This week we are beginning to look at how political culture is socially and historically constructed. In order to gain the most value from this course we also must examine ourselves in terms of how we conceptualize major cultural concepts and how these ideas and values have been constructed in each of our individual lives. That is your challenging task this week. As you read the assigned readings for this week think about your personal ideas regarding big questions like: what does it mean to be "American" and what an American political identity might be (or think generally about your political views and priorities). Most important reflect on why you have these beliefs. Those ideas have been constructed throughout your life. Think critically about how you have personally constructed your political culture lens by answering some or all of the following questions:
- How do you identify yourself politically (or what group(s) do you personally identify with)?
- How has this affected your conception of the role of government or your relationship with the government?
- Who or what has affected your personal views about politics specifically or social or moral issues in general (people, institutions, media, personal experiences, etc...)?
- Why do you do feel the way you do about various political groups (both similar and different from you)?
- How does the time and place in which you live impact your political ideology?
Gaining a more critical understanding of what you feel and how you have developed these views will help us as we look at the social and historical construction of American political culture in general.
Remember: Your responses should be approximately one long or two short paragraphs and no more (around 150 words). No research is necessary but think carefully about what you want to write and respond to the ideas presented on the blog, not the people. The goal is to use these prompts to start a dialogue that can evolve through the week. You should post your comment(s) by 8pm on Tuesday. Everyone should skim the discussion before class on Wednesday.
Remember: Your responses should be approximately one long or two short paragraphs and no more (around 150 words). No research is necessary but think carefully about what you want to write and respond to the ideas presented on the blog, not the people. The goal is to use these prompts to start a dialogue that can evolve through the week. You should post your comment(s) by 8pm on Tuesday. Everyone should skim the discussion before class on Wednesday.
I dont categorize myself politically. I dont believe that is a strong part of my self identity so I do not bother with it. Our government is no longer a government system but instead a political system (which are not the same to me). So my faith in government is nonexistent. My parents have greatly influenced my views as well as documentaries and reading the paper. But since becoming an "adult" and being a part of the system I now gain insight on a personal level. These sources are also why I view both political parties negatively. Growing up in a state with so much public corruption lessens my faith further in the government. The combination of having parents who grew up in the 60s/70s and living in an open society have allowed me to question the government system.
ReplyDeleteWe spoke in class about how your hometown can really dictate who you are politically and I am no exception to that rule. I identify myself as a liberal Democrat, but I can also identify myself by saying that I’m Catholic, German, Iowan, or other tags that I have accumulated over the years. Although I am from a city that is over 90% Catholic, we, as a city, are also about 75% Democrat because our city was founded on union work. Because of this background, I have come to trust what government can do and that aligns itself more with the Democratic party. I base a lot of my political ideas off how my grandparents raised my mom and uncles-- a single income, middle class family supported by unionized labor; I wish that this life was still attainable in our society. I also think that living through the Clinton administration and the Bush 43 administration makes people my age tend to lean Democratic-- times were good until about the year 2000. One administration can really turn the tides of political opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Luke in my political alignment branching from where I grew up and being raised Catholic. I grew up in Chicago and am first generation Polish-American, being from an immigrant family makes me vote Democrat. Our class discussion included immigration so heavily because we are supposed to be a melting pot and there seem to be discrepancies about American identity. To me, being American is someone who lives in the US and works to be a good citizen. Obviously, that is wishful thinking for the whole population but so many immigrants from the past would not have had criminal pasts if there were more of a unified paradigm under which the US functioned. The discrimination from the past has carried over in undertones in present day. Immigration is a very strong American identity that has a negative meaning lately. Growing up Catholic taught me about human morality, interaction, and conflict, which I think is why religion comes up in political discussions so often. We learn what is important to us and what we believe in. Values are key to political decisions, and those stem from the environment someone grew up in, religion and family/heritage.
