What personal aspects of your life affect your politics?

Question

For instance -

Does your religion (or lack thereof) play a role?
What about your family dynamics?
Your Income level?
How about your education (or lack thereof)?

Maybe a personal experience has shaped your outlook on life in general?

Answer 1

becoming a parent has been the most influential factor. once i took on the role of motherhood, i finally began to understand the significance of accountability. as long as i am in this position ((as a mother)) i will forever be accountable for my actions.

meaning.. i'm accountable to my daughter EVERYDAY of her life. she looks to me for love, support, guidance and on those rare occasion an answer or two. :P

as far as the political aspect, the expectations of accountability are the same. -- it is my job as a mother to lead by example & to do the absolute best job i can. because i am ACCOUNTABLE to her. -- and i hold our elected representatives to the same expectations of accountable, because it's their jobs to do their absolute best for us.

mistakes are mistakes & they are to be expected - but hypocrisy is purposeful deception & people need to be called on their BS every single time!!

Answer 2

I saw a lot of injustice,lies and hypocrisy up close from an early age and the damage they bring.
Later I learned how this behavior also takes place globally.Most of all I realize the danger of dogmatic thinking and the importance of always questioning every reality no matter how sure you are it is real.
I learned doubt isn't a sign of weakness but a strength and most people are too afraid intellectually lazy or preoccupied so they choose a side and stop thinking.I saw this in my personal life and I think everyone with an open mind can think of situations in their life that are examples of this.
I believe human psychology plays a very big part in religious and political views people hold.I believe the human mind is the most powerful tool for oppression and strict loyalty to rationality and reason are the only ways to protect yourself.

Most people aren't really individuals or not as much as they consider themselves to be Most people don't think for themselves.Most people don't have an own opinion.Most people think they have both but they are wrong.They believe what others told them.
In that light it makes sense that people fall prey to dogmatic thinking so easily.People tend to be conformists cos in History and evolution that was an advantage.It's in our genes.There are plenty of psychological tests that suggest people have the hardest time to think for themselves and trust their own judgment against a majority or a perceived majority of those who think different.If you have a group for example of ten people,nine researchers and one real test subject.You show them a green card but all the researchers who are in the experiment say the card is red it will become very hard and for most people even impossible to say the card is green while they saw it with their own eyes.Human genetics favor conformity cos that was necessary and beneficial in evolution.

I still realize I could be totally wrong though and THAT is my main point

Answer 3

Actually, my personal life factors very little into my overall worldview of the world. I think of this as more of a negative aspect than a positive one. One's personal experiences tend to be anectdotal in nature; they do not necessarily represent society as a whole. This is a problem with a lot of people who rely on such personal accounts. Statistics provide a clearer picture into the overall picture. (Then again, such stats can easily be misconstrued or outright vague; this is where scholarly interpretation of such stats is needed.)

On the other hand, education plays huge role. The truly ignorant are more likely to be swayed by emotional rhetoric and unfounded claims that only serve to confirm political biases. However, the facts do not always back up such claims. The truly educated are most likely to investigate and research, even if it runs counter to their own political ideology.

For me, personally, learning is a continous process. There is no true "end" goal as there is much more knowledge to be acquired.

Answer 4

I was born into a Right-wing family, so I was a Right-wing supporter of the GOP until I got older started researching and thinking for myself.

I'm not ultra rich, like most people aren't, so I support the politics of people who represent my interests instead of catering to only the ultra rich and corporate CEO's.

I am not a fundamentalist Christian, so I don't support politicians who want to merge Church and State and give special privilage and status to Christian groups.

I'm a college graduate. More importantly, I'm a lifelong learner and avid reader. The more I learn, the more I see that really almost no politicians stand for people like me anymore (with the rare exception of someone like Russ Feingold).

Answer 5

none as you mentioned! Only a lonely tired traveler ( at distribution of a cheap but valuable commodity))whose destination is very far.What he has in his bag was too heavy so he transferred it into his minds to make the walk easy. Wish to know the content of the bag? Common sense!

Answer 6

Just my desire for freedom.

And that's why I vote against the Dem's.