What is the most embarrassing political belief you used to hold but no longer do?

[RCA]

I used to think America was a free country

The term "free country" is actually an oxymoron. For one to have a "country" there must be a little bit of freedom given up.

 

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

The list of my past embarrassing political ideologies is too long to even begin posting but it can all be summed up by saying it boils down to this silly notion I once had that there was a significant difference between the GOP and Democratic Party.

 

[KingNothing]

I was a Truther for a period of time.

 

[jllundqu]

2nd ACR 2003-2004 Camp Marlboro, in the cigarette factory.

lol We were in FOB Cuervo / Camp Rustimayah... lots of damn snipers on the east side of Baghdad!

 

[jllundqu]

I began my political journey as a heart-swelling democrat, then became an independent, then a republican, then a neocon, then a Libertarian, then an independent again, and now I'm wise enough to consider myself a politcal athiest... no amount of voting/campaigning/shift-changing at the prison is going to change squat.... we do it ourselves, or it won't get done. Politics be damned.... but it is entertaining!

 

[RCA]

I was a Truther for a period of time.

This is like saying, "I was once an eater and breather". Being a truther (seeking truth) is something you arrive at, not something you "once were".

 

[DamianTV]

I used to believe just about everything I was taught in Skool.

I used to believe we were the good guys and they were the bad guys.

I used to believe some of us were allowed to have guns to protect us from the bad guys.

I used to believe that our leaders are smarter than us.

I used to believe that all adults behaved responsibly.

I used to believe our leaders held true to the convictions of the founding fathers.

I used to believe our Govt existed to protect our Rights.

I used to believe our Govt respected our Rights.

I used to believe our Govt was run by the people we elected and were not controlled by Banks and Corporations.

I used to believe that I would not be able to get anywhere in life without graduating from High School.

I used to believe other people learn from history.

I used to believe I had a Choice.

I used to believe this country was on the right track.

I used to believe everything was gonna be okay.

I used to believe people are smart enough to not fall for the same trick twice.

I used to believe that as technology advanced we would become smarter.

I used to believe technology was invented to our benefit.

I used to believe a one world Govt actually meant World Peace, not Perpetual War.

I used to believe the Law treated everyone fairly and justly.

I used to believe Social Programs existed to protect the people.

I used to believe that taking a bunch of idiots and putting them in a large group somehow made them not idiots.

I used to believe the Federal Reserve Bank was a part of the US Govt.

I used to believe paper money had value.

I used to believe History was boring.

I used to believe Voting made a difference (already stated in another post).

I used to believe this is a Free Country.

I used to believe that I had a future.


---

Many of these things I learned in School and have had to Unlearn for myself. I think this shows exactly what school is there for. To confuse us. To teach us the foundation of authority based on misconceptions. I now conclude that nearly everything that our schools teach our children is presented to them in such a way that there is very little chance that they will truly understand the nature of the world around them. School taught me a almost nothing but bullshit. For example, I said History was Boring. I think one of the biggest reasons why I found History to be boring is because I was always told the Who, What, Where, and When but NEVER Why or How. Teaching me Why or How would pose too much of a risk as students would recognize the same patterns occuring in our own Govt. As a kid, I watched Cartoons as well. Some cartoons like G.I. Joe always pitted the Joe Team against the Cobra Team but never explained the motives of the Cobra Team. Try watching one of those shows today and look at just how fucked up they are. Oh noes! They've got weapons! They cant be allowed to have weapons to protect themselves from us! Todays medium is Video Games. Politicians complain about Violence. I think what they are really afraid of is a Video Game teaching a child WHY groups go to war. Call of Duty is a great example. They tell a story and give you a goal, but never really provide a valid reason for groups to go to war. Kids are so fascinated with the Flashy Graphics and running around not getting shot while shooting everyone else that it is no wonder that they fail at all to care WHY the war in their Video Game is happening to begin with.

Changing gears completely. Some of my misbeliefs are a bit of a Paradox. I said I used to believe Voting made a difference. What makes it strange is that the more people that believe Voting makes a difference, the less true it becomes. If you have a group of 3 people that vote on something, your vote means everything. But in a country of 300,000,000 idiots that still believe EVERYTHING that I used to believe in, Voting makes no difference. That is also just based on a totally honest election. Now I recognize that when we vote, we are only given the choice between two sides of the same coin, and both sides will continue to suport the Status Quo. Robamaney would have continued to support the Mega Corporations and Mega Banks, regardless of who won.

No, Im not more fucked up than the average person here, Im just pretty good at compiling Lists.