DeleteSimilar to Morgan, I do not believe that I can accurately categorize myself politically. Because of the role of media in current society, political parties in the United States are constantly subject to manipulation. Citizens seldom form their own opinions without the influence of the media as well as their environment. I find that many young people regard themselves as “liberals” or “conservatives” without truly understanding what is attached to the label. I have been heavily influenced politically by both of my parents, who do not see eye to eye on most political issues. I have also been heavily influenced by the environment I was brought up in; I grew up in a diverse neighborhood that encompassed both the extreme right and extreme left on the political spectrum. Conflicting views were always present, especially in the classroom setting at my school, and debate was an inevitable aspect of the day-to-day routine. This distilled in me an appreciation of understanding each side of an argument fully before forming my own opinion.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Luke, I identify myself as a liberal Democrat. I also identify myself as a Christian, African-American and a Chicagoan since I grew up in the Chicago land area all my life. My parents’ political affiliation and the environment I was raised in deeply affects my perception of government. I think republicans only care about the elite and democrats want to help the lower and middle class. Barack Obama has been a huge influence to me in politics. A lot of his values I personally believe in such as, if you work hard you will make it in America, every individual should be able to serve their own God in America and the idea that were all in this together through prosperous and rough times. I think the media has influenced my political values and opinions as well. The media is always preaching the hope of The American Dream and how America is still the greatest country on earth. This is a big part of why I still believe in this country. I agree with Luke in that, growing up in the Bush 43 era and seeing how the country turned tides in 2000 makes our generation lean more towards democratic ideals. We have witnessed the country go from surpluses to deficits over the past twelve years. My ideas of the Republican Party have been deeply rooted in my parents’ political views and how my family has struggled financially during the Bush administration. I am a liberal democrat because I have grown up in a democratic household. I think growing in the 9/11 era and growing up for the first ten years of my life in a crime, low income neighborhood has heavily influenced my political ideology. My environment has made me lean more towards the left side of the political spectrum. However, all this being said I do not trust in the government at all, I trust in God to take care of me.
ReplyDeleteI identify myself as a conservative, both socially and economically. Because of this I feel that the role of government is small; it should be involved in peoples lives as little as possible. Mainly my mother has shaped my views on government; she has always talked about current events and government with me. My views have also been shaped by my high school. I went to a small catholic high school where almost all of the teachers taught from a conservative point of view. Also, being catholic has shaped my views because I have always been against social issues that are supported by liberals such as abortion, contraception and sterilization. The place and time I grew up in did not really impact my political ideology. I grew up right outside of Detroit in a low to medium income neighborhood where most people are members of autoworker unions. Most people my age have progressive more liberal views than I do. So I do not think that the time and place I grew up affected my political ideology at all.
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ReplyDeletePolitically, I personally identify as a pragmatically progressive individual. Although I have worked on Democratic campaigns in the past, I'd prefer to identify myself based on ideas than party affiliation. Both constrain an individual to a degree in terms of the leeway one has to deviate from important talking points without risking attack, but I think I'm afforded more flexibility by identifying as a progressive. This has made my conception of the proper role of government more active in terms of economic life such as support for universal preschool education and stimulus measures, but more limited in terms of social policy. The most important factor in my political identification has definitely been my family, which tends to resemble the Iowa liberals to which Luke referenced.
ReplyDeleteThe clearest example I can think of in my experience of opposing political groups has been my experience on a Congressional campaign with two clear political groups. My candidate's Republican opponent advocated for a balanced budget amendment, while I personally thought that was a very poor economic policy that lacked factual backing, and made me really view the opposition negatively. One of the most important specific places that helped impact my political ideology was my high school. I went into high school with progressive leanings, and this was strengthened throughout high school because most of the student body was more conservative and I had a lot of fun arguing with classmates. The time has also been important for me because I was introduced to the idea of politics with the 2000 presidential election, and started to pay more attention and read more after that (although pretty limited at first and then growing). I think it gave me a desire to focus on process rather than individuals.
Politically speaking, I identify myself as a conservative in regards to economics and socially liberal. I have a high level of confidence in our national security programs and defense department. This confidence is stemming from a federal national security position I held from 2009-2012 and now being a member of the armed forces. However, my confidence in the political aspect of the government is much lower. Bipartisan politics and party divisions seems to have slowed our government and hindered progress. My view of being economically conservative have stemmed from both my family and own experience. Having worked year-round since I was 16 and wanting to keep every dollar I worked for. I fully recognize the need for helping those with permanent disabilities, especially veterans. However, many citizens take advantage of government aid while others truly need it and are qualified for it. Being socially liberal, I believe people should make their own decisions in their personal lives and not the government. The media also plays a very significant role in political perspective depending of the news source and how the information is presented and politically charged and or spun. I do not think the times we live in provide a platform as to my personal own political views.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not identify with either party and see myself as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. There are somethings that I agree with liberals on like gay marriage and pot legalization, but I am also pro life. I have some confidence in our government, especially concerning the military, but I do not have as much faith in the spending aspects, and I believe that the government wastes the taxpayers money too often. I believe that my views are because of the way my parents raised me, and they have influenced me to believe the things that I do. I also believe that going to a conservative Catholic high school in Chicago has influenced my views on abortion. The town that I live in is a middle class area and most of the people here are economically conservative like me, which also influences my views. I feel like most of my generation is pretty socially liberal, like me, on things like gay marriage and weed, and because I believe in a small government I feel that the government should not be telling other people who they can and can not marry.
