Welcome back.
We live in a society that prefers negative ads and a lot of them. How we develop our political ideology is based on these primary factors:
Family
Education
Peer/Media Influence
Region
To get started this week please take this political ideology quiz:
http://www.politicalcompass.org/testMake sure to scroll down and see where you fall and what that compares to.
Here are some common trends:
over 50% of families share the same ideology
age 18-30- more likely to be to the "left"
over 65- more likely to be to the "right"
South/Midwest- right
coasts- left
higher education levels- left
but higher incomes- right
Christians- right
Catholics- left
Blue Collar workers- left
So, here's what we are discussing this week:
**NOTE** Sharing your ideology is personal and is OPTIONAL.
1. What influences your own political socialization?
2. Are you similar or different than your parents?
3. People usually have social values and fiscal values. How do you balance these in choosing a political party....? (this is the real discussion here)
1. Logic. BAM. But uh, really, after reading the chapter I'm not sure what influences my views, but it's not my parents or peers. Actually, I guess it sort of is because of my disagreement with my parents and peers. I just discuss various things with them and what I think is right.
ReplyDelete2. I don't know my parents' views. I don't even think I care, actually. But I have discussed some issues with them before, I suppose.
3. Hmm...Quite the question. Well these two values are two entirely different things (probably why you asked this question, eh?), but it seems to me that it might be difficult/merely a matter of chance that your social and fiscal values fall right in line with one political party. For instance, maybe you're social values are conservative (which generally correlates with republican, as we should know), but you feel that money should be distributed more equally (liberal/democrat), what do you do? How would you know who to vote for?
Well, really...It depends what you feel comes first, I suppose. Now obviously a president isn't going to be a downright dirty morally corrupt person, so I don't think moral values should be of THAT much concern, but what about fiscal? They're values that affect the entire country's economic well being. Should we place those before moral, though?
I mean, even though a president will most likely be a nice guy, there is still the question of other social issues like, of course, the issue of gay marriage.
What's more important? Economic prosperity or the preservation of the constitution and the liberties of the peoples?
But of course if you don't have conflicting views then you're dandy.
1. Ill be the first person to tell you, i am a devoted Christian. So by saying so youd probably assume the church infulences my stance, but it really doesnt. I honestly do not have much of an influence other than my own personal thoughts. My father is a hardcore Republican. I myself find it hard to identify with a party, but consider myself a conservative economically and liberal socially. The closest i could say would be moderate Republican but honestly just a guess. The reason the church doesnt influence me is because America isnt a church. It is a nation i believe to be completely free in personal decision making. If someone wants to be gay, why cant they be? I personally believe it to be morally wrong, but thats why im not gay. If they want to be gay, it isnt hurting me. Thats whats great about America they can do what they want. I can say with conviction, my beliefs come from myself.
ReplyDelete2.I am actually similar with both surprisingly considering my mother is Democrat and my father is Republican. I am liberal socially like my mother, but conservative economically like my father.
3.The best way i could describe this is to choose who BEST represents your most important values. If you see the economy as most important, youll side with your fiscal values. If you see your social values as more important, youll likely vote that way. It is highly unlikely that a candidate will ever come along that believes all the same things you do. So compromise must be made, and a candidate must be chosen.
And I took the survey, I was slightly left and slightly down. Most resembling Gahndi. Not positive to be completely honest what that means. But if I was interpreting correctly, it means pretty much what i beleive.
1. I think my own political socialization is influenced by manly my parents and the media. My parents are quite liberal and peppering in some episodes of the Daily Show definitely contribute to my political and social values. Mainly I feel like my opinions are solely mine but they probably aren't.
ReplyDelete2. As aforementioned I'm pretty similar to my parents so ya.
3. I feel like there is never really a black or white sort of situation in politics. Sure you can be part of the Tea Party but im positive that all members have to have some liberal views on a certain subject. When deciding between either fiscal values or social values I think it really comes down to which side your most passionate about. Sure you might be REALLY into the social policies of our country but your always gonna have some opinion you would want to share about the economy. It really all boils down to which side requires (in your eyes) the most amount of change.
