Former right-wingers - what made you turn to socialism?

[zoot_allures]

When I first starting thinking about politics, I identified as a capitalist libertarian, and after a year or so I became a hardcore free market anarchist. I think that phase lasted from about 12 to 16.

It's difficult to say what made me change my mind. It didn't happen overnight. In fact, I think it took about three years for me to fully shift to socialism, during which time I didn't really identify myself with any general political perspective (though there were plenty of particular issues I was passionate about).

All I can say is that at about 16, my worldview underwent two changes that made me more open towards leftism: (1) my ethical views became much more utilitarian; (2) I stopped caring so much about adhering dogmatically to overarching principles and theories.

I also started reading a much wider variety of material (and reading it with a more open mind), and gradually the leftist stuff started making more and more sense to me.

So, I can't really say what made me turn to socialism. I'm sure some of you former right-wingers do know what caused your beliefs to change, and it'd be cool to hear your stories.

[Doflamingo]

When i was about 10 I was a "patriotic" conservative because that's how my mom's side of the family taught me to be (they basically brainwashed me every time I'd visit). Around 14 I had more liberal views, which continued until I was about 16, when I really turned to anarcho-syndicalism.

I'm not exactly sure what made me change, logic I suppose... Leftist views seem to make more sense logically to me when I reached the age of reason.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

This is what made me change, slow and gradual... (http://www.revleft.com/vb/glenn-lenin-my-t168141/index.html?p=2369958#post2369958)

[Nox]

I was kind of a right winger, typical BNP supporter (B B BNP!) until I was about 15 when I started learning about the USSR in school, and declared myself a communist without even knowing really what it meant. I then started actually looking up communism online, and got more and more interested in Trotskyism and around this time I discovered Revleft while looking up Trotskyism, and then after being here for a while I realised how stupid Trotskyism was, so I became a Marxist-Leninist, then I realised how stupid that was and here I am now!

[Ostrinski]

Kind of a right winger at 14, read manifesto at 15 and became a communist.

[Igor]

I was kind of a right winger, typical BNP supporter (B B BNP!)

Yeah I know kind of off-topic but what the fuck drove you into supporting BNP in the first place? They don't even hide the fact that they're racist, until a few years ago they didn't even let non-whites in.

[Bolshevik_Guerilla_1917]

whats BNP ???

[Omsk]

whats BNP ???


BNP stands for "British National Party" - a far-right party,utterly nationalist and generally a completely reactionary clique.

[Nox]

Yeah I know kind of off-topic but what the fuck drove you into supporting BNP in the first place? They don't even hide the fact that they're racist, until a few years ago they didn't even let non-whites in.

Because I thought immigrants were the problem.

[CommieTroll]

I just realized that being a bigot was fucking stupid. Now I honestly can't think of why I was such a xenophobe. I used to be dogmatically anti-gay for no reason at all until I found out a close relative of mine is gay and that person helped me through some shit and they're one of my favourite people in the world so I realized that there's absolutely no reason to be against gays. I think that's where my perspective changed, weed, Bill Hicks and George Carlin helped me along the way too :) I eventually got into Marx and I liked what I read so here I am.:cool:

[#FF0000]

idk i started reading things and exploring ideas and ideologies.

i remember as a kid being 'right wing' in that i was generally patriotic and listened to what my parents said (though they aren't particularly right wing). then again as a kid i also asked my dad how free could we be if we were poor.

[gorillafuck]

idk i started reading things and exploring ideas and ideologies.

i remember as a kid being 'right wing' in that i was generally patriotic and listened to what my parents said (though they aren't particularly right wing). then again as a kid i also asked my dad how free could we be if we were poor.aren't your family fenians or something?

[X5N]

I was a libertarian from like 2008 up until a few months before I joined up here. I don't know what made me shift exactly, but I think I've always had that revolutionary spirit in me -- I just hadn't reached the point of coherently rejecting capitalism the way I rejected everything else.

I remember, when I was in elementary school I was a bit of a proto-right winger. I refused to watch South Park or play GTA even as my "friends" at the time did. But then as I got older and wiser I realized just how the social norm was crap. Though for a short while I was what I thought being a communist meant.