ReplyDeleteWhen I vote, I vote as a democrat, but when it comes to identifying myself politically, I can’t quite figure out if I belong in the democrat or socialist group. In the two-party system world, I agree with the Democratic Party. I am a Latina, I am a lesbian, and I strongly support the Obama Administration and the Democratic platform. Some of the peers I am closest to are feminists, and I myself support feminism, as well. While I appreciate that the media tries to cover politics, sometimes I feel they go about it in the wrong sense, as if they’re covering a football game rather than actual politics. I also feel that efforts to get others involved in politics and build up a sense of lifelong civic duty is lost on young adults. I am a liberal because issues that are discussed in politics involve me directly, like gay marriage, women’s rights, the way the United States handles immigration, and international politics, especially with South America. The Republican Party shuts people like me out. I am fortunate to have grown up in a part of Minnesota close to the Twin Cities, and be a student here at DePaul. These places have influenced and allowed me to explore my own political ideology more than the time in which I have lived, I think.
ReplyDeleteI very easily identify with the Democratic party. This, however, coupled with my education, has made it very difficult to have a solidified opinion on our government. As a Democrat, I want nothing more than to be idealistic about the government and believe in all of the good that our government achieves for the underprivileged and those who cannot fight for themselves. However, as a result of my education, I have also come to lift the lens off of my opinion and analyze the actions of our government in a more realistic fashion. Thus, I always have high hopes for our government and what it is the party in power can achieve; yet, because of this, though, I also hold our elected officials to a very high standard and thus can find myself also very critical of our government in what it is they fail to achieve.
ReplyDeleteI think the last question - how does time/place impact ideology - is the most intriguing, though. I always enjoy thinking about how different life would be had I been born in a different decade or century. For the most part, though, in terms of the greater american political culture, as a woman, I believe that there is probably a strong divide between those who experienced life as a women during or after the 60s, and those who either shielded themselves from or were unable to accept the changes that have taken place in the last 60 years. More personally, though, I moved every three to four years growing up; and, with each move, I learned more about a new culture/lifestyle/history etc., and there is no doubt that such a childhood had significant impact on my own personal ideologies. With each new culture I was introduced to, I grew more and more open and liberal towards humanity as a whole and the different struggles every individual faces.
I can confidently say that I am a more progressive thinking Liberal, which makes it all the more interesting to discuss when I can also say I detest the basic labeling we do so often in this country, i.e. Democrat or Republican. Obviously identifying oneself as "liberal" or "progressive" means your political views will be more aligned with the Democratic Party, but to me in this political era in which we live in, it is so heavily polarized that an increasing number of Americans, and probably plenty of people in this class alone, don't feel entirely represented, or even represented at all politically. To say that I have zero faith in government at all would be untrue, as I certainly believe that governnmet should exist to aid the citizens of a democratic society, and it has in the past. I simply just do not think our government, or Congress specifically, is fully functional at this moment. Strangely enough I wouldn't consider myself cynical just based on the fact that I have high hopes for a more progressive future on a number of fronts.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly positive that it is inarguable to say that where you're from has no impact on you politically, for better or worse. I grew up in a very wealthy western Chicago suburb, surrounded by Mitt Romney/Ronald Reagan clones, but my parents are very liberal, both have masters degrees in poli sci and psycholgy, etc. I consider myself pretty fortunate to have grown up in a open minded household, and it certainly impacted my political views, or more specifically my moral compass growing up.
