertarian" Party, which seemed to represent the best of both worlds: the economic "freedom" of capitalism, plus social liberalism (I was always liberal in the "to each his own" sense and never accepted the social conservatism of the Republicans).

I immersed myself in "Founding Fathers" quotations and considered myself a "Constitutionalist." Reading their anti-monarchy rhetoric, it suddenly dawned on me that capitalism was rather like feudalism in its structure.

That was disconcerting enough to compel me to look into anti-capitalism, and from there I discovered (proper) anarchism and learned that Marxism was not at all like it had been portrayed to me. I found their arguments compelling, and so I left right-"libertarianism" behind for good and began floating around between anarchism and Marxism.

I now call myself simply an anti-capitalist since that's what it all boils down to.

[Quail]

I have always had fairly left wing views but until recently I didn't really subscribe to any specific ideology. I grew up studying science, and it was the environmental impact of capitalism that made me realise what a shitty system it is.

[Adil3tr]

Liberal, but never a pussy. Now state capitalist theorist, but not sectarian, even to anarchists

[Veg_Athei_Socialist]

First started out as a democrat, then moved to more liberal, then to social democrat, then to state-socialist, then to anarchist.

[x371322]

I was always pretty liberal. Eventually became a libertarian for a short while before making a sharp turn back left. And here I am.

[DaComm]

I didn't really associate myself with politics before becoming a leftist

This.

[graymouser]

I was conservative in high school and fairly apolitical in college. (I mocked the elections in 2000 pretty heavily.) After college I got more liberal and then eventually socialist, although it took me a couple years to figure out that this was specifically Trotskyism.

[Antifa94]

My story, in short- I became a "communist" at 13 without a clear understanding of what it meant.
All my life, I had been quite liberal, detesting Bush when I was 12/13 and had been agreeing with media criticism of him since I was 10, I remember making jokes about him i n class and that no one supported him. I believe I slowly became more radical during the summer of 2008 when I met punks, but I still remained just an angrier liberal... Then, as an assignment for school, I had to define socialism and communism. I went to wikipedia and was entranced. I then went from anarcho-syndicalist to luxemburgist/trotskyite to maoist, and that leads us to today, although I'm a melange of those previous ideologies with the exception of liberalism.
I've always wondered.. what is it about me that lead to me to become a communist? compassion? sensitivity?

[RadioRaheem84]

Social Democratic, Pro-War Liberal Hawk. Read a lot of Chris Hitchens, Nick Cohen, Johann Hari, Oliver Kamm, Democratiya Journal, Dissent Magazine, New Republic, The Economist, etc. I read a lot of social/economic development policy stuff. I also thought that there was a clash of civilizations and what not.

My heroes were Adam Michnik, Tony Blair and Anthony Giddens. I thought it was cool to be in finance and be left wing, so I was on the road to being a financial analyst while still claiming to be a left wing liberal rebel. It was pathetic.

But there a lot of people like I was in college, so I do not feel too bad. It was typical.

[ed miliband]

Social Democratic, Pro-War Liberal Hawk. Read a lot of Chris Hitchens, Nick Cohen, Johann Hari, Oliver Kamm, Democratiya Journal, Dissent Magazine, New Republic, The Economist, etc. I read a lot of social/economic development policy stuff.

My heroes were Adam Michnik, Tony Blair and Anthony Giddens. I thought it was cool to be in finance and be left wing, so I was on the road to being a financial analyst while still claiming to be a left wing liberal rebel. It was pathetic.

But there a lot of people like I was in college, so I do not feel too bad. It was typical.

You mean you're not like this anymore? Could have fooled me...

[Vampire Lobster]

I was pretty much your generic green moderate leftist. My inner communist had pretty much always been glooming there since I become interested in politics at all, but at first I had my head in my arse and I thougt I was really pragmatical when I somehow thought capitalism is a necessary part of the socialist solution.

Then I stopped being a raging moron.