(mitch, i got Ghandi too :P)
I honestly don't know where my political view points come from. Some come from my parents, some come from my peers, and even the music I listen to may have some effect.
ReplyDeleteI am similar to my parents with respect to the fact that I question authority when I don't understand why things are a certain way but they seem more conservative than I am. That ideal probably comes from my peers.
Fiscal values and social values don't seem to have a connection. The best choice would be to pick whichever you are most concerned with and choose that way. I personally would rather have a world where we stand up for our rights when they are challenged rather than being the richest country in the world. But hey, both wouldn't be bad. AMIRIGHTGUISE?
1. The two biggest factors contributing to my political view are my beliefs and education. When questions of ethics come up in politics, I cannot ignore what I think is morally right. However, this doesn’t mean that I’m strictly conservative in this matter: while I agree with conservatives on abortion, I agree with liberals on same-sex marriage and environmental issues. As I said before, it’s what I believe to be ethically correct. Education comes into play in terms of my views on the economy. As an AP student, I don’t think it’d be fair for gen-ed slackers (the ones who honestly do not try) to get the same recognition as we do. The same applies for the economy: if I’m out working my tail off while the high school drop out works at McDonald’s, why should the government give them a break and push more taxes on me? I don’t want to sound unsympathetic, but I don’t feel that it’s fair.
ReplyDelete2. It depends on the issue. Both of my parents are very devout, right-winged, conservative Republicans, while I am independent. I do probably lean more towards the right in general, and I most likely I have acquired some of my political views from them, but our views are not totally in line.
3. This here is my problem! It all really depends on which issues matter the most and how many issues you agree with either party on. It is hard for a lot of people to find a political party or a politician where they agree 100% with on every single issue, but when it comes down to it, there will most likely be a politician that you will agree with more than another.
1. Of the four factors that influence political ideologies, there are only two that primarily affect my point of view: religion and education. In my religion (Buddhism) there aren’t really any "rules" set up that determine our boundaries. Most of it covers the BROAD and usually accepted morals of society. For instance, “killing someone” is categorized as being “wrong/immoral”. However, practices such as homosexuality, genetics, or abortion, are not clearly forbidden or are restrained. As a result, I am very open to these things. As for education, open topics are continuously introduced, building my tolerance of “diversity”.
ReplyDelete2. My mom doesn’t participate or care about politics...-cause she doesn't understand a thing…So, I’m on my own.
3. From what I've seen, political parties tend to focus on EITHER economic OR social issues at any given time (meaning rarely ever both). For an example, the main current issue now leans towards economics. So, the political parties are focusing their arguments and dividing themselves on topics such as inflation, taxes, and unemployment. However, during times of social struggles (ex: Civil Rights Movement), the political groups follow the trend by separating themselves into categories too (in the case mentioned above: desegregation or segregation)...So, basically, my point is this...people should choose the political party that they think provides the best "choice" or "solution" to the dominate issues at hand (whether they be political or social).
0. Im an "Authoritarian". I was under Hitler LOL. (up and over to the left a bit). I truly don't know what I am but I like parts of ideas from most Ideologies.
ReplyDelete1. The things that affect my views are the shows I watch, the people and coversations I listen to, the news, what I read about politics and politcal history.
2. I am differnt than my parents since I hold differnt views of all the politcs going on. Some views i have agree with theirs but generally I see things completetly differntly.
3. When people choose a politcal party the choose based on thier perception of the party. If one party seems to completly go against their ideals but has the same social and fiscal values (idk if thats possible but who knows) then instead of going with that party with the same values, they may choose the party that best fits their ideals of the political reality. Another may balance his values with a party that doesn't exactly have the same ideals but has the same fiscal values. (opposite has previous example).
Another may see that one group has the same fiscal and ideologiy as them but has differnt social values, but will go with that party becasue they don't mind sacrificing their social standpoint in order to go with a party that has more in common with the others. (also can work vice verse for the other values). It all depends on what the person is willing to sacrifice in order to choose a political party.