At this present time I do not identify myself with any party. My views are seen by some as liberal and by others as conservative and that’s how I like it. If I accept a political party then logically I have to consent to the baggage that comes with being part of that organization and compromise my personal objections to what my party is doing on my behalf. Furthermore I do not have any faith in the leaders, political parties, and current policy’s, to objectively say I identify with them. My relationship with the government is strong, I have never broken the law and I accept their authority over me and I expect my full rights as an American. My personal views come’s from what I witnessed, experienced and my background. My parents have no interest in politics and never brought the subject up because of their own experiences living under a middle-eastern dictatorship, although the news channel was always on in my house. I have seen how the media, institutions, and people in power can manipulate and use their positions to abuse their authority over the masses. My personal view on the political groups is from looking back in history, neither the Republican Party nor Democratic Party in my opinion hold the same values they used to. Mainly today’s clout comes from corporations and institutional pressures that form’s our policies, rather then representing the people who have elected them, our leaders tend to try to preserve their positions in government.
ReplyDeleteI identify myself as a moderate; I am registered as a non-partisan because I believe that both parties and ideals have great and bad ideas. This has affected me by trying to understand both sides in an issue. I vote to what best represents my views and how it can uplift my society as a whole. My family and my education have deeply affected my political views. My family and high school taught me the important of personal and social morality. In college, my professors taught me how to analyze and how to deconstruct a social problem. The way I feel about various political parties is what I read from various news sources. One of my professors from my community college urged us to read and watch from different news sources to gain different view or perspective on a topic. Currently I am in a unique situation, because I travel back and forth from California and Illinois. I get to travel into one atmosphere that is primarily liberal to one that is primarily conservative. I can see the best and worst from both places.
ReplyDelete1. Being from Berkeley, California I have always been exposed to very liberal peoples and both my parents were pretty far to the left. That has basically carried on with me to this day and today I associate myself as a left wing democrat and a current supporter of Barack Obama.
ReplyDelete2. Because I’m mostly liberal in my views I tend to the look at the government as a system that is built for the people. While we live in a society where decisions aren’t made by every single society, I feel that we as citizens of America have a large say in what happens in our government and I am a supporter of government intervention in our daily lives.
3. My parents were always outspoken critics of the Republican Party and throughout my childhood I simply blindly followed the example that my parents were setting for me, as time has gone by and my understanding of politics has expanded, I have begun to develop my own attitudes and ideas towards government. The media has also been a large influence for me as I watch mostly liberal programming.
4. Being a left wing liberal, I have chosen to be an outspoken opponent of the Republican Party and their various ideas about the ways government should be wrong. Obviously we as humans tend to think that our ideas are the indisputable correct answer and that there is no other possibility, but I have attempted to maintain an open mind with outside ideas.
5. I mentioned earlier the effects from living in northern California. Being in the bay area, which is a largely liberal area, has clearly and adversely affected my political views. The time I grew up in as well, being the 90’s, was a largely progressive era with the tech boom and the increase in foreign goods into the country. Being a kid during that time in the world has absolutely affected my views on government and the trade that should go on with other countries throughout the world.
When I vote, I vote as a Democrat; however, I liked Tom's approach of identification based on ideas rather than party affiliation. I think if more people used this approach, our government would not be as polarized. However in regards to a two party system, I agree more with the democratic party, both socially and economically. I would consider myself very liberal in regards to social policy. I think that being raised in Chicago has strongly influenced my political views. Living in Chicago has allowed me to experience diversity and realize that every person, no matter their gender, race, or sexual orientation, has equal rights. Also, the 2008 election was very influential. That is when my interest in politics started. I, like many people, was captivated my Barack Obama and what he represented. Those factors have led to my identification as a Democrat, but I would be willing to apply Tom's approach in order to broaden my political views and values.
ReplyDeleteMy political views tend to lean liberal on most issues and I tend to vote Democratic the majority of the time, however, I am not opposed to voting Republican if I believe they are the better candidate. My parents are also Democrats and I have no doubt that they have had a large impact on me and my decisions politically. My being a liberal constitutes that I believe that the government should have a large impact on my life. As I previously stated, my parents had a very large impact on my political views. However they were not the only ones. I am from the north suburbs of Chicago and, as we all know, it is a very democratic area so my teachers, friends, colleagues, etc. are mostly liberal as well and being surrounded by that since I was young has definitely been an influence on my decisions. I am willing to entertain multiple perspectives that can be Democratic and Republican and will continue to try to take on varying perspectives on issues that affect me. I believe that right now the Republican party is in real trouble and is having a really hard time identifying with the average American. Particularly the ones my age so that has really helped make my views liberal as well. If the Republicans find a way to identify with me and my views, then I would be willing to change my political allegiances.