[anticap]

You mean you're not like this anymore? Could have fooled me...

Please provide evidence that RadioRaheem84 remains a "Social Democratic, Pro-War Liberal Hawk."

[RadioRaheem84]

You mean you're not like this anymore? Could have fooled me...

Did you confuse me for NGNM85?

Seriously, where did you even get the slightest clue that I am still like a soc dem? Most people in here consider me a "knuckle dragging" ML.

[∞]

I used to follow Islam like my family. So I was really left nationalist, and a plain socialist. I was very broad, and didn't know what I was talking about. I was obsessed with Malcolm X, though. I later became a Trotskyist and an atheist. Later I had debate with an Anarchist and since then...well I'm an Anarchist:)

[Ele'ill]

I was nothing- and then I was concieved and born.

[ed miliband]

Did you confuse me for NGNM85?

Seriously, where did you even get the slightest clue that I am still like a soc dem? Most people in here consider me a "knuckle dragging" ML.

I was joking, son.

[RadioRaheem84]

I was joking, son.

:lol: all good, comrade.

[Crux]

I thought I was a liberal for a brief period of time at like 13. I liked the french revolution. I was also briefly a member of the Green Youth. Hanged out with the anarchist-lite wing, became an anarchist and dropped out (like most of the people I know from that time actually). Started reading more Marx. Thought about joining the ICC, joined CWI instead, became a trot.

[Barry Lyndon]

Basically a New Deal Democrat- someone who believed that the Democrats had 'lost their way' since FDR. Then realized that the Democrats only did what they did back then because the Reds were breathing down their neck. Still uncomfortable with what I saw as an outdated and discredited ideology until I learned more about radical socialist/Communist movements in other parts of the world. Disgusted with the incessant hypocrisy, spinelessness, and opportunism of liberals, I decided to go all-out and be a Marxist my freshman year of college.
I still work with groups like the Greens, but only because they have a fighting chance in places like Illinois and to shift the political balance of power in a somewhat leftward direction. It is purely tactical, with no illusions about their reformism.

[RadioRaheem84]

Has anyone noticed that Leftist/Marxist/Anarchist thought seems almost light years ahead of liberal/conservative thinking? It seems like they're still using nineteenth century ideas and promoting the ideals of blatantly oppressive bourgeoisie class of the past centuries?

[HammerAlias]

I was a staunch conservative Christian. I even had a few qualities in mind that bordered fascism.

[Stand Your Ground]

Liberal, but never a pussy. Now state capitalist theorist, but not sectarian, even to anarchists
Woah there. Inappropriate, please edit your post.

I was apolitical up until a year ago.

[RED DAVE]

A kid. I distinctly remember, when I was 14, having to write a composition in World History class about nationalism. My last sentence ran something like this:

In the final analysis, nationalism stands as one of the strongest obstacles to the final goals of peace and world socialism.

RED DAVE

[Madvillainy]

i was an irish nationalist up until i was about 18.. although i sort of got interested in it for emotional reasons rather than political ones..

[Zanthorus]

I can't recall ever being a leftist.

/Left-Communist

[GPDP]

I was... all sorts of things, actually.

When I lived in Mexico, my parents were PANistas (mostly out of opposition to the PRI, though I assume they did share some of the PAN's conservatism), so I was too.

Once I came to the states, I wasn't very political, though I did support Bush during the 2000 elections (mostly because I was afraid Gore and Lieberman would ban video games :blushing: I know, I know, I was dumb), and I remained a Bush supporter up until the 2004 elections, when I suddenly decided I was a liberal, Bush was dumb, Iraq shouldn't have happened (though I did support the invasion at first... god I sucked), etc. That's when I finally started really learning about politics.

Once Kerry lost, I found a need to become "more pragmatic," which meant moving to the center-right. I started idolizing people like John McCain, who was supposed to be a "moderate." I also discovered libertarianism, so I briefly thought about becoming that. I ended up becoming more apolitical than anything, though.