1. What influences my politcal views, is still unknow to me. I do disagree with my parent's, as well as the view of my peer's. I may also agree with some of their points. In the end however I will most likely choose what I think will be best for me.
ReplyDelete2.My parents and myself, have different opinions concerning different issues. At times, we also agree on the same things. My parents do not seem to mind that I may have different political views from them. They say that everyone is their own person.
3. The balancing of both fiscal and social values, truly depends on what is thought of as more important. This is an independent opinion that no one is able to help you decide on. The public opinions must be based on your own beliefs and not anyone else's.
1. My parents help influence my political idea. Kids look up to them and follow every thing they do. What also help influence my ideas is the geography. I used to live in Minnesota and California and the neighborhood was full of democrats. You could not drive one block without seeing 50 democrat billboards.
ReplyDelete2. My political ideas are different from my parents. I am more informed in the what the political parties do than my parents.
3. It really depend on the the voters. Political parties usually have either a social value or a fiscal value. Well informed voters would pick the party whose idea closely resembled their own. I believe that most voters would vote for the fiscal part because the better the economy, the better the life style.
(I got Kevin Rudd <_< I got the side of Hitler, but not that much)
1. For me my family and church are the biggest influences on my own political socialization. Since ive always been raised a certain way, Im more likely to follow what my parents taught me. I am also influenced through education and school. The more I learn about politics, the more I am able to make my own beliefs about the government.
ReplyDelete2. I am similar to my parents. I have the same morals and values that they do; however, we do have different views on some policys and issues.
3.I think the best way to balance your fiscal values and your social values when choosing a political party is by deciding which matter the most. I personally would probably choose a party that balanced fiscal and social values. I think they are both equally important and are needed to help shape a better America.
I would say that most of my political socialization comes indirectly from the church, and the small bit that remains is from my parents. I say the church influences me indirectly because being raised in the church caused me to have certain morals and beliefs that correlate to how I feel about society. I naturally am very tolerant of life styles, I can understand where many people come from in their life choices, and I believe that people have the freedom of choice and that is what makes America great. However, I also believe that when people make big mistakes, it deserves punishment. Economically however, I get nearly all of that from my parents. Both of them being contracting engineers, they had to work hard for the money the earned, and I believe that they earned every penny. So why should somebody on unemployment who refuses to get a job get some of my mom's money in a check? But I also believe that people who just naturally do not make as much as money or who are in tough situations should have some aid if it is absolutely necessary. So as you can you might be able to tell, I kind of ride the fence. I would consider myself conservative economically, and liberal socially, but that is very vague. Where the survey put me was perfect. Literally at zero when it comes to conservative and liberal, and .5 above the x-axis.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways I am the same as my parents. We all believe that people deserve the money they earn and that it should primarily stay with them, but on social matters and matters of ethics both socially and other issues economically, I'm not exactly sure. My parents absolutely NEVER talk about politics, or what they believe. All we talk about is sports and music. I guess thats why I didn't ever give a rip about politics before this class. So who knows. I doubt I'm like my parents though, they're probably more conservative than me.
Like most other people have said, when choosing a political party you need to determine what issue is most important to you and follow that to your party-promise-land. Will you ever find a 100 percent fit? Probably not. So for those who ride the fence like me, take what means the most to you and identify yourself from there.
Oh and @Mitch
You said that you aren't gay because its morally wrong. Does that mean if it was morally acceptable then you would finally come out? hah jk....but seriously
@Kevin: Omg I laughed <.<
ReplyDeleteI was going to address Mitch about that, too, but this blog isn't really about "morals/homosexuality/blahblahblah" and we'd just go way off topic.
1. My political socialization primarily comes from authority figures and my own take on things. I think at the very least we have to respect our parent's political views, so they're pretty influential to me as well. My government/history teachers also contributed a lot just because of the way that they taught (their political views tend to seep through, regardless of their efforts). I also think that by the time you get to be our age (17-18), you're past the stage where you depend on others for ideas and opinions. You've learned to think for yourself by now.
