What was the first political issue you were intensely interested in?

[nanette1985]

I was born in 1955 into a religious family, so the family was intensely interested in Civil Rights. I wasn't intense about that, since it involved mostly the grownups. But my memories are there.

My own first was the Vietnam anti-War movement. I had 3 older brothers in Vietnam, my oldest brother in the Navy, other two Army. The first guy I seriously dated came back in a box. That's what triggered my interest in the politics of the situation.

Not sure how my early experiences color my current political beliefs, but I'm sure somehow it does.

 

[Juddog]

I was born in 1955 into a religious family, so the family was intensely interested in Civil Rights. I wasn't intense about that, since it involved mostly the grownups. But my memories are there.

My own first was the Vietnam anti-War movement. I had 3 older brothers in Vietnam, my oldest brother in the Navy, other two Army. The first guy I seriously dated came back in a box. That's what triggered my interest in the politics of the situation.

Not sure how my early experiences color my current political beliefs, but I'm sure somehow it does.

I think the first issue I was really annoyed with was Reagan's "War on Drugs", followed with all kinds of bullcrap they started teaching kids while I was in highschool.

I felt sad later on when I learned that most of it was just based on lies with no actual evidence, or faulty cherry-picked research.

 

[Atreus21]

Abortion.

 

[shira]

Could an average-looking, nerdy Democrat get anywhere with a hot Republican chick.

 

[ivwshane]

9/11 and Iraq. I remember reading expert opinions who were baffled by the decision to go into Iraq when Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 nor did it harbor American hating terrorists and whose WMD program was non existing.

 

[irishScott]

On what scale? Growing up in the 90s, we had school-level debates about violent video games and school uniforms all the time; teachers included us in kid-level debates as part of social studies.

In terms of national politics, I'd have to say I first started to take an interest on 9/11. I was in 8th grade at the time, and up until then political issues were just boring bullshit my dad watched on the news that made no sense to me. After that I started looking a lot closer.

 

[dmcowen674]

What was the first political issue you were intensely interested in?

Me

http://www.salon.com/2001/07/17/screensaver/

 

[Drako]

Me

Wow, what a surprise :biggrin:

Mine was probably SALT II talks back in the '70s. I had to do a paper on them for my HS Poli Sci class.

 

[thraashman]

Well my first foray into P&N was the result of Bush's ill-advised and unnecessary invasion of Iraq.

The first real issue I took concern with was freedom of (and thus freedom from) religion. Leaving religion at a fairly young age I often had to deal with Christianity trying to be forced upon me and so that developed as an issue for me.

 

[Indus]

Bush v. Gore..

Supreme Court WTF?

 

[Jaskalas]

Intensely interested? September 11th, 2001.

 

[dank69]

Didn't really follow politics until Obama got elected and all the hatred and bile started spewing out all over America. It was fascinating. He was being blamed for the recession before he was even sworn into office.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Watergate, which wouldn't have been much of a problem these days.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Gay rights. It was a bit self-serving, being the son of lesbian mothers, but I was also growing up in a time when gay adoption was hit-or-miss depending on what judge you got and where my home state voted, on two separate occasions, on bills that would severely restrict gay rights, make it legal to fire someone for being gay, require teaching that homosexuality was wrong, etc.

The first issue I ever cared about that my parents didn't was media censorship, primarily in regards to video games and music labeling. Again, it was self-serving, as I wanted to be able to buy Snoop Dogg albums or Mortal Kombat without my mother present to vouch for me, but it's something I remained passionate about through college (and I suppose to this day, in as much as I'm passionate about any political issue).

 

[Jaskalas]

Didn't really follow politics until Obama got elected and all the hatred and bile started spewing out all over America. It was fascinating. He was being blamed for the recession before he was even sworn into office.

The price of being a figure head. Bush went through similar crap.

 

[irishScott]

Watergate, which wouldn't have been much of a problem these days.

Meh, I think it would be; primarily because Watergate involved physical breaking and entering. That's something everyone can directly sympathize against. With the advent of the internet the government can accomplish much the same with far subtler and far less physically violent means, so people don't give as much of a shit.

That said, it would be interesting to see what would happen if a "digital watergate" went down, where one party hacked the other.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Vietnam war, I didn't feel we had any business being over there. Luckily the US pulled out when I was a junior in high school so I didn't have to worry about being drafted when I graduated.

Funny thing is I joined the Navy 3 years later and served for 12 years. I believe had I been drafted I would have joined the Navy as well.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Meh, I think it would be; primarily because Watergate involved physical breaking and entering. That's something everyone can directly sympathize against. With the advent of the internet the government can accomplish much the same with far subtler and far less physically violent means, so people don't give as much of a shit.

That said, it would be interesting to see what would happen if a "digital watergate" went down, where one party hacked the other.

I agree, but I was thinking along the lines you were about how it would be done today. B&E would be out, and a President would just have someone fall on his sword. The general sentiment would be "Oh not MY President" or "well that's not a big deal". We're more comfortable with corruption.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

There were probably earlier ones I've forgotten, but immediately after 9/11 (11 years old) I wanted to see the entire Middle East nuked and paved. I remember thinking what a beautiful sight it was when the first bombs fell in Afghanistan and Iraq. No one else had beliefs in childhood that changed significantly?

 

[gevorg]

2003 invasion of Iraq

 

[brandonb]

Ruby Ridge and Waco.

 

[soulcougher73]

Abortion or gay marriage

 

[Agent11]

I saw a movie about Chernobyl as a child which terrified me. This caused me to research radiation, nuclear technology, cold war etc. and the politics involved.

I was maybe 5 or 6.

 

[davmat787]

For me it was the cold war, US-USSR relations, and the concept of mutually assured destruction.

There is still so much cold war history that is just coming to light. The opening of some of the KGB files adds an interesting perspective too.

You know the closest we probably came to actual thermonuclear war was in 1983? And it was due to an NATO exercise that was mistakenly assumed the USSR had forewarning?

Interesting times...

 

[dank69]

The price of being a figure head. Bush went through similar crap.

Bush was blamed for all the country's ills before he even took office?