Once I got to college as a computer science major, I got introduced to Marx and Milton Friedman in a class, and I thought both made great points, and thought for a while there were merits to both capitalism and communism. However, I somehow discovered Chomsky after that, which convinced me that capitalism was bullshit, but so was "state socialism" and Marxism, so I became an anarchist.

I ended up switching majors to Political Science and Sociology, and eventually discovered this site. Before long, I decided to renounce anarchism as well, and now I'm just a non-sectarian communist.

[matevz91]

I was nothing (I was a computer-freak :cool: and I still am). I became a leftist after reading the Communist manifesto and finding out, how bad this world is and how this world contradicts normal sense.

[Garret]

I began to get into Politics in my teens, but I saw absolutely no appeal in joining a bourgeois party. Thought all the upperclass in the House of Commons were not actually representing the working class, and thought the monarchy had to go.

I suppose I already had socialistic views at this point but didn't realize it. I looked into radical politics, avoided Fascism at all costs and began to look deeper in Communism than the school lessons did. Read Marx, and some Lenin and became a Marxist-Leninist.

[Antifa94]

Has anyone noticed that Leftist/Marxist/Anarchist thought seems almost light years ahead of liberal/conservative thinking? It seems like they're still using nineteenth century ideas and promoting the ideals of blatantly oppressive bourgeoisie class of the past centuries?

LOL Marxism is a nineteenth century ideology :laugh:

albeit a revolutionary, avant-garde one.

[The Red Next Door]

I was A LOVE ME LOVE ME LOVE ME i AM A LIBERAL then social democrat from there after Obama betrayal I came to my senses and became an anarchist and now MLM.

[The Fighting_Crusnik]

In the olden days was I conservative poster child because that is what my parents, my family and my surroundings demanded. Then for once, I decided to think for myself and I realized that half of the crap they were spewing was a load of shit. And I stopped denying the fact that I'm bi (though as far as my parents are concern, I'm straight :p). Anyways, I moved to centrists libertarianism, but when I looked at capitalism, I did not like it, but thought of it as a forced evil. Then during my senior year of high school, my English teacher, who was a socialist, helped me to see that capitalism wasn't the only viable option. However, he was of the authoritarian type and he considered big government a good thing, whereas my libertarian thoughts still pushed me towards a simplified government that didn't get caught up in bureaucracy- to me, this was the only way that socialism could work. So then, I began doing a little research and found a few book summaries on works written by Peter Kropotkin, the founder of anarcho-communism. I found his theories interesting and his views solid, but I came to prefer socialism over communsim. So, I took up libertarian socialism as my primary, political ideollogy but at the same time, consider myself an anarcho-communist sympathizer. So, in other words, if a libertarian socialist movement were to start, I would support it, but if an anarcho-communist movement started, I would support it too as long as I found the leaders of the movement trustworthy.

[DaComm]

Conservative. However, I continously questioned the existence of god, which the GOP loves to put focus on, and so I found myself liking the party less and less. So I started looking for political movements that embraced atheism, and found Leftism :D

[L.A.P.]

Conservative. However, I continously questioned the existence of god, which the GOP loves to put focus on, and so I found myself liking the party less and less. So I started looking for political movements that embraced atheism, and found Leftism :D

I think atheism really does eventually lead you to Leftism like I've been an atheist since my brain fully developed from infancy. Atheism is all about questioning bullshit which is the same for Leftism.

[Magón]

I've always been a Leftist, because I've always lived in Leftist nations, or at least in Left leaning neighborhoods. (My mind's sort of been leaned to the Left since I can remember.) In Mexico, most, if not all my neighbors were some form of Leftists, and so were my parents. When I lived in Cuba for a bit, which was still more of a very long vacation, since I was still really a Mexican Citizen, I was a Leftist, but didn't quite identify with anything Leftist like Marxism, Communism, Socialism, Anarchism, etc. I wasn't a Liberal either, since I'd never heard the word Liberal until we moved to the US again. (I was originally born in the US, but we left a month after or something?)