 

[enoch150]

I was basically an-cap until my early 20's, but I didn't understand the philosophy or have any real knowledge of how things would work. Then 9/11 happened and all of my embarrassing political beliefs followed. Not an exhaustive list, just the worst:

1. 2003-06 Supported the Iraq War. Still supported the justification until 2008, just thought we should have been out by 2006 because Saddam was captured and the new government didn't want WMD's.

2. 2001-05 and 2007-08 believed the inherently criminal Mexicans would take our jobs and must be kept out with fences.

3. 2001-08 supported the War on Drugs.

4. 2004-07 supported the Fair Tax.

 

[Philhelm]

Now I recognize that when we vote, we are only given the choice between two sides of the same coin, and both sides will continue to suport the Status Quo. Robamaney would have continued to support the Mega Corporations and Mega Banks, regardless of who won.

I wasted my vote by writing in the name of a quixotic vagina doctor.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Yet another, that we choose our leaders, that they work for us and we can change them at any time.

This is probably mine too. ^^ I also used to believe that Constitutionalism and Conservatism were legitimate and just. /embarrassed :o

 

[Christian Liberty]

I supported invading Cuba. I supported Assault Weapons Ban. I laughed at the idea of medicinal marijuana. I started evolving in 2011, but it was less than a year ago that I became a Liberty supporter.

Didn't you want a War on Islam too?

I used to support an invasion of Cuba too. Heck, I don't support that anymore, but that would have made way more sense than invading Iraq. Far fewer deaths.

(Note that I'm still clearly and unequivocably opposed to such a thing.)

I once thought the state should raise all the children.

/thread

Yeah, I think you win.

Once upon a time, many moons ago (like, circa 2005), I believed in ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT taxation to be imposed on every citizen, those funds to then be re-allocated to each citizen according to his need and/or ability.

Just admitting that makes me feel like an idiot.

You might win too.

Wow, you guys got me beat.

Congratulations on discovering freedom.

And just when I think it's pointless to talk anymore...

Its not pointless, some people are willing to be educated.

That one of the 2 major political parties was any better than the other.

I still think the Republican Party is an easier party to run liberty candidates in, but otherwise they both suck. I fear John McCain and Lindsey Graham more than most Democrats, but then there's Feinstein...

I was teenager when I held that dubious belief. I don't think I held it for very long. I knew a something was very wrong with the system and that revolutionary changes were needed, and in pondering solutions my beliefs once or twice flirted with full-on authoritarianism. If it weren't for the evil neocons I might have been willing to explore more of the spectrum and discover libertarianism earlier.

How did the neocons hold you back in that regard? This is somewhat confusing.

Here's another, "nothing is certain but death and taxes".

Taxes are certain. They may be wrong, but they are certain.

I used to believe that bloodshed could solve problems.

I still believe that... but I'm aware of just how much bloodshed is necessary.
You can transform the largest nation on Earth from an agricultural to an industrial society in under 20 years - but you need to murder millions and starve millions more.

Americans don't have the stomach for it. They believe like I used to - that a little bloodshed goes a long way. Murder a murderer at home, topple a state overseas, and everything will be hunkey-dorey.
The problem is that in order to stop murder at home, you need to murder a lot more than the murderers. In order to topple a state abroad, you need mass graves.

The Nazis were on to something. The process needs to be sterilized. That's the only way sane people can tolerate it.

Anything less is just picking at scabs.

You know, this is a great argument against utilitarianism.

That said, I would question your (implied) premise that capital punishment of a murderer is "murder." Although I agree with pretty much everything else, including the fact that murder cannot truly be stopped, and that the Nazis are proof that "Solving societal problems" is really the wrong goal.

 

[DamianTV]

I posted this on my Facebook page and have a pretty interesting thread going.

Mine: I thought the Iraq war was a good, no GREAT idea. I voted for George W. Bush 2x including in 2004 while I was actually IN Sadr City. I used to argue until I was blue in the face that we had to fight them over there or we would have to fight them here and collateral damage (death) was okay because it was a war and Saddam OF COURSE was involved with Al Qaeda and 9/11 and had weapons of mass destruction.

So how much are the comments differing from the ones here to the ones at Farcebook?

 

[DamianTV]

I used to believe Minimum Wage did good.

/shameless bump

 

[Tywysog Cymru]

Didn't you want a War on Islam too?

I used to support an invasion of Cuba too. Heck, I don't support that anymore, but that would have made way more sense than invading Iraq. Far fewer deaths.

(Note that I'm still clearly and unequivocably opposed to such a thing.)