ReplyDelete2. My parents are both independent, and in that regard I share their way of thinking. They tend to look at individual issues and topics rather then labeling themselves Republican or Democrat, I do the same thing.
3. The two main parties in the United States are polar opposites, conservatives and liberals. If people were either conservative or liberal that would all be well and good, however, people have economic and social values ranging all across the board in every possible combination, so things like moderate republicans and conservative democrats exist. In the end people have to choose a party based on which one they prefer after weighing the pros and cons. The glove is almost never a perfect fit.
@Kevin, your comment was rather witty, nice job.
I'll start off with disclosing my results from the survey and i found that i was slightly to the left and slightly down so like mitch and a few other people i was close to Gandi.
ReplyDelete1. The two things that mainly influence my own political socialization would have to be my family and the media. Growing up i've always thought that my parents knew everything and i always thought that everyone believed in the exact same things that my parents believed. But obviously as i grew up, i started to learn that people believe in sooo many different things and i like to believe that my ideologies are my own but they are influenced a little by my family and the media.
2. Like stated above, my parents have had a little influence on my political views and ideologies but as i've grown up, my ideologies have differed a little from theirs.
3. I think this is pretty much a repeat of what everyone has said above but its the exact same thing that i was thinking, that when you choose a political party its not necessarily the name that you are picking up, its the ideas and the values that you are agreeing with. you may believe in different things and you aren't ever going to find a political party that fits you perfectly because sometimes your views may change or you may think one way on a certain issue and the other way on another. it all depends on the issue at hand..
i've gotta go with my bro. Our parents dont talk about politics too often, so the same goes for me. i get my ideologies from artists of all kinds.
ReplyDeletei cant think of an instance where our (me and jason) parents questioned authority, but they are definitely more conservative than us.
right now, it seems to me that political labels are useless because everyone here says that their ideas aren't black or white(red or blue). why should it matter what party i choose of no one can identify with one specifically? i could go either way at this point. whatever i pick will be wrong. so my answer to the question is dont balance fiscal and social values to pick a party.
@Jordan: "why should it matter what party i choose if no one can identify with one specifically? i could go either way at this point. whatever i pick will be wrong. so my answer to the question is dont balance fiscal and social values to pick a party."
ReplyDeletewat
Can you elaborate on this a bit more?
@Jordan, what does "i get my ideologies from artists of all kinds." mean?
ReplyDeleteSpencer, he's talking about lyrics. I almost posted the same thing, too. Quite a few of my ideologies come from bands with lyrical content that just speaks and makes sense to me.
ReplyDelete1. Alrighty my political views are certainly not influenced by my parents. I think that much of my social political views are heavily influenced by me being a Christian. My fiscal views, however are more of personal opinion that has been lightly influenced by those around me as well as education.
ReplyDelete2. My parents don't care much for politics and because of this they played a almost non-existent role in the shaping of my own ideology. My political views are very different than both my mother and my father's views.
3. This is a tough question because political parties have different social and fiscal views just as people do, making the event of finding a perfect party, sort of rare. In choosing a political party one must find the party that contains most of their views (finding a party that owns all of their views is highly unlikely). If this proves to be difficult then it boils down to candidates and politicians. Finding the party that generates the most politicians that you approve of is important if you expect to be active during the election process. blah blah blah balance hmmmkkkk
@ cody
ReplyDeleteif i pick the deomcratic party, i wont agree with all of their beliefs and if i pick the republican party i wont agree with what they say about the government. why should i classify my self as either when i wont agree with them? im thinkin' 'bout goin' indy.
also, not just musicians, i mean painters and poets too.
1. Basically, morals instilled in me from childhood/ beliefs, logic, peers, and education influence my political socialization. Growing up in a Christian family, I've been raised with the influence of conservative republican parents which has developed a basic foundation for things I associate with. For instance, I believe abortion is wrong, typical of a conservative viewpoint. But over the years, after hearing alternate views from peers and learning in school, my opinions and perspective begin to veer from my parent's and my logic becomes more influential in determining what I believe and political socialization.