So yeah, I've never been anything but Leftist. I probably had some Nationalistic traits while living in different places, but it was never went as far as playing Mexican Bandito's and saving people from dangerous outsiders, and being thanked by the Mexican President! But even then, the President was Leftist and cared/treated his people equally.

How I got to becoming an Anarchist is a long story though.

[DaComm]

How I got to becoming an Anarchist is a long story though.

Share?

[Reznov]

I just now started reading Karl Marx and waking up to what is happening around the world.

Before, I just played video games/watch T.V. and went to school everday like most typical High school kids here in America do.

[Magón]

Share?

I'll send you a PM if you really want to know? I'm not sure this thread it the proper place to go off track with how I got into Anarchism. :thumbup1:

[DaComm]

I'll send you a PM if you really want to know? I'm not sure this thread it the proper place to go off track with how I got into Anarchism. :thumbup1:

Certainley!

[L.A.P.]

I'll send you a PM if you really want to know? I'm not sure this thread it the proper place to go off track with how I got into Anarchism. :thumbup1:

You going off track about how you got into Anarchism is the point of this thread.

[Kuppo Shakur]

What were you before you were a Leftist?
An asshole.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I was non-political, with some very vague sympathies towards (American) libertarian beliefs.

[Rafiq]

Hell, I've been Socialist since Seventh Grade.

I turned Marxist around Eighth.

I had to learn everything on my own, like everyone else.

My parents are/were very Pro-Capitalist. But they are like Liberal.

I've had detentions and calls home many times for arguing with the teacher about socialism.

It's kind of pathetic, since they can't win a debate, they give you a detention.

[L.A.P.]

Hell, I've been Socialist since Seventh Grade.

I turned Marxist around Eighth.

I had to learn everything on my own, like everyone else.

My parents are/were very Pro-Capitalist. But they are like Liberal.

I've had detentions and calls home many times for arguing with the teacher about socialism.

It's kind of pathetic, since they can't win a debate, they give you a detention.

So true, I hate the attitudes toward youth in American culture where we still believe children are to be seen and not heard and they should be taught discipline. We're more taught how to work in a cubicle than actually learn, being Valedictorian only means the most suitable job for you is to work in a cubicle.

[RadioRaheem84]

LOL Marxism is a nineteenth century ideology :laugh:

albeit a revolutionary, avant-garde one.

Touche. But it's funny how we're still arguing with right wingers over the same tired arguments Marx dealt with.

[Obzervi]

I've always been a leftist. Can't say my parents taught be because I was already thinking about social justice and an equal society when I was 8 years old. Even at that age I was thinking about how if I could be in power for just one day I would set everything right.

[Veg_Athei_Socialist]

I'll send you a PM if you really want to know? I'm not sure this thread it the proper place to go off track with how I got into Anarchism. :thumbup1:
How is this thread not the proper place to explain how you got into anarchism?

Unless you think this thread is better:
http://www.revleft.com/vb/fellow-anarchists-t142294/index.html?t=142294

[Amphictyonis]

A right wing Southern Baptist fundamentalist who was in the military (jk).

[L.A.P.]

A right wing Southern Baptist fundamentalist who was in the military (jk).

:ohmy:

[cop an Attitude]

a kid

[RadioRaheem84]

a kid

Now you're man, a manly manly man. Now you're a man!

*singing the theme to silly movie Orgazmo.

[hatzel]

Well, I was always left-leaning, thanks in part to my grandfather (fun fact: I live a stone's throw from the house Kropotkin lived in for a while. Before I knew who Kropotkin even was, I'd heard that my grandfather had read many of his texts. Stuff fell into place after this)

However, I'm one of those precious few who buck the seeming trend, by going through my 'born-again' religious thing and my leftist shifting simultaneously. Makes sense to me!

