Does college shape your world view or vice versa?

[Drake3287]

Probably. There is indoctrination at all levels of eductation, and the younger a person is, the easier it is to mold his/her mind according to whatever the instructor's political leanings and beliefs. The best teachers are ones that attempt to present whatever topics they're teaching in a neutral manner and allow students to draw their own conclusions. It's this critical thinking process that is the distinction of an educated person, not how much garbage material or bias they can memorize and absorb in school.

liberal vs conservative educational push probably largely depends on the makeup of the school you're attending. I took a hawaiiana course in college from a hawaiian. Guess what? teacher presented with pro-hawaiian overthrow was wrong bias, justified or not

Absolutely agree. It's funny, after graduating College, two out of three of our kids started to lean more liberal after having been brought up in a somewhat middle of the road conservative family. Now that they'll in the real world with jobs, taxes, bills and responsibilities, their views are slowly moving back to a more conservative mind set. Funny how real life can do that to a person! After hearing my political views growing up, they'll seeing that maybe I had a point after all.

[brandonbond]

I think that, yes, college shape our point of view. But it's not a college, but professors, groupmates, the info we learn, and so on. And that "shaping" can also be different, but I agree that a lot depends on a person. After college, you face different life, and who knows, maybe everything will change, and your opinions too. I grew up in a pretty conservative family, and in college, I became more open-minded and less conservative, and I'm actually thankful for that.

[ua_guy]

I become more liberal as time goes on and the more money we make. I, too, am thankful for experience in my life - including college - which opened my heart and mind. There's only one "real life" and we're all living it, so I don't know what the comment above was about becoming conservative once it's time to pay bills and take responsibility, "real life". That goes without saying, but it does not require one to assume conservative viewpoints.

[kork13]

As I said above 2.5 years ago, the people that you associate with & spend time around are going to unavoidably influence the way in which you see the world. That happens with your parents & friends while growing up, with high school/college professors & friends while in school, coworkers & friends & sometimes parents during your working years, not to include whatever media (TV, radio, movie, online, etc.) that you may use. In each phase of life, with each group of people, your attitudes and viewpoints will change. It's not a question of opinion, but a statement of fact.

I grew up somewhat conservative thanks to my parents. In high school, I drifted into moderate/slightly liberal driven by my friends & some instructors. In college & shortly thereafter, I back toward conservative based on my friends & attending a generally conservative military school. Over the last 10-ish years, I've drifted back to sit firmly in the middle (thanks to friends, co-workers, and experiences), with specific viewpoints that lean in both directions. (ex: more conservative with abortion & some social issues, more liberal with LGBT & other social issues, fiscally conservative, geopolitically liberal, etc.). Perhaps I've seen the variability of socio-political viewpoints more acutely because I've always orbited roughly around moderate viewpoints, and merely drifted one way or the other based on my then-current associations & experiences.

Personally, I find the broadly-applied labels of conservative/liberal, left/right, this party or that, and so on to be wildly reductive, and generally meaningless. There's always far greater granularity & variability than can ever be described by a single label. My advice is always for people to simply keep an open mind to new or different viewpoints, disagree with others & convey your views with respect & emotional detachment, then decide for yourself (critical thinking!! ) what you ultimately believe to be most appropriate....and respect the right of others to hold differing opinions. There are very few straight-up wrong viewpoints (ex: genocide), and the rest of the world exists in varying shades of grey.

[ua_guy]

Not me, Kork, count me out! I won't ever lean conservative in my lifetime, and that's a statement of fact. How's that?

[kork13]

Not me, Kork, count me out! I won't ever lean conservative in my lifetime, and that's a statement of fact. How's that?

Sure, but on the spectrum of viewpoint, I would say that you likely drift around, just surrounding a different center point. You'll stay well without the liberal side of that spectrum, but over time likely your views likely shift to become more or less strongly liberal over time.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

My dad once told me if you aren't liberal under 40 you have no heart...if you aren't conservative after 40 you have no brain!

i still laugh about it. Pretty liberal here married to a much more conservative fiscal/social liberal guy. He's really a smaller government and myob kind of guy and I find myself becoming much more liberal socially but more jaded maybe as I'm over 40 and wondering if maybe less government, less taxes, less interference is better.

