How has the Atlas changed your political views?

[tik 🪀✨]

Being an independent without a terribly strong ideological viewpoint, my positions on some issues have changed since I began frequenting this board. I'm curious as to how others have been influenced through discussing and reading conversations here.

[Gabu]

It made me hate politics, does that count?

[Jake]

It's difficult to tell whether it was the Atlas or growing up, considering I joined the site when I was 15 and am now almost 19. For what it's worth I've gone from a pretty solid conservative in all facets to a strong economic liberal, socially mixed guy. I wouldn't have even considered the possibility that I would be supporting John Edwards second best among current candidates earlier this year, much less in 2004.

[Everett]

Admittedly I used to be rather impressionable but eventually outgrew that annoying tendency. I generally prefer to avoid letting random strangers from an Internet forum influence me more than necessary, though the various irritating obsessions associated with our beloved resident hacks sometimes nudge me in the opposite direction if they are sufficiently pervasive. If nothing else, the Atlas forum has certainly helped me discover how much I truly detest politics.

[Padfoot]

I'd say the forum nudged me a little closer to the Democrats but only by tuning me into issues to which I was previously ignorant.  It also made me detest blind partisanship and emo music (you all know why) even more than I did before.

[Ebowed]

I doubt any of my current views are influenced by the forum at all.

A couple years ago I could have been considered a libertarian for a while, that was definitely in strong part due to the forum.

[dead0man]

It's reinforced a few stereotypes I have against the hard left, but other than that, no.

[Hash]

Made me less libertarian and made me abandon the Democrats.

[AndrewTX]

Hasn't changed my views at all.  just tend to have more fun here, because IRL nobody ever wants to talk about politics. So it's a nice place to be able to have some debate.  I find though, that I've had more sucsess in getting elected to office in real life, than I have in Atlasia.  I think the only thing that may have changed is I have a little more dispise for conservatives, but other than that it's the same.

[Hash]

Hasn't changed my views at all.  just tend to have more fun here, because IRL nobody ever wants to talk about politics.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

[tik 🪀✨]

Admittedly I used to be rather impressionable but eventually outgrew that annoying tendency. I generally prefer to avoid letting random strangers from an Internet forum influence me more than necessary, though the various irritating obsessions associated with our beloved resident hacks sometimes nudge me in the opposite direction if they are sufficiently pervasive. If nothing else, the Atlas forum has certainly helped me discover how much I truly detest politics.

Touché, I've certainly grown more cynical about politics as a result of the Atlas, especially due to the resident hacks. However, one can't deny that there are, sometimes, lively and interesting debates among studious individuals. Most of what I've experienced has been an affirmation of beliefs in areas where I was less than strong. To be slightly more specific, though, I myself have become slightly more economically conservative.

[opebo]

Though I think my evolution leftwards would have occurred without this forum, what it has done is given me an object lesson in how people cling to ideologies out of psychological pain, suffering, and weakness.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Though I think my evolution leftwards would have occurred without this forum, what it has done is given me an object lesson in how people cling to ideologies out of psychological pain, suffering, and weakness.

So this forum has set you loose?  Heaven help us.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It really only has on two issues:

1-Turned me from apathetic to radically pro-illegal immigration due to CARLHAYDEN's endless rants and moronic arguments on the issue.

2-Turned me from apathetic to anti-gun control due to WalterMitty's really bad arguments and pointless rants about guns.

So I've actually been influenced by the forum to turn AGAINST its members' views.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Hasn't really changed me a whole lot, because even before I came to the forum I was already starting to trend Democratic (mind you in the 2000 campaign, I thought Bush was the best thing since sliced bread).  In the 2004 campaign, I switched from support of Bush to support of Kerry in the Spring of 2004, and the only thing this forum has done for me is expedite my Democratic transition.  The forum "veterans" may remember that it was in September 2006 that I officially switched my voters registration from Republican to Democrat.

[Willy Woz]

Actually, now that I think of it, the forum did probably contribute to my change of beliefs as far as gay rights go,

I'm sure that's really made you very popular, being a homosexual-accepting person in a state like Arkansas

[Joe Biden 2020]

Actually, now that I think of it, the forum did probably contribute to my change of beliefs as far as gay rights go,

I'm sure that's really made you very popular, being a homosexual-accepting person in a state like Arkansas

Hey, Arkansas is a weird state.  Its probably the most Democratic of the southeastern corner of the United States, save for maybe Florida.  I'm her western neighbor and I can't figure her out.

[Хahar 🤔]

Not much.

[Willy Woz]

Actually, now that I think of it, the forum did probably contribute to my change of beliefs as far as gay rights go,

I'm sure that's really made you very popular, being a homosexual-accepting person in a state like Arkansas

Hey, Arkansas is a weird state.  Its probably the most Democratic of the southeastern corner of the United States, save for maybe Florida.  I'm her western neighbor and I can't figure her out.

Arkansas is a very Bible belt state (51% evangelical, 55% pro-life) and polls sow it has some of the lowest abortion and teen sex rates in the U.S. It votes Democratic because of the Clinton factor. Not to mention the fact that it passed a very strict DOMA (which covered civil unions as well as marriage) by 75%, and probably would have by more if it weren't for blacks (who were more progressive here than in any other Southern state) and low voter turnout.

[Sam Spade]

Not much really.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Actually, now that I think of it, the forum did probably contribute to my change of beliefs as far as gay rights go,

I'm sure that's really made you very popular, being a homosexual-accepting person in a state like Arkansas

Hey, Arkansas is a weird state.  Its probably the most Democratic of the southeastern corner of the United States, save for maybe Florida.  I'm her western neighbor and I can't figure her out.

Arkansas is a very Bible belt state (51% evangelical, 55% pro-life) and polls sow it has some of the lowest abortion and teen sex rates in the U.S. It votes Democratic because of the Clinton factor. Not to mention the fact that it passed a very strict DOMA (which covered civil unions as well as marriage) by 75%, and probably would have by more if it weren't for blacks (who were more progressive here than in any other Southern state) and low voter turnout.

Still, its more Democratic than states like Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina.

[ilikeverin]

It's given me an extremely irrational loathing of libertarianism.

[7,052,770]

Before I joined the forum, I thought that Mississippi was kinda lame...  Then I got on here and realized how relentlessly bigoted everyone is toward the state that I felt compelled to defend it, and now I'm very pro-Mississippi in life.

I've also drifted to the left politically, but I probably would have done it anyway regardless of the forum.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

It's difficult to tell whether it was the Atlas or growing up, considering I joined the site when I was 15 and am now almost 19. For what it's worth I've gone from a pretty solid conservative in all facets to a strong economic liberal, socially mixed guy. I wouldn't have even considered the possibility that I would be supporting John Edwards second best among current candidates earlier this year, much less in 2004.

Wow, you must have had an exciting first 26 1/3 hours of 2008.

[© tweed]

made me hate libertarians.