Have you ever switched positions on an issue?

[Atreus21]

I'm recently more on the fence regarding drug legalization. Friedman has convinced me that more harm is done than good by the prohibition of drugs. All of them. So I'm very near to supporting the legalization of not only marijuana, but other drugs too.

What about you?

Also, I'd like to ask a similar question for those of us over 20 or so. What issues do you hold as or more fervently now than you did when you were younger?

I'm 29, and my childhood-seated opposition to abortion has only come more clearly into focus since my siblings started having children, and even more so now that I had my first child this May.

 

[child of wonder]

My position on homosexuality has become more liberal as I proceed along adulthood. In my teenage years (when I was Christian) I did not believe gays should marry or be granted the same rights as heterosexuals.

I've also found myself drifting slightly right to the middle on fiscal policies which, I must admit, was started and is nurtured by this country's massive debt load.

 

[DesiPower]

Environment, I was almost a tree huger and thought all manufacturing plants were satan temples. vehemently supported every single environmental initiative, sometimes even with money. I was young. Then I realized, our govt is outsourcing manufacturing to countries that burn raw coal for electricity and their workers burn twigs to cook food. My supporting to close down the industries that create pollution is basically encouraging it to move and produce more pollution AND as a result, Americans are loosing jobs for good. I changed position, now I oppose all environmental initiatives until we close our borders. there is no use trying to teach savage ppl how to reduce pollution as they will never do it.

I still support wildlife and anti-deforestation, annually donate to two organizations whatever I can. I DO NOT donate anything anywhere else.

 

[brencat]

I'm recently more on the fence regarding drug legalization. Friedman has convinced me that more harm is done than good by the prohibition of drugs. All of them. So I'm very near to supporting the legalization of not only marijuana, but other drugs too.

What about you?

I have changed my opinion on tax policy. While I always thought corporate taxes were too high in the U.S., I never really thought about top marginal rates much. But these ridiculous salaries for pro athletes, out of control CEO pay and golden parachutes...even with poor corporate performance, the unfairness of the carried interest provision for certain money mgr compensation, and the idle rich (top 400 families with annual income > $138 mil) paying only a 16.7% net effective tax rate have gotten me thinking we need a complete overhaul of tax policy.

Please see my thread in P&N today:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2100760

 

[TeeJay1952]

I have been in favor of people donating their organs after death. But now I fear part swapping becoming more and more common. I fear children raised for parts and criminals being stripped for parts. I know that I shouldn't let fears determine my philosophy but I get real uncomfortable with each advancement in medicine.

 

[Moonbeam]

I used to think I was a somebody.

 

[Infohawk]

Sure. Usually it has to do with economic policy, e.g, the right amount of taxes, regulation of businesses, etc. I used like tough on crime policies for utilitarian reasons, whereas now I also think retributive justice is valid too.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I've switched positions on issues many times. I used to think gays were "icky" and that they should pretty much be ostracized, but then I grew up and realized that they were just being themselves and should have the same rights as anybody else. I used to think there was too much immigration and that we should stop the illegal immigration with a fence or by throwing out all the illegals, but then I changed my position that instead, we need to fix the problems with legal immigration, get rid of these insanely low quotas, make it easier for people to come legally, if they will work for it. At that time, we can start going after the companies that hire illegals. Also, we need to focus more effort on identity theft. There are other issues as well, but, pretty much most positions are really judgement calls, and sometimes to make the "better" judgement, you need to educate yourself.

 

[Atreus21]

...pretty much most positions are really judgement calls, and sometimes to make the "better" judgement, you need to educate yourself.

Emphatically agree.

 

[Phokus]

Used to be a libertarian, then i read a lot on economics and just looked around at what's happening around the world and ahahaha i can't believe i used to believe in that tripe and i can't believe there are grown men and women who still do.

 

[nageov3t]

I've changed my position on gun control, thanks to these forums actually. I used to be in the no guns for anyone crowd.

 

[Moonbeam]

The more one hates oneself the more defensive and resistant to change one becomes. The more one outgrows the bigotry one was inculcated with as a youth the freer the mind becomes. Freedom is the lack of ego attachments and thus the lack of ego.

When one is nothing that can be taken there is nothing to defend and the only thing that can't be taken is organic being love.

 

[Atreus21]

The more one hates oneself the more defensive and resistant to change one becomes. The more one outgrows the bigotry one was inculcated with as a youth the freer the mind becomes. Freedom is the lack of ego attachments and thus the lack of ego.

When one is nothing that can be taken there is nothing to defend and the only thing that can't be taken is organic being love.

I'm trying very hard to decipher this.

Are you saying that any defense of anything is implicative of self-hate?

 

[Infohawk]

I'm trying very hard to decipher this.

Why?

 

[Vette73]

Term limits.

