PadreSJI was extremely conservative as a young man, only becoming more liberal (independent) since the second W Bush admin.
And yet I keep hearing people tell me that I'll get more conservative as I get older. š¤
Gary E. Walker@PadreSJ padre, Iām 50, and Iāve gradually gone from a Reagan baby to an (admittedly pretty casual about it) Anarchist.
Iām pretty sure that trend is over.
@PadreSJ what I would like is if the church got a _lot_ less accepting of the prevailing attitude of Christians, at least in the US.
@PadreSJ itās well past time for the See to take a position on the obligation of believers to get immunized. Iām not going to be accepting of another 6.8M deaths.
Seriously. There are at least another million deaths to be avoided. If you have anyoneās ear, please be putting this in it.
Alex Jimenez@PadreSJ I had a boss that was active in the New Hampshire Republican Party many years ago. He would always tell me that by age 40 I would be a conservative. Iām 57. It hasnāt happened yet. š
Adam@PadreSJ same here and for me it comes down to realizing that what passes as āconservatismā in the US is just a basic lack of human decency
Shannon Quinn 
@PadreSJ There was a study done recently (of course I canāt find it now) that showed this is actually A Thing thatās happening: starting around mid-GenX thereās been a noticeable shift away from business-as-usual āmore conservative as you get olderā toward more and more liberal.
Danie van der Merwe@PadreSJ you're not "old" yet, although age is always a matter of personal perspective ;-)
Terrorskull@PadreSJ kind of the same for me. Feel like as I got older I was exposed to more ideas and opinions over time. Trying to be intellectually honest and open to accepting my errors/ignorance on how I had arrived at certain views naturally leads me to where I am now. I try to go where the facts take me and throw in a ādonāt be a dickā philosophy when opinion is required.
Pat Trudeau@PadreSJ Iāve gotten far more progressive as Iāve gotten older. If you pay close enough attention, the perspective you gain throughout your life should advance your views, not impede them.
Zee@PadreSJ I took a similar path and am much older than you. Iām proof that you will be what you choose to be šš¼
Electrojcr@PadreSJ I've thought this a cynical adage that as people accumulate wealth to retire, they're easier to scare about some scary Other taking it. Of course, lately many people are not able to accumulate wealth towards retirement... and if one pays attention, that Other isn't criminals, immigrants, kids these days, wild-eyed revolutionaries, or anything like that, it is "conservative" corporate interests backed by the order of things.
Brian Helman@PadreSJ Funny, as i get older and more aware, i get more liberal.
JL Johnson 
@PadreSJ same same same. Though I blame NPR and Obama for bringing me over to the left
Umbrae@PadreSJ
Seems like that is not really a thing anymore...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/03/millennials-radicalism-not-getting-more-rightwing-with-age
Seems like that is not really a thing anymore...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/03/millennials-radicalism-not-getting-more-rightwing-with-age
barryzee@PadreSJ My journey has been similar. I'm much older than you though and sometimes think a little more conservatively but I just can't go where either the ultra conservatives or ultra liberals want to go. I can't deal with basic human rights being denied. So, I have to take each vote as it comes. Basically, voting for those who espouse and ACT ON humane and moral principles. I am sooo tired of these characters who know they are liars but shout it from the rooftops as true.
@PadreSJ I was also a Republican until 2008. I was a believer in Milton Freidman. That is when I realized that Trickle Down economics does not work. If the government gives tax breaks to companies, they just pocket it as profit. It does not encourage them to hire more or pay more to employees. They still will manufacture in the cheapest country. Tax breaks does not encourage companies to produce more. Only increased customer demand will do that.
@PadreSJ Do you ever feel pressured from the church to be conservative again? What might or can you say about that?
@PadreSJ
I'm (much) older than you. But even when I was in high school I noticed people getting more liberal as they got older. Now, it's my turn. And, sure enough, I'm getting more liberal. I think the years run you through enough cycles of BS that you start to see what's important, rather than what you're being told. My generation coined the term "Credibility Gap".
I'm (much) older than you. But even when I was in high school I noticed people getting more liberal as they got older. Now, it's my turn. And, sure enough, I'm getting more liberal. I think the years run you through enough cycles of BS that you start to see what's important, rather than what you're being told. My generation coined the term "Credibility Gap".
BeeT1123@PadreSJ started liberal when i was younger
probably a socialist now
probably a socialist now
Xochitl@PadreSJ
Since conservative now means racist, misogynistic and homophobic, I don't think that's a good thing to be , Padre!
š¤·āāļø
Since conservative now means racist, misogynistic and homophobic, I don't think that's a good thing to be , Padre!
š¤·āāļø
Kevin Sickles@PadreSJ I am curious about your definition of liberal? Is a woman can't be a priest a liberal position? Is same sex marriage allowed within the church? I don't think you are the liberal you claim to be
sxpert@kevinsickles
Thatās a limitation of the concept of āliberalā in american english, conflating two concepts into one.
Thatās a limitation of the concept of āliberalā in american english, conflating two concepts into one.
Joe Nash@PadreSJ Man, this really hit home for me. Iām a previously registered Republican who has become increasingly liberal since the second Bush tried to wish WMD into reality as an excuse to wage war. Iām certainly not becoming more conservative as is generally attributed to oldsters.
Living in ultra-conservative East Tennessee, I often find myself biting my tongue.