ReplyDeleteI have never associated myself with any of the standard parties that we have today. I cannot say that I am Democrat, Republican, Independent, Conservative, Liberal or any other party or political ideology. My political views change depending on the issues and I have never consistently voted for one party or another. I have never cared for any of our political parties that run for our government or the various independent parties that also compete for office. Seeing how divided our government has become because of this two party system has turned me off from wanting to associate with one particular group. We see such bitter tense in Washington these days that it takes extraordinary efforts on both sides to accomplish minimal tasks. George Washington warned our nation of the dangers of political parties and that it is in their nature to cause division amongst ourselves. Instead of associating with political parties, I like to base my political views on a set of ideals.
ReplyDeleteI used to consider myself a moderate, leaning left. However recently, I have stopped kidding myself and have made the full jump to liberal. I consider my political affiliation/political ideas to be a significant part of who I am. Despite my high interest level in politics, my daily monitoring of political action has dropped off recently. The current polarization, intolerance, gridlock, and stupidity (to be frank) has turned me off immensely.
ReplyDeleteI would say my biggest political influence has been my older brother. We share most of our ideals when it comes to politics. Something interesting about my family is that my brother and I have influenced our parents' political standing as we have gotten older.
My time and place is important in that I am living in a time where the equality battle rages on. The newest topic is gay rights, however I still fight the good fight everyday for women's rights. These topics strongly influence my interest and activity in politics.
My parents are bleeding heart Conservatives, which has always been frustrating for me. I consider myself left leaning, voting Democrat most of the time. I lean strongly to the left on issues such as economics and LGBT rights. I strongly disagreed with George Bush's economic policies, which caused a serious distrust in the government for myself in my formative years. Having many friends that identify as queer, and personally knowing many families that have experienced a terrible go of things through the recession really caused me to have the political mindset that I have now. As far as the time that we live in now, I see progression happening. Whether it is through new policies, or simply somebody opening their mind to new ideas (including myself), I feel change happening.
ReplyDeleteI identify myself as a staunch conservative and Republican; my political leanings were established at age thirteen, and have never deviated. I firmly believe in small government, and less emphasis on welfare programs. I view resources, conflicts, political decisions, and humanitarian affairs as a zero-sum game. Morality has absolutely no influence on my view of foreign policy as I find the two incompatible in conducting effective foreign policy. In other words, if a decision or action is not in the best interest of the United States then we should not pursue that end. I am vehemently opposed to the high tax bracket constraints imposed on the wealthiest Americans, and would like to see those who make over $400,000 a year pay substantially less in taxes. When overbearingly high taxes are imposed on the wealthiest citizens, the incentive to work tenaciously and the concept of the American dream dissipates. I do not believe raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans is the right solution to our budget deficit. I believe more cuts should be implemented to welfare programs such as social security, medicare, and the like to remedy our financial crisis. America was founded on the idea of capitalism, and hampering one’s incentive to achieve through unjust high tax rates is in stark opposition to this foundational ideal. I acknowledge I will have a large number of my peers who disagree with my belief, and to those individuals, let me direct your attention to what recently occurred in France with the election of the new President Hollande. Hollande implemented tax rates of roughly 70% or more on those making more than $250,000 a year. What do you think the wealthy French did in response? They left immediately, and transferred all of their money to Monaco or Switzerland. This contemporary example reiterates my point that when the wealthiest Americans are taxed too high, they will leave because there is no incentive for progress.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I identify myself as a Liberal. I grew up in an extremely Conservative family, but coming to DePaul has evolved my political views. As a college student I find that social issues are at the forefront of discussions amongst my peers and in classrooms. I think that being a Political Science major has allowed me to see the dichotomy of responsibilities the American government has. It seems that the government is responsible for governing its people, but also govern its people to the extent that they are not over stepping boundaries.
ReplyDeleteThe past four years I have identified Liberal because of the focus of social issues in a university setting. However, now that I am graduating in a few months, I've thought more about the fiscal portion of my social responsibility. "Socially Liberal, Fiscally responsible" is a phrase that I have often heard. This concept, I find interesting due to the fact that I wonder if it is possible to be socially liberal when one's fiscal stance is at stake and the social issue does not directly affect them. This is where I can find the Conservative point of view more rational, in so far as, money drives peoples thinking in certain ways.