But it doesn't seem like either party is about smaller government. Seems like both parties like to tell people want to do and how to spend and both are becoming very free spending. Just they want to spend more on what they believe in. I don't get how you are supposed to be about less interference in personal lives but allow religion and state to intermix. And tell people gender/identity, or what to do with their bodies. It's a strange thing happening.

[rennigade]

My dad once told me if you aren't liberal under 40 you have no heart...if you aren't conservative after 40 you have no brain!

If you're over 40 and haven't figured out that both parties are the same corrupt self serving people, there isn't much hope for you.

[disneysteve]

My dad once told me if you aren't liberal under 40 you have no heart...if you aren't conservative after 40 you have no brain!

I'm certainly glad that isn't true.

[jenn_jenn]

I'm certainly glad that isn't true.

For likely different reasons but same!


To answer the original question, no college didn’t influence my world view in a significant way. Collectively, my life experiences have and my time in school is one small piece of that.

[jenn_jenn]

But it doesn't seem like either party is about smaller government. Seems like both parties like to tell people want to do and how to spend and both are becoming very free spending. Just they want to spend more on what they believe in. I don't get how you are supposed to be about less interference in personal lives but allow religion and state to intermix. And tell people gender/identity, or what to do with their bodies. It's a strange thing happening.

Yes to all of this.

My political stance used to be “fiscally conservative / socially liberal but I lean more conservative” and now I’m just a libertarian.

At the same time, I don’t think it’s right to complain about something you put no effort into changing. And I have no desire to get into government so I don’t have any right to complain.

[disneysteve]

I don’t think it’s right to complain about something you put no effort into changing.

I vote in every single election from local school board to state races to national campaigns. Unfortunately, that's more than can be said for a great many Americans. If you (generic you) aren't at least voting regularly, I agree with you about not complaining.

[jenn_jenn]

I vote in every single election from local school board to state races to national campaigns. Unfortunately, that's more than can be said for a great many Americans. If you (generic you) aren't at least voting regularly, I agree with you about not complaining.

I hear you and don’t disagree with your viewpoint at all.

I do vote and do put effort into being an educated voter for local and national elections. The last national election I actually flew across the country to vote since I hadn’t changed my voter registration in time. My husband did the same (to a different state).

However, for the change I’d like to see, I don’t think just voting is enough. Maybe it’d be different if I felt I resonated more with either side.

This is the one area where I feel like a complete hypocrite because as much as I can sit here and say that, I will never go into government. Not even at a local level.

[disneysteve]

I hear you and don’t disagree with your viewpoint at all.

I do vote and do put effort into being an educated voter for local and national elections. The last national election I actually flew across the country to vote since I hadn’t changed my voter registration in time. My husband did the same (to a different state).

However, for the change I’d like to see, I don’t think just voting is enough. Maybe it’d be different if I felt I resonated more with either side.

This is the one area where I feel like a complete hypocrite because as much as I can sit here and say that, I will never go into government. Not even at a local level.

I admire your commitment to voting. If only more people shared that.

As for politics, I was president of our synagogue for 2 years. That's all the politics I need for my lifetime (I also spent 10 years on the board of trustees).

I don't think just my vote is enough to change things, but I do think that if everyone voted, true change could happen. Having voter turnout of 30% or less most of the time just isn't enough.

[ua_guy]

I don't want to be in politics either, even if I thought I could make a difference. Local governments just aren't dealing with stuff I care about enough to get involved, so I'd have to become a career politician and try to involve myself at the state or federal level and that's just not going to happen. I vote in every election that I can, and I do vote on local issues because I'm given a choice. We also give money to select political causes.

The most recent local election concerned a bond to repair and remodel a couple of schools built in the 50's, and build a new school and athletic complex. A lot of people are moving to the area. Old-timer locals who have lived here for a long time...oh wow...listening to their hate and vitriol of everything and everybody "new" to the area, just because money for a few new schools is on the ballot. I always vote yes on school stuff.