How has the Atlas Forum changed your social ideology?

[retromike22]

I know, the poll is simple, but in your replies you can be as detailed as you want.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Slightly to the left on a few issues.

[ElectionsGuy]

I've become more socially libertarian, but I doubt that's because of Atlas Forum.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Not this forum in particular, but fanatical leftists have driven me a bit further to the right, only on social issues though.

[DC Al Fine]

It's pushed me either further to the right as my experiences both on the forum and IRL illustrate how dysfunctional social liberalism can be. I had been fairly sheltered before and had toyed with more liberal ideas but seeing them played out in real life pushed me back in the other direction.

[Goldwater]

Hard to say. When I first joined this forum, my opinion on just about every social issue was "leave it to the states", which it's not now. I'm not sure if that's a shift to the left or the right, and I don't think the forum itself had much to do with it.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Somewhat more conservative, I guess.

[TJ in Oregon]

Not really. The one thing that it has taught me that is kind of sort of a social issue is the importance of free speech and how vital it is to oppose any effort to ban expressing unpopular views. If the government has the power to outlaw someone else's expression it also has the power to outlaw mine. The Atlas Forum has played an important role in helping to realize that while it certainly isn't under attack now, one day might right to expression very well could be. Recognizing that, I really have to defend the freedom of others to express their beliefs especially when society finds them offensive.

For example, back in the day I was against building the "WTC Mosque". I was wrong. The idea of the government preventing a house of worship from being built based on its beliefs is a terrible idea. It's something quite similar to, say, the City of Chicago stopping a Chick-fil-a from being built because of theirs.

Otherwise my views are basically the same as they were when I joined 4 years ago.

Edit: It very well could have been the move to Madison too though. I certainly don't want my neighbors to have control over what views I can express, although the vast majority of them are very nice people.

[Mr. Smith]

Slightly rightwards for reasons DC already put on some issues, but nothing of significant consequence to my prior views.

[Brewer]

Slightly to the left on a few issues.

[Modernity has failed us]

Tumblr made me a lot more socially leftist.

[Maxwell]

Not much change. I've been about the same socially left wing.

[SNJ1985]

Option 2.

I was a staunch social conservative before I registered, and I remain one today.

[Redalgo]

I've become more socially libertarian, but I doubt that's because of Atlas Forum.

Ya, likewise really.

[H. Ross Peron]

Slightly to the left on a few issues.

[morgieb]

Probably helped flip on the death penalty, but on most other "social" issues I was already rather left-wing.

[Intell]

For me only, being on this forum for only 21 days, it has weirdly pushed me to the left, on issues that I previously had conservative positions for. Whether that be, economically or socially.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Little to no change.  However, the recent trends in favor of gay marriage and weed have convinced me that the culture wars are lost in the political arena; the only way conservatives are going to win it is through the schools, the churches, the media, and (most importantly) the home.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

No/little change, but it's certainly made me feel more right-wing in comparison.

[TNF]

It really hasn't. Exposure to Marxist ideas outside of the forum, however, did.

[Türkisblau]

It's pushed me either further to the right as my experiences both on the forum and IRL illustrate how dysfunctional social liberalism can be. I had been fairly sheltered before and had toyed with more liberal ideas but seeing them played out in real life pushed me back in the other direction.

Agree totally.

[Vosem]

I've definitely moved to the left since joining the forum -- especially so on social issues, being a basically run-of-the-mill social conservative when I joined to what I am now; and environmental issues -- but I don't think either shift had much to do with the forum itself.

[RFayette]

Just started here, but probably to the left on social justice issues....