ReplyDelete2. Like I said before, my basic principles are the same so I guess we're somewhat similar, but on some matters I'm more liberal. Mostly because the generation gap, the environment/peers and what we learn in school have a more of a liberal influence so I find myself more open to ideas than my parents. I'll admit, with the values I've grown up with, I've been taught that same-sex marriage is wrong, but discussions in gov and the influence of peers, as well as becoming more educated such as with the constitutionality of it, my perspective has changed a bit and i've become more tolerant of ideas that my republican conservative parents would disagree with.
3. I guess the balance is in choosing what is currently most important. As the gov book says, there are no hard & fast rules. Economically speaking, although the wealthy tend to be more right winged and the poor towards the left, sometimes the very poor are Republican while some wealthy are Democrats becuse of the social values. For example, someone with conservative social values might choose to consider themself democratic because currently the economy is one of the biggest issues, therefore they associate with the more liberal fiscal values supported by the democratic party and the social matters take the back seat.
1. It seems most likely that my political views came from my parents, but really I'm beginning to become more of my own person. Sort of beginning to figure out what I truly feel, not just what my parents want me to. So, up until recently my parents had a major influence on my views, but I'm beginning to make opinions more of my own.
ReplyDelete2. Well as i just stated, I used to just go along with what my parents said because of very little political studying on my part. So yes my views were like my parents, and while I'm trying to have more of my own views, i'm sure I'm still influenced a bit. However, my dad is as right and Republican as a person can get, and according to the test that is not the case with me.
3. You must vote for the politicians who agree with you on the most important issues to you. One of the two things is more important to everyone, and you must go with whichever one you hold closest and most important. The politcian should have very little impact, as it is the views that really count. Unless, you are like my father and never vote for a democrate in any election.
According to the test, I could not have a view more in the middle of everything. I am neither Republican or Democratic instead i could not be closer to the origin.
1. The influences in my life would come from my family, where I am from, and my own personal opinions developed through peers and education. My family is mainly republican, and most of them have VERY strong opinions on different issues. For example, my grandparents are very opinionated and also VERY conservative, and they have played a big part in my life. So I think things, from when I was little, that they said just were shown to me as being what was supposed to be thought. And, I am from the south so I follow that stereotype as well. But, as I have come up with my own opinions, and gained an education, I am not as "right" as most of my family. So, I got the basics from my family, and where I grew up, but developed what I think through education.
ReplyDelete2. My parents don't care that much for politics, but they both are from the south and have VERY conservative parents, so they are republican, but not extreme. They have not influenced me as much as other family members, but they have done some influencing, economically speaking.
3. I think that it just depends on the subject at hand, people do not (usually) solely follow one party or the other to a tee, and they fluctuate somewhat on different topics. (If you do then this question is easy for you.) So, people just have to take the issues themselves and see where they lie for them, and prioritize their wants, social values, or fiscal values, for the government to take initiative on. Once, they figure what is most important to them then they should follow whichever party their opinion on an issue falls into, being social values, or fiscal values, or anything else.
@Jordan
ReplyDeleteOur parents haven't actually questioned authority to my knowledge. BUT, they have encouraged us to change things we don't agree with. Also I realize that i could probably just walk to your room and tell you this but it counts for posting.
I think growing up with strict religious beliefs has definitely shaped how I view the world from a religious perspective but I personally believe that how I believe spiritually has nothing to do with how I view the political world. My father and relatives may have played a part into how I view some issues along with some of my peers.
ReplyDeleteI am similar to my father in my political beliefs. My mother is from Canada and doesn’t really care one way or the other. My parents and I share the same moral beliefs.
To balance the social values and fiscal values I think that a person will have to figure what is most important and perhaps compromise. Many people will not find the perfect candidate or the perfect political party that matches their belief’s exactly.