[Tomhet]

I didn't really associate myself with politics before becoming a leftist
word.

[Agnapostate]

I was a Christian fundamentalist (an Old Testament Reconstructionist along the lines of Calvinist theologian Rousas John Rushdoony, actually), and as my religious beliefs moderated more and more and eventually faded away, my far-right political beliefs did the same. I was a social democrat just a few years ago, but I've been an anarchist for two to three.

[Sixiang]

I was a Ron Paul-loving American "libertarian" for about 2 or 3 years. Then I was a liberal in the American sense for a while. FDR was my main man. Then I moved towards being a social-democrat. Now I'm not really sure about the specifics, but I'm pretty sure I'm left-wing and socialist. I really like what I've read from Marx so far, but I feel that I am not well-versed enough on him to call myself a "Marxist" or a communist. But I probably am a communist, I just don't have all of the reading done to want to call myself one quite yet. I just don't like jumping to ideas without getting a really good feel for them first.

[Tzadikim]

I began as a right-libertarian, and always have, for as long as I can remember, disliked the State. Then, after I got the Internet and could actually converse with others "like me", I began to notice that right-libertarians have this funny way of apologizing for police abuses, taxpayer money being spent on propping up the military-industrial complex, etc. I also began to realize just how much effort the government spent in supporting businesses with subsidies, an understanding vindicated by the recent bailouts. So while I remained a libertarian, I drifted over to the far-left end of that spectrum.

I didn't abandon right-libertarianism. The libertarian Right abandoned me.

[Antifa94]

Can we describe or explore the ideological process in which one moves to the left or right? How does this happen? I think it is a fascinating phenomenon, is it due to external or internal factors? I'd say a combination. How does one become radicalized?

[Tzadikim]

Can we describe or explore the ideological process in which one moves to the left or right? How does this happen? I think it is a fascinating phenomenon, is it due to external or internal factors? I'd say a combination. How does one become radicalized?

A lot of people that drift to the left begin to question how the rhetoric of the Right matches up with its reality. In my case in particular I came to the realization that the American conservative movement couldn't really give a shit less about smaller government; they have a narrow and myopic view of the word and are too busy sucking up to statist authoritarians to broaden their perspective.

[Sixiang]

Can we describe or explore the ideological process in which one moves to the left or right? How does this happen? I think it is a fascinating phenomenon, is it due to external or internal factors? I'd say a combination. How does one become radicalized?

I am also interested in this subject. I became "radicalized" by a myriad of factors. To sum up my process very simply, it was due mostly to books I read. Although, there is more to it than that.

I guess my first step into it was that I loved George Orwell even before I became radicalized. I knew he was a social-democrat, but I didn't really think much about it. It wasn't until I read "The Road to Wigan Pier" that I first read something by a socialist in favor of socialism. I took an American History class last year. We spent some time studying the labor movement in America in the late 19th century. I was fascinated and moved by the pictures and accounts of workers toiling away for 12 hours a day in horrible working conditions and of labor unions striking to the violent dismay of police and capitalists. Ironically, the teacher of that class was a right wing conservative and painted the labor movement in a negative view. Her hatred of the left wing actually made me more interested in it to see what it was all about.

I'm not exactly sure what is was about the little blurbs in my history textbook about communism that made me so interested in it, but for some reason I really wanted to read about it from the perspective of the people that supported it. I didn't want to hear capitalists tell me about socialist theory, I wanted to hear socialists tell me about what they thought. So, I dived deeper into Orwell's nonfiction writings and I also tackled Marx. Marx's works have completely revolutionized the way I think. I look at the world in a completely different perspective now. I observe and analyze things in a different manner. It's amazing how much his writing has changed me. And I have also read works by other socialist writers that have backed it up. I'm pretty sure it was sometime around April-May of this year that I started to consider myself a socialist, and only since the past two or three months that I've become more passionate and open about it with others.

"People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book."
-Malcolm X

[gorillafuck]

Apathetic Democrat.