I used to fantasize about a global anti-Islamic alliance (I'd have no qualms about the PRC, Cuba, or North Korea joining in). This alliance would comprise of Christians, Jews Atheists, Hindus, Buddhists, Conservatives, Liberals, Moderates, Communists, etc. The goal would be the overthrow of Islamic governments (no genocide, however). I had even planned out occupation zones (Israeli, US, and others) for the newly conquered territory.

After I started to seek the Lord in late 2009 I had abandoned that idea.

I was skeptical of the War in Iraq since the death of Saddam Hussein, and completely opposed it by 2010. I saw it as an inefficient war, and when I was really anti-Islamic, I saw Hussein as a great secular leader (like the Shah of Iran). Afghanistan I supported until late 2012.

 

[NoOneButPaul]

I used to think war was good for the economy.

 

[Scrapmo]

What a great thread. Its encouraging to see how far people can come with some conviction and study. You NEVER know if/when/where a seed will be planted. It some times takes years to grow and develop.

But on topic:

G.W. was a great president.
Cops are heros.
They hate us for our freedoms.
Drugs are bad...
And so are drug users.
"Thank you for fighting for our freedom"

And this next one is personally the most embarrassing.

I wanted to join the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. \ugh

 

[Tywysog Cymru]

And this next one is personally the most embarrassing.

I wanted to join the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. \ugh

Secret Agents are Cool yo! That's the opinion of like 95% of Americans.

 

[Christian Liberty]

A lot of people who post here don't really view me as being much of a libertarian, and I also don't describe myself that way in my username. But, my political views are still a lot more libertarian than they used to be. Even when I voted for Ron Paul in 2008, I still had a lot of views that were very big government and statist. I supported the TARP bailouts for about three days, partly due to fear, because I thought I was going to lose all the money I had in the stock market if the bailout didn't pass. The stock market was just plummeting like crazy at that time. Then a few days later, I finally realized what a bad idea it was after the Bush administration stated that they were going to use the TARP funds for a different purpose than what Congress actually intended it to be used for, and passing TARP didn't do anything to stop the drop in the stock market. The Dow went down another 2,000 points even after it was passed. I realize what a disaster that policy was now and will never support another bailout again. I was also a big supporter of the War in Iraq from about 2003-2006, before I finally realized what a disaster it was. But, it's quite embarassing that I actually used to go to liberal websites and argue with the liberal members and say that they all wanted to "surrender" and "lose" the war. I still don't quite agree with libertarians on 100% of the issues, but it's quite embarassing to think about the things that I used to believe in. I'm a lot more liberty oriented than I used to be.

You're pretty close to being a libertarian, at the very least. I'm pretty sure you're more libertarian than Amash...

I used to fantasize about a global anti-Islamic alliance (I'd have no qualms about the PRC, Cuba, or North Korea joining in). This alliance would comprise of Christians, Jews Atheists, Hindus, Buddhists, Conservatives, Liberals, Moderates, Communists, etc. The goal would be the overthrow of Islamic governments (no genocide, however). I had even planned out occupation zones (Israeli, US, and others) for the newly conquered territory.

After I started to seek the Lord in late 2009 I had abandoned that idea.

Amen, how Christ changes people.

What makes me very sad is that a lot of Christians actually support warmongering crap.

I was skeptical of the War in Iraq since the death of Saddam Hussein, and completely opposed it by 2010. I saw it as an inefficient war, and when I was really anti-Islamic, I saw Hussein as a great secular leader (like the Shah of Iran). Afghanistan I supported until late 2012.

I'll never understand why people who hate Islam would support overthrowing Saddam. As for Afghanistan, Ron Paul supported that at first too, and it took me awhile to realize that the whole thing was a waste as well.

What a great thread. Its encouraging to see how far people can come with some conviction and study. You NEVER know if/when/where a seed will be planted. It some times takes years to grow and develop.

But on topic:

G.W. was a great president.
Cops are heros.
They hate us for our freedoms.
Drugs are bad...
And so are drug users.
"Thank you for fighting for our freedom"

And this next one is personally the most embarrassing.

I wanted to join the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. \ugh

I think the two I bolded are at least partially true, although that doesn't mean drugs should be regulated by government in any way.

As for "Our freedom" that one makes me sick every time I hear it now.

Secret Agents are Cool yo! That's the opinion of like 95% of Americans.

"Support the Troops" is probably the opinion of like 99% of Americans. It took me a LONG time to distance myself from that, but once I finally did, I began to feel a burning hatred for anything military. And I still do.

How people could be so blind continues to amaze me.

 

[Anti Federalist]

I wasted my vote by writing in the name of a quixotic vagina doctor.

So did I and have never been more proud.

 

[DamianTV]

All hail the Quixotic Vagina Doctor!