I suppose what drove me to socialism in part was how I observed that my fellow libertarians at the time rarely appreciated my radical social views, and how, in that regard, I could probably get along with radicals better. But, I realized this a while before I discovered the magic of socialism.

[#FF0000]

aren't your family fenians or something?

Just plastic paddies.

[Quail]

I used to have some socially conservative views when I was younger, but I've always cared about the environment (which I think capitalism is destroying :() and really just thinking for myself about things made me change my mind. For example, when I was younger I thought that abortion was bad and that the people who needed one should have been more careful! But obviously I've reconsidered that haha. I think just growing up and beginning to notice how fucked up everything is turned me over pretty quickly, although I've never been properly "right wing".

[arilando]

Realising that capitalism was't about freedom, at all.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

Being poor and the war. Also the fact that I grew up around a lot of immigrants.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Meh, I never think of myself as a former right-winger. When I first got interested in politics I liked Tony Blair and New Labour. Probably when I was like 15. By the time I hit 16 I was more Social Democrat/Democratic Socialist though, and pretty much from shortly after have been committed to Socialism.

[Zealot]

Read the manifesto and had an epiphany.

[Bronco]

Right libertarian -> left libertarian, basically stopped believing in property and it went from there

[Althusser]

A skilled surgeon removed a tumor from by brain.

[Lanky Wanker]

I was kind of a right winger, typical BNP supporter (B B BNP!) until I was about 15

LOL aren't you part Jewish? I thought the only non-white BNP lovers were in it to piss off the party because they can't say no to them.

[OHumanista]

Very rightist, nothing specific, a bizarre mix of fascism, monarchism and pure ego.
What made me change? Growing up and realizing I was a douchebag teenager with an inflated vision of myself to compensate for how badly I (and other people) had screwed up my life up to that.
Moved on, became a better person, life got 10000x better. :cool:

EDIT: Also, listening more closely to what my father (old-school trot) said and stop dismissing the finer points

[Nox]

LOL aren't you part Jewish? I thought the only non-white BNP lovers were in it to piss off the party because they can't say no to them.

Yup, and I even knew that I was part Jewish at the time. But let's be honest - if you look British, were born in Britain and have a British accent, you're going to be treated just like any British person regardless of being 1/8th Jewish.

My entire worldview back then was "DEY TUK OUR JOBSSSSSSSS"

[NoPasaran1936]

Use to be a firm believer in free-markets, read loads of Austrian economics. Eventually, I begun to question Austrian economics, as they've never been used (and simply obvious why) Begun to play around with monetarism. However, begun working within the NHS (had the idea it was gonna be shit) And loved how free I was to work, how free patients were to choose, and more importantly the efficiency and level of care is outstanding. So, about a year ago, I begun playing about with the labour party, but eventually discovered Marx.

I can't say what I am, I have huge Anarchist sympathies, but personally believe a party would be better for bringing about change. But love reading about anarchist theory.

[Lanky Wanker]

Yup, and I even knew that I was part Jewish at the time. But let's be honest - if you look British, were born in Britain and have a British accent, you're going to be treated just like any British person regardless of being 1/8th Jewish.

My entire worldview back then was "DEY TUK OUR JOBSSSSSSSS"

Yeah I suppose, but you're kinda shitting on your great grandparents or whoever. Now I feel like watching The Believer again, great film. But yeah, at one point I kinda had the "they're taking over the town, get 'em out!!!" view because my area is really Asian (most the people in the shops behind my place can hardly speak English). I was raised English and look white to most people so I kinda saw myself as just being a whitey who deserved the land more.

[Renegade Saint]

Getting screwed over by bosses and realizing we didn't need them because they're not superior in any way to workers.

[Nox]

Yeah I suppose, but you're kinda shitting on your great grandparents or whoever. Now I feel like watching The Believer again, great film. But yeah, at one point I kinda had the "they're taking over the town, get 'em out!!!" view because my area is really Asian (most the people in the shops behind my place can hardly speak English). I was raised English and look white to most people so I kinda saw myself as just being a whitey who deserved the land more.

Kinda. I wasn't a full on Nazi though, just someone who wanted immigrants out and wanted Britain to be British. As the old Stormfail saying goes, "if you look white, act white, and feel white, then you are white" ;) To be honest I agree with that quote because at the end of the day if you look white, act white, and feel white then society will treat you as a white person.