As someone who immigrated in their adolescence, I find myself unable to fully identify with any one political group. Since I am unable to vote, I find that I am afforded enough breathing room and watch both sides sans bias. However, I have found that Democratic principles have been beneficial to me as a student.
ReplyDeletePolitically, I identify openly as a Trotskist, I believe in the Marxist-Leninist analysis of free market economics and their adverse affects upon those portions of society who must sell their labor to survive as well as Leon Trotsky's theories of permanent revolution, his support for internationalism and stressing of voting rights. I agree with some of my peer's statements that "Taxation on the wealthiest" will lead those people to flee, and from this observation I claim that this is a display of Capitalism's inability to foster healthy social tendencies, and replace them with economically destructive tendencies to pursue the highest overall net gain of profit, rather than creating a better functioning society. From my perspective I view the state apparatus as nothing more than the means by which the economically dominant social class establishes it's will, socially, economically and militarily both domestic and abroad. Therefore the role of the government is dependent upon the ruling class, and I believe that a ruling class composed of working peoples would benefit from the creation and fostering of a Socialistic Command Economy. My views are the result of many years of intensive interest in the social sciences as well as personal experiences and internal dialogue. For me the real way in which people experience their existence is materially, and I believe in attempting to work towards economic policies that aren't socially destructive, exploitative and underhanded. Typically I am capable of extreme disagreement in the matter of politics but try to maintain some level of respect for all but the most fervent of my political opponents. Reason for this being is that my Politics are central to my life, and so I will defend them tooth and nail, but I still appreciate and recognize the ambiguity of political orientation and think that without someone on the other side to argue with I'd get bored. Growing up in a family that transcended the working class to eventually be upper middle class I have experienced and seen the empty values of the American dream and believe it to be a farce, created to fuel corporate profits and sell commodities. Living in the post cold war society has also made me a rarity, a communist who exists after the supposed "collapse of communism" and it has resulted in a target on my head that I have had to defend.
ReplyDeleteI think I've always been interested in the political realm for a variety of reasons. What happens in politics is what shapes this nation, and knowledge of the political arena is a good way to know where the country is going. Also there is no shortage of interesting drama that could probably put network television to shame with all the things that go on.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I generally would describe my political ideals as centrist. I feel that the media of late has been too focused on polarizing figures of both parties and ideologies, which in turn has led to more polarized arguments. I believe that the government can and in the past has tied to look out for the people, though many potential laws that would benefit the country have been lost in the quagmire of today's proceedings.
Like a lot of people who responded earlier, I identify myself as a liberal Democrat, although I don’t like to put labels on myself – if I had to choose one label, it would be “pragmatist” because I like to go with whatever works, not whatever my “label” or party dictates. Growing up as an Irish Catholic in Chicago, my views have been shaped by my liberal family, especially my parents. My dad has always worked for the city, so we’ve also been very involved in local politics since as long as I could remember. Liberal teachers have definitely influenced me throughout my education, along with the media; I read the newspapers and watch the local news fairly, but I try not to let those things influence me too much. Growing up in the Bush II and Obama era, as others have mentioned, has also influenced the way I view the Republican Party and conservatives. It has also influenced the way I look at our government and the party system in general, not in a positive way at all. We are definitely growing up in a time of political crisis.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I would align myself with social democrats. That is to say that I believe that we have a responsibility as a nation to care for our people and to offer them the ability to participate in our government. This is largely due to my upbringing, my family is very liberal. It is also due to my moral code. I think that as humans, we have a responsibility to care for each other. I also believe that there are few good leaders in the world these days so we have to do our best as citizens to remember who they are ruling. My views have changed dramatically at several points in my life but this remains true: the government should protect and care for their people.
ReplyDeleteI mostly identify with the American Democratic party, though I think if someone really looked at my ideologies they'd find me to be pretty libertarian. I think the role of the government is to support and protect the people, and I find that the way liberal democrats interpret this is much more conductive to a productive and safe society. I value human rights over economic rights, and especially in the current political climate, I think the democratic party is doing a much better job of that. My parents are both fairly liberal, but since I have a strong interest in social justice, I think that I am much more of a leftists. I identify firmly as a feminist and an ally to marginalized social groups, and that has effected my political standing a whole lot! Having grown up in the south definitely impacted my political standing. Being surrounded by a very socially conservative population most likely led me to my current political standing!
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