1. I think that my political socialization is primarily influenced by what I really feel is best for myself and by what I think is right and what is wrong. Growing up, I used to always trust the opinions of my parents but then again, I never really followed (much less understood) politics at all. But over the years, I've started to not let myself be politically influenced by other models of political socialization that much. Polls rarely ever sway me into one direction, some forms of media can sometimes change my opinion on certain debates such as taxation, and my family in oarticular dont really even follow it as much as I thought they do. Although I'm Roman-Catholic, I don't stand up to all the Roman-Catholic beliefs.
ReplyDelete2. As mentioned earlier, I'm not really influenced by my parents' views because they never talk about politics, but I rarely ever ask them about their take such as if they support Obama or not.
3. Like many others have stated already, the best way for choosing a political party is to analyze which party's values represent your values yourself. I think that some people choose a party because of what their friends think or what their favorite news channel thinks. In choosing a political party, you should understand exactly what is needed for society and what needs to be done to stabalize the economy.
1. My political socialization is influenced by lots of things that i probably dont even think about as being influencial. My parents obviously have some influence but i dont agree with them on everything ya know? We each have our own views on certain topics.
ReplyDelete2. My parents and i are similar but vastly different in some areas. There are some topics that i cannot discuss with my parents because we end up arguing about it lol. I just would rather have my own opinions about it and move on and not worry about what my parents think.
3. The way to balance your values is to know what it is that you believe and being confident with how you feel. If you know what it is that you are thinking than it will be easier for you to pick a party because you will already have some of their values in mind.
@Mitch and CamJam
ReplyDeleteI got Gandhi too. That's pretty dope, yeah? I figure a good amount of people got him.
I beleive my political socialization comes primarliy from my parents. more specifically my dad. he is the one who brought me inot poltics and explained to me how they worked when i was younger. the 60% stat about parents influencing kids definintly applies to me. But on another note the media plays a role as well because what they show and how they portray it are bound to give me a one sided story.
ReplyDeleteYes i am very similar to my Dad but my mom is more Liberal and Democratic which i do not really agree with when it comes to the financial aspect.
when it comes to determining your values in the different categories of fiscal and social i believe you should pick the candidate that will best suit your life and be most beneficial to you. Since their is no such thing as a perfect candidate who will appeal to all your desires you should keep in mind your family (if you have one) and yourself and which side will have the best positive impoact on your life as a whole
@ Lucas. I totally agree that the you should look at the number of candidates that share the same beliefs in order to gain more representation in congres, etc... But you are one of the few that aren't influenced by your parents so maybe you don't know what you are talking about... and you're white haha
ReplyDelete@ Josh
ReplyDeleteyou made a good point in saying you are similar with your parents but still disagree on certain issues. i think this is important because many people go against their beliefs in order to satisfy their parents and never fully develop their own opinion. But you are from New River so i have to keep that in mind.,.....
It seems to be a common trend here that people dont all think what their parents think. Obviously minus a few people, but i think in some way they have all influenced us a little. I dont think like my parents, but my father has taught me to work hard and save. So after a little more thought, i guess my parents have influenced me in ways i didnt realize initially.
ReplyDeleteAlso i noticed some people have said they use to be more conservative but as they got older they became more liberal. Maybe this has to do with the education system. Especially for me, whether its directly connected or not, but being in high school exposes you to alot of different people. Ive met some of the nicest people i know who dont share the same beliefs as me and i really think it makes me more liberal. Our parents may be more conservative because they arent exposed to this.
@ Cody- You said in #1 that you disagree with your parent’s views, but then in #2 you said that you don’t even know their views…so which one is it? Have they had any affect at all (positive or negative) on you political ideology?
ReplyDelete@ Victoria- You mentioned that a number of issues in Buddhism aren’t restricted, but does that mean that they’re promoted? For example, abortion was not a clear issue when Buddhism first appeared. Then again, I’m not very educated on this subject. Anyways, my point is (correct me if I’m wrong) that it sounds like these issues fall on middle-ground. Why then would you support them if they are neither banned nor promoted?
