Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - constraint thread 2: the political recursion game

Seaver · 01-05-2008, 02:18 PM

I have no doubt my conservative stance was directly affected by the amount of family members in the service. My father as well as 6 out of 8 uncles were in the service. My parents never talked to me about politics, they were just content with letting me figure things out for myself.

I grew up constantly moving, but always within the military "bubble". The bubble is something I never understood until after my father's retirement, it's the fact that you never get away from military members or live in cities that do not have military bases (compare San Diego's atmosphere vs. L.A., or Norfolk vs. any other N.E. city). Civilian life seemed so weird, including movies where the kid would cry when his dad left on a business trip. The father being gone for 8 months every 1.5 years was just how it went. They couldn't tell us where they were, when they'd be back, or what they were doing... just tell us they loved us and would be home soon.

I remember watching Clinton vs. Bush debates, and actually favoring Clinton's arguments at a young age (3rd grade). That was until he took office and cut military funding. Military housing funds were cut, the base couldn't afford to repair it's streets or the roofs of all the enlisted houses. We lived in Officers Housing, but all it meant was we got 1 more bedroom per household and didn't share a garage. More funds were cut, eventually leading to an early forced retirement for my father. Base closings occurred across the country, shrinking the "bubble" even further and causing a lot more Americans to never see a man in uniform.

Eventually this drew me to the conservative side, and strengthened the entire military to the right which remembered the golden years of Reagan's military resurgence (85-89% voted for Bush in '04). When I joined, I was constantly harassed by the left while in uniform, diminishing LOTS of patience and respect for the radical left (one hippy threw a fish at me... a raw fish... I kid you not).

I like to think of myself as a moderate conservative, I don't care about illegal immigration, marijuana, gay marriage, Shaivo (sp?), or Jerry Falwell (or if he's dead the other loony). However I don't think anyone here would paint me as a liberal.

01-05-2008, 02:18 PM	#4 (permalink)
Seaver Junkie Location: Fort Worth, TX	I have no doubt my conservative stance was directly affected by the amount of family members in the service. My father as well as 6 out of 8 uncles were in the service. My parents never talked to me about politics, they were just content with letting me figure things out for myself. I grew up constantly moving, but always within the military "bubble". The bubble is something I never understood until after my father's retirement, it's the fact that you never get away from military members or live in cities that do not have military bases (compare San Diego's atmosphere vs. L.A., or Norfolk vs. any other N.E. city). Civilian life seemed so weird, including movies where the kid would cry when his dad left on a business trip. The father being gone for 8 months every 1.5 years was just how it went. They couldn't tell us where they were, when they'd be back, or what they were doing... just tell us they loved us and would be home soon. I remember watching Clinton vs. Bush debates, and actually favoring Clinton's arguments at a young age (3rd grade). That was until he took office and cut military funding. Military housing funds were cut, the base couldn't afford to repair it's streets or the roofs of all the enlisted houses. We lived in Officers Housing, but all it meant was we got 1 more bedroom per household and didn't share a garage. More funds were cut, eventually leading to an early forced retirement for my father. Base closings occurred across the country, shrinking the "bubble" even further and causing a lot more Americans to never see a man in uniform. Eventually this drew me to the conservative side, and strengthened the entire military to the right which remembered the golden years of Reagan's military resurgence (85-89% voted for Bush in '04). When I joined, I was constantly harassed by the left while in uniform, diminishing LOTS of patience and respect for the radical left (one hippy threw a fish at me... a raw fish... I kid you not). I like to think of myself as a moderate conservative, I don't care about illegal immigration, marijuana, gay marriage, Shaivo (sp?), or Jerry Falwell (or if he's dead the other loony). However I don't think anyone here would paint me as a liberal. __________________ "Smite the rocks with the rod of knowledge, and fountains of unstinted wealth will gush forth." - Ashbel Smith as he laid the first cornerstone of the University of Texas