[Revolution starts with U]

Ha, I was just listening to a report about Malcom the tenth ;) 's autobiography this morning on NPR. Go figure.
(The "Malcom the Tenth" thing comes from it. Public Enemy was passing out flyers for their concert and some white kid came up and was like "Yo, I love you guys. Where can I learn more about this Malcom the Tenth?!")

[AK]

An asshole.
This, pretty much. Except I still am an asshole but I'm not a racist homophobe any more. In terms of politics however, I learned from a very early age to be apathetic and not trust politicians - what with John Howard saying there would be no new taxes and then he rolled out a massive GST. Funny guy. Admittedly, I thought it was cruel to vote someone out of office because they worked so hard to get there :crying:.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

Before I knew anything about politics and wasnt interested in it:
Republican/conservative

Once I became interested in politics:
Green Social Democrat (who spoke revolutionary) ---> Democratic Socialist (strong on labor, unsure about state... early stage of syndicalist in the making) ---> Long period of transitioning and realizing views ---> Anarcho-Syndicalist

[anticap]

Can we describe or explore the ideological process in which one moves to the left or right? How does this happen? I think it is a fascinating phenomenon, is it due to external or internal factors? I'd say a combination. How does one become radicalized?

I think that if a person is inclined to question their assumptions, or to at least look at things from another perspective, then they're ripe for radicalization.

For example, when I was a right-"libertarian," I at one point advocated a minimalist "night watchman" state, the primary function of which would be to uphold private property (so-called "minarchism"). I then asked myself what would happen if you had just the opposite: a minimalist state that merely forbade private property. I concluded that it would lead to something resembling libertarian socialism, and that's when I realized that libertarian socialism is not an oxymoron (as it is considered among right-"libertarians"), but is perfectly possible.

That was just one thread that led me to a new line of thinking. Each thread began by examining my beliefs and being open to changing them.

I think that I learned to do this when I became an atheist. Before then, I assumed that there must be some sort of intelligence behind the universe (I guess that I was some sort of deist), but I was never religious. After being exposed to atheist arguments, I ditched deism. That experience taught me to question everything.

[Revolution starts with U]

Nothing wrong with a lil deism if you don't tie supernatural gobbledy-goo with it. I consider Sagan's "we are the way for the universe to know itself" a perfectly reasonable way of looking at things.
(And no, this is not saying the universe wants to, nor can. But you are, once again Sagan, "space dust" and as such, part of the universe.)

[anticap]

Nothing wrong with a lil deism if you don't tie supernatural gobbledy-goo with it.

Well, the way I meant it was with the gobbledy-goo. That is, I assumed a supernatural intelligence.


I consider Sagan's "we are the way for the universe to know itself" a perfectly reasonable way of looking at things.

That's roughly the way I've seen things since becoming an atheist, but I arrived at that conclusion by myself after a lot of pondering.


you are, once again Sagan, "space dust" and as such, part of the universe.

This is true. I'm always annoyed to hear people speak of the universe as a location where we live, as though we were otherwise detached from it.

Anyway, we're veering off topic.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Ultra-Nationalist.

[Outcast]

I'm ashamed to admit that I used to be conserviative. Very conservative. I even had a keychain on my keys which showed a fetus and said that abortion is murder. Now I am quite embarassed to think back on how naive I was.

[DaComm]

I'm ashamed to admit that I used to be conserviative. Very conservative. I even had a keychain on my keys which showed a fetus and said that abortion is murder. Now I am quite embarassed to think back on how naive I was.

:laugh:

I think I was a republican in a nominal sense only, I was always pro-choice, doubted religion, thought Glen Beck was an ass, supported gay marriage, economically I guess I was more democrat-based, I didn't support the "dril babee dril!1!!", I didn't support the war...yeah, I guess I only called myself one because my parents were :P

[Quail]

I'm ashamed to admit that I used to be conserviative. Very conservative. I even had a keychain on my keys which showed a fetus and said that abortion is murder. Now I am quite embarassed to think back on how naive I was.