And I have a question for Ms. Duquette- What’s your answer to #2? Do you follow in your parent’s ideology?
Lacie: I discuss various things with my parents, and I disagree with them on stuff like that, but I don't know whether they're actually liberal/conservative/etc.
ReplyDeleteSo I meant I mostly disagree with what they're overall saying, but I don't REALLY know their affiliation and whatnot.
1. Ummmm... family, religion, education all mostly influence my political socialization. Statistics pretty much has it right with me (or I guess you could say I fall into just another statistic) because i'm around the age of 18, grew up in Washington (coast), I'll say i have a higher education level (you guys can argue and say I'm not in college, but don't underestimate my intelligence haha just kidding, but really), and I'm Catholic. Due to the fact that I hate choosing parties, I declare my self as not following any party but every test i take keeps telling me I'm a Democrat.
ReplyDelete2. Like some have said, my parents aren't too involved with politics. However This i guess is the biggest influence that they have had on me, because i've also inherited their "mainly non-involvement" in politics. My family isn't completely ignorant on political issues, we just don't put in the time to read most propositions or study main political issues outside of what we see on the news. Because of this we try to stay as independent and focus on each political party's point of view on each individual topic, and try not to make too passionate of decisions or opinions because we know that we are not getting all the information from the news.
3. Well, I'm lucky enough that most of my fiscal and social values both fall under one political party. Yes I know i should just accept that i'm a Democrat, but I don't want to be biased in making political decisions. So I personally cannot say from experience how I would balance my values. However i can say from observation that it seems like most people would let their fiscal values take over. Like Ms. Duquette said, when people are financially stable everything else just seems to be a minor problem. And in America, I feel that we've gotten to the point where the majority is pretty much granted enough rights to keep it content. Most people who I feel would follow their social values first would be the minorities that cannot achieve stability and happinness in America unless they are granted more rights. As the most obvious example gays, and I would also say many low income Hispanics who have relatives that are illegal.
I would just like to take this moment to shout out to all Gandhis Mitch, Cam, and Jason. Our next president should definately be Hindu, although I know that's not going to happen.
@ Lucas
ReplyDeleteSort of like Lacie's question to Cody. You said that your parents don't care much for politics, but yet you have very different political views than them. Are you saying that of the few political views your parents have you disagree with them, or are you saying your political views are different from theirs because they have none?
@ Mitch
I find it funny that you said that from absorbing your friends' political ideas you have become more liberal. I'm assuming that you meant socially liberal, because most Arizonians are conservative. However I don't want to just assume, so please tell me if I'm right or wrong.
@mitch & jonah
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jonah that most people in Arizona are conservative. But what I took from what Mitch was saying is that interacting with people who have different beliefs than you does not make you start believing what they believe, but instead you open up to the idea of tolerance for other types of people and you want to help. So absorbing political ideas from others to me sounds more like opening up to liberal thought, not turning away from conservativism.
@ Cody
I'm the same as you. I talk to my parents about social issues and things like that often, but I don't necessarily know exactly where they stand on the issues of parties. This is interesting to me because you would think that by taking all the opinions you've gathered from a parent that you could choose where they stand, but because we can't do that, our parents are likely very in between on the issue. Maybe that is why it is so hard for us to choose as well.
Yeah kevin thats what i meant. I mean by exposing yourself to a large variety of people. Im not specifically saying politically. I just mean by interacting with people who are atheist, gay, and muslim etc. It makes me more socially liberal because i am exposed to more than my parents for say.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the more recent the generation, the more tolerant.
ReplyDelete@Cody
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely agree with the generational point. I think it's because amongst all the economic issues we struggle with today and all the other problems in the world, society has made a greater effort to be accepting of people's diversity because there are bigger troubles we're facing together as one. Also, media especially is a strong influence. This reminds me of the show "If you really knew me" which i just saw for the first time and it was encouraging students to be accepting of their homosexual classmates. 30 years ago you wouldn't have seen shows like this on tv, but since it's so common nowadays people are more accepting & gaining tolerance.
