If you feel you are "enlightened" politically, can you name a pivotal moment or person helped it happen?

Question

I will post my list after I read your answers. Thank you!

Here are two examples for me, more to come:

My Dad was a Navy Intelligence officer during the Cuban Missle Crisis. He spoke out against the Vietnam war and was questioned by the FBI (but not accused, ultimately) about communist activity. Ha. My Dad is the most brilliant, patriotic man I know.

When I was in elementary school, my (still) best friend and I had a VHS tape of HAIR and watched in over and over... watch this scene, it is so relevant today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzYibC1P7UQ

Answer 1

Yes when I was driving my Father home from the Veterans Hospital when I was a boy. The veterans hospital was supposed to transplant some veins in his leg, but the doctor in training never done it before and instead just chopped it off. They threw him out of the hospital the next day. I had to drive because they cut off his right leg. I could barely see over the steering wheel and his leg was bleeding through the bandage and he was in a lot of pain. He had to do most of the steering and one time had to throw the car into park to stop. We damage the transmission pretty bad but we made it home.
Ronald Reagan was President and he cut the Veterans benefits just like Bush is doing. So I became enlightened that the Republicans don't care about anybody but themselves and their friends on that day and I have been seeing examples of it ever since.

Answer 2

My dad, pure and simple. When I was a teenager in highschool, decades ago, my dad would frequently engage me in discussions of political "goings-on" at the time, and he truly delved deep into the issues, and even though I was not near as educated as he was at the time, he expected no less of me in that discussion than if I were someone of his academic equal. Sometimes it was tough, but he always said, "Son, I want you to learn to think for yourself." Oftentimes I thought that wasn't entirely true since he was so consesrvative and would defend that point vociferously, so, one day I decided to agree with him in order to make the discussion easier and end quicker. And wouldn't you know it, he actually took up the liberal side of the argument and argued it just as hard. I didn't know how he could do that so quickly and so thoroughly, but he did, and as the discussion came oh so slowly to its conclusion, he once again stated, "Son, I want you to learn to think for yourself." Well, I know he had a conservative leaning, but he NEVER wanted me to agree with him just because it would be easier. Now, a couple of years after his passing, I can't thank him enough for all the education on how to think, and having been done in a political subject area, I have always, and still very much am, a politically-minded individual. Some may not call me "enlightened", but then they'll have to argue the definition of "enlightened" with me to prove I'm not and they supposedly are. God Bless you.

Answer 3

My first trip overseas a few years ago. I went with group of people, headed up by an older American, going to Geneva to 'check on his accounts.' We were in Paris, on the train, and he was holding forth about France's economy and demographics.

At one point, he announced loudly, "The real problem France has now is the Algerians. They're ruining the country."

There was a woman sitting just behind us, holding a child on her lap. She had been listening to our conversation; when Hal made his pronouncement, tears started in her eyes. She looked like she'd been slapped. Based on her dress, and given her reaction, I assume she was an Algerian immigrant.

Hal was an insensitive lout at best, but I was unaware of the political scene in France, so I didn't know what to make of his statement, other than that it had obviously hurt the woman's feelings. When I got home, I started researching Algeria's history with France. It's quite unpleasant, and has disturbing parallels in American history. I was made uncomfortably aware how of ignorant I am, as a sheltered American, of what goes on in the world outside our borders. Having got the travel bug rather badly, I'm trying to change that. I won't say I'm 'politically enlightened'--not sure but what that's an oxymoron--but I'm trying to be politically aware, at the very least.

Answer 4

Arthur he's sixty 4 and he's my mothers boyfriend in spite of the reality that he's 12 years older than her he's the main conceited, OCD, grotesque, stressful individual i've got ever met and it is not purely with the aid of fact he's relationship my mom-- he's impolite to all and sundry and he acts like a three year previous while he would not get what he needs.

Answer 5

Jimmy Carter..... Throwing the Shaw of Iran to the wolves and allowing the Islamist to replace him. World peace has been going down and terrorism going up from that moment to the present.

Answer 6

Albert the Great.

Answer 7

clinton in 92

Answer 8

911 ... bush helped it happen ... and it was a turning point to implement the neocon foreign policy ..

Answer 9

FDR, HST. ABE's Death.