I use to be against them but I see the longer someone is in power the less they care for the average person and more for Large Business/PACs/special intrest/etc... they align with. That seems to be the same for Rs and Ds.

I think a fair number of terms is ok. No ability to run forever but 2 terms as a Senator and 5 for a House Rep is more then enough.

 

[Moonbeam]

I'm trying very hard to decipher this.

Are you saying that any defense of anything is implicative of self-hate?

I probably should have said 'there is nothing to be defensive about' To defend and to be defensive can be two different things. Jesus died to defend us from our belief in our own sinfulness, no?

 

[Perknose]

I'm trying very hard to decipher this.

Are you saying that any defense of anything is implicative of self-hate?

Moonie's saying, I believe, that buried so deep and primally in our psychesthat it can be a life long journey to even begin to apprehend is an element of self-hate in our resistance to many things, and that the more outsized and stubborn and emotional our resistance, the more likely it is that inner fear based on deeply repressed denial is a major cause.

It's why so many nationally known, fiercely anti-gay politicians and fundie preachers turn out to be secret cawk gobblers themselves.

Perhaps you've noticed that.

 

[MJinZ]

I've changed my position on gun control, thanks to these forums actually. I used to be in the no guns for anyone crowd.

Really? I must be in a huge minority:

- Love guns
- Love gay
- Hate conservatives
- Hate illegals
- Hate Bush
- Hate Obama
- Hate lazy welfarers
- Hate stupid
- Hate religiously stupid
- Hate self-hating
- Hate Fedora hats
- Hate Libertarians
- Love cats
- Love lolcats especially
- Love abortion

What stance am I missing?

 

[BurnItDwn]

Really? I must be in a huge minority:

- Love guns
- Love gay
- Hate conservatives
- Hate illegals
- Hate Bush
- Hate Obama
- Hate lazy welfarers
- Hate stupid
- Hate religiously stupid
- Hate self-hating
- Hate Fedora hats
- Hate Libertarians
- Love cats
- Love lolcats especially
- Love abortion

What stance am I missing?

The most important one,
Your undying love for bacon!

 

[MJinZ]

The most important one,
Your undying love for bacon!

Oh yes, you remember that one.

- Hate bacon!

 

[Infohawk]

Really? I must be in a huge minority:

- Love guns
- Love gay
- Hate conservatives
- Hate illegals
- Hate Bush
- Hate Obama
- Hate lazy welfarers
- Hate stupid
- Hate religiously stupid
- Hate self-hating
- Hate Fedora hats
- Hate Libertarians
- Love cats
- Love lolcats especially
- Love abortion

What stance am I missing?

Guns
Death penalty
Taxes
Dogs

You're probably in the center but these days you have to choose between RedUnderBed and Patranus.

 

[MJinZ]

Guns
Death penalty
Taxes
Dogs

You're probably in the center but these days you have to choose between RedUnderBed and Patranus.

Guns was the first one!

- Love death penalty
- Love taxes
- Meh to dogs (do not care) :ninja:

 

[Moonbeam]

Moonie's saying, I believe, that buried so deep and primally in our psychesthat it can be a life long journey to even begin to apprehend is an element of self-hate in our resistance to many things, and that the more outsized and stubborn and emotional our resistance, the more likely it is that inner fear based on deeply repressed denial is a major cause.

It's why so many nationally known, fiercely anti-gay politicians and fundie preachers turn out to be secret cawk gobblers themselves.

Perhaps you've noticed that.

Yup, the greater the feeling of perversion one has toward oneself, the greater the slimy delight one takes in putting oneself down by railing against that very delusion of perversion.

 

[werepossum]

Many issues. I used to be very liberal, until I went out into the world and became fiscally conservative. I used to be very anti-gay, then met one very nice gay guy and a couple of nice lesbians and decided that gay people were neither a myth nor the devil's minions. I used to be a staunch Democrat, then a lukewarm Republican, then more libertarian (a pox on both their houses.) I used to be very anti-union (except for miners), then I gained experience with the trade unions and recognized that sometimes unions bring very valuable contributions to the table. More recently I was pro-deep drilling ban, until I recognized that I had been lied to.

I'm always open to change, but as I get older there is more experience to back up a particular belief, so it takes more to change my mind. (Not that my opinions are necessarily always correct now, merely backed up by more evidence and observations.)

 

[Schadenfroh]

I considered myself a socialist throughout late high school and early college, I am now a paleocon (as far as political parties go, conservative Democrat). Drastic change on many issues, I know, but it shifted over several years for a variety of reasons (observations from history and current events, influence from books I have read, shift towards realism, etc.).

Still a few lingering biases for COOPs and ESOPs from those days.

Basically, it boils down to fear of concentration of power and I now have less faith in the government than for-profit corporations.