I'm sure most people went through embarrassing phases when they were younger. I nearly joined the Labour party when I was younger.

[Zeus the Moose]

My immediate family is fairly liberal (American liberal), so in a US context I was probably always a "leftist" of some sort or another, though when I was little (talking elementary school here) I had some strong pro-military views. I started moving leftward in 7th grade, where I was social democrat-ish; basically, I considered SPD-Green run Germany to be socialist and thought that was a good thing. September 11th helped move me left-ward, and I ran through a few different shades of left-wing politics until settling on my current (fairly) non-sectarian revolutionary Marxism. Oddly, I still had a soft spot for the SPD a la Kautsky revivalism, but it's the pre-WWI/Efurt Programme SPD rather than the modern one. So it's a bit of an interesting circle.

[DragonQuestWes]

Pretty much my entire family are registered US Democrats except for my uncle who is a registered Republican.

I started out as a liberal person. After age ten I was somewhat conservative. At age 15 I started to go far-left.

Somehow, not ONCE in my life did I EVER give in to the right-wing media's view of China, no siree (yes, I am half-Chinese and half-Polish, apparently the attempt of my family to raise me as non-Socialist/non-Communist backfired).

[Red Commissar]

Pretty much my entire family are registered US Democrats except for my uncle who is a registered Republican.

I started out as a liberal person. After age ten I was somewhat conservative. At age 15 I started to go far-left.

Somehow, not ONCE in my life did I EVER give in to the right-wing media's view of China, no siree (yes, I am half-Chinese and half-Polish, apparently the attempt of my family to raise me as non-Socialist/non-Communist backfired).

How does your family respond to this, or do you keep your views to yourself?

[Manic Impressive]

I was always into politics some of my earliest memories are of my hatred for Margret Thatcher. My family has been involved in the Labour party for generations although I think I'm the furthest left of all of them.

[Peace on Earth]

As a kid growing up in an extremely Republican town, I always had the image of proud Republicans defending freedom, while Democrats were basically pussy-footing it around. After middle school, I gave that idea up and considered myself liberal. It wasn't until a year or two ago that I became interested in socialism, and a socialist is the term I use today to describe my political beliefs.

[Die Rote Fahne]

Social democrat. I mean, i would classify myself as a liberal before that, but i wasn't really knowledgable of politics or economics. I was only a kid.

[∞]

A fetus.

[DragonQuestWes]

How does your family respond to this, or do you keep your views to yourself?

My mother freaked out the first few times I told a little bit of my views but after a while she doesn't really care anymore... or so she seems not to... Oh and I almost forgot to add that strangely enough, when we listened to the car radio about the Israel-Palestine situation and heard that the United States was "disappointed" that Israel did not put a halt on the construction plans in the West Bank, I was all like "Just disappointed?" and then she told me that the US media only uses "soft words" when it comes to relations with Israel.

My sister was indifferent about it, and my father didn't get a chance to hear because unfortunately, he passed away when I was six.

[Marxach-Léinínach]

I was always left-ish. I properly became a leftist after I left school. At first I was leaning towards Trotskism due to back then only being aware of "official" history where Stalin and Mao killed 50 squillion people + my Grandpa's a Trotskyist. Then I read non-bourgeois sources of history and now I'm a Maoist :).

[maskerade]

I was right wing, thought that taxes was the government "stealing our money". but i always hated bush, was against the iraq war even though i didn't know why, and supported the American democrats (went to an American school as a kid)

when i came to sweden and was sent to a private school, i became an anarchist simply because i had nothing in common with the right wing kids at my school. All of my teachers had left wing sympathies though, and my english teacher referred to me as "the communist" multiple times. even my business and management teacher was a trotskyist, which helped me get a grip on my own views.

Now I don't really define myself to one tendency though. Too much of our effort is spent on arguing amongst ourselves.