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ReplyDelete@mitch
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more with what you said about how different people you've met with different beliefs than you has made you more liberal. Going into high school especially, most teenagers are pretty limited on their political knowledge and social issues. Coming from someone who's grown up in the same sheltered conservative, primarily republican community all my life, entering high school where you're presented with 2400 diverse classmates is an eye opener. Granted, we're still all in anthem so it's not the same exposure to, say a school in the bronx or even south Phoenix, but meeting friends who are homosexual or whose family are illegal immigrants or who are athiest, their influence tends to open your mind and offer a more liberal perspective.
Makes me wonder what the ratio of conservative atheists to liberal atheists is...I'm sure there are far more liberals >.>
ReplyDeleteAlso Sarah I don't necessarily think we're more accepting because we "stick together and triumph through economical crises!" I think it's more of a matter that it's downright politically incorrect to be racist, sexist, or any kind or prejudice, really. We've been conditioned to believe that it's not right. Not that that's a bad thing, either, as I do believe that it really isn't right to hold any sort of prejudice.
Unless your prejudice is against people with prejudices...I suppose that's alright. But then that makes you a hypocrite. Which is something I'm prejudiced against. <_<
WHY IS THIS SO HARD?
But anyway especially after the civil rights and women's rights movements have already taken place, and we're currently in the midst of the struggle for gay rights, it's just natural for our current generation to be more accepting.
That's why old people can be racist and we can't =D
BUT WAIT
ReplyDeleteIf you're prejudice against people with prejudices, then you're prejudice against yourself!
*rips off glasses*
My God.
@ Cody
ReplyDeleteDon't hurt yourself there. I'm not a racist but I find it much faster just to stereotype. I do agree that prejudice is wrong, but everyone still think about the stereotypical features. I also agree that we accept people more than back then.
@Justin, I agree that there is no such thing as the perfect candidate when it comes to your views on politics. People should defintely vote on what matters most in there life whether it be fiscal or social. The most important thing to do is to vote for what you believe in otherwise, you wasting your vote by voting for someone based on name recognition.
ReplyDelete@Ash I think if you grow up always going to church and being very adamant in your beliefs, you defintely will have similar views on politics as your parents or other church goers. The biggest influence on political socialization is your family and a close second would be education. I also think that the media and political elitests have a major impact on our political attitudes and beliefs.
@mitch- Like you said, we may think our parents don't influence us as much as they actually do. As much as we wanna say we are our own individual person, I have to agree with you in the fact that our parents still influence us in ways e don't even realize anymore.
ReplyDelete@josh- I like the fact that you brought confidence into number 3. you cannot question yourself about what you feel is right. you must vote for what you believe in and always believe it was the right decision. If you don't always feel this way, you probably did not vote as you should have
Jordan, I completely agree with you when you suggest that people shouldn’t “balance fiscal and social values to pick a party”, unless you’re someone like Jonah (where conveniently both values fall under the same party). Like Ms. Duquette stated in class, usually one is more important than the other. People with jobs more heavily impacted on the economy (businesses) should weigh fiscal values above social values. This is a capitalistic society: every man for himself.
ReplyDeleteLacie: Sorry I am late on this reply, but to make an attempt to clear things up…In Buddhism even though there are no set and stone boundaries, our CULTURE also influences our religion too. In general, our culture really does not accept or promote these types of issues. However, I “support them” even “if they are neither banned nor promoted” because American culture has also influenced me. The idea that everyone has their own “rights” and “liberties” is engrained into my mind. So, that factor you can say, is kind of overpowering.
Lucas, Ashlyn, Justin, and many others who think that a “perfect party” can not be obtained, I agree with you guys that a solution isn’t possible because history is living proof. However, as I was reading your posts, a thought came to me. Why doesn’t our system expand from 2 parties to 4? Even the quiz divides people into four different “parties”, because of the possible combinations of fiscal and social values. I understand that it might become more chaotic, but people are lost now because many don’t know exactly which party they fall under because of the unequal balance in values…So, that’s just a thought.