There's a belief, out there, that the older you get, the more conservative you become

[Siwsan]

Which I am taking to mean that I am ETERNALLY youthful!

[Sherman A1]

1. It's about 180 degrees

For me on that topic. I am becoming more liberal each day.

[spanone]

16. Yep....👍🏼

[Va Lefty]

27. Me too!

[luvtheGWN]

28. Me too!

And all my friends -- men and women -- are saying the same thing. Not that we were conservative when younger, but we're now more inclined to "live and let live". Maybe it's because we baby boomers managed to do a lot of "experimenting" and had new tools such as the birth control pill to see us through some anxiety-ridden years (!)

[RoBear]

34. Me too!

Add me to the list!

[GoCubsGo]

41. As am I.

[mountain grammy]

44. So am I..

[True Blue American]

55. Same here!

More and more Democratic by the day. If I live to be 100 and they ask me why,I will tell them I owe it all to being a conscientious, caring, loving Democrat

[gilligan]

57. Yes sir

I'm father left than Gandhi.
Or so my wife likes to tell me.

[True Blue American]

60. I took a test

When I was first on the computer.I was close to Ghandi. Now, I think I am sitting in his lap.

[gilligan]

85. That

Was the test I took.✌

[True Blue American]

89. Should have known.

[Kurt V.]

69. me too

[Totally Tunsie]

88. Ditto, for sure!

(NOT as in "Dittohead", though!)

[ck4829]

2. Because conservatives are driving their cars into people, liberals live shorter lives

I've become even more left wing with age.

[greymattermom]

3. I believe the opposite.

The older you get the more likely it is that you have seen things that no one could have predicted, that are just not people's fault, like accidents, illnesses, economic downturns, job losses. YOU have gotten that horrible call that everyone dreads. So, in my mind, the older you get, the more liberal you become.

[Atticus]

8. Agree. Sorta like "reality has a liberal bias". The more "reality" we've experienced,

the more liberal we become.

[Siwsan]

12. That's how I think, too, but I've seen the opposite in so many of my contemporaries

Many of my high school friends and former co-workers moved way to the right, as time went on. My Mom, who was pretty conservative to begin with, became radically far right in the last years of her life. Same with her sisters. They seemed to form the attitude that THEY succeeded, so everyone else should be able to, also.

Didn't make sense to me but then I am the family loony liberal.

[True Blue American]

59. Funny you should

Post that. I wrote a long history of what we went through to get the things the younger people take for granted. I have watched Republicans tear apart the fabric we built slowly but surely.

I ended my email with that is why I will always be a Democrat

[raccoon]

77. Great post, and I think it's so true. I've gotten more liberal as I've gotten older. nt

[MicaelS]

87. Me too.

I was an arrogant, sellfish asshole when I was younger. I swallowed the Libertarian koolaid by the gallon.

[Trumpocalypse]

4. I think I've become more liberal

Then again I may have stayed the same and conservatives have moved so far right, I just look more liberal.

[Brainstormy]

10. that's a very good point

we've gone so far right, or backwards, on much that seemed we could take for granted in the 60's, it's easy to look liberal

[TruckFump]

5. I'm in my 70s

The older I get, the waaaaay more liberal I get.

[Siwsan]

14. I'm in my 60's and have been pretty liberal, since high school

The big difference is, I used to be able to consider the other side and find some common ground. That's pretty much ancient history, now.

[Freddie]

25. Me too

I’m 62 and no longer have an open mind to the other side. My brother (65) used to be a “social liberal fiscal conservative” but has seen the light. But we had a good background, our parents were teachers, union supporters and very blue. Dad voted for Obama at age 90.

[TruckFump]

82. Exactly.

I no longer have any patience for RW bull crap.

[2naSalit]

6. My 91yo mom

has become very liberal with age... she would have been a redhat in earlier years.

[Maeve]

7. I watched my 87-year old mother switch from R to D over the past few years

And her younger sister has become increasingly liberal, appalled by the hatred that has grown like weeds among the right.

People can learn, unless they turn off their brains.

[Siwsan]

17. This makes me smile!

I had just the opposite experience with my mom. I tell myself it was the approaching Alzheimer's that sent her so far into that mind set but she was pretty right wing, even before that. Just not hateful right wing.

[True Blue American]

61. Yeah for your Mother.:)

[MaryMagdaline]

9. I am waaay more conservative

Conserve democracy
Conserve Medicaid
Conserve Medicare
Conserve social security
Conserve free speech.

[Siwsan]

18. Brilliant!

[MaryMagdaline]

20. Aw thanks

[pazzyanne]

47. Love it!

This would be a great mantra!

[Lithos]

67. I used to say that I was fiscally conservative

Because it supporting things such as Human rights, Democracy, Pro-Choice, Education, Healthcare and the Environment always is better for the economy and my pocket book when viewed in the long term.

Doing the right thing is financially sound advice.

L-

[Funtatlaguy]

11. Statistically it is true, yes, older people are more conservative

than younger people.
That why Dems push so hard for younger voter turnout.

[Mariana]

26. Yes.

The majority of people over 45 who voted in 2016 cast their ballots for Trump. That's just a fact.

[Caliman73]

86. Agreed. While it may not be true in all cases, the stats show that it is a thing.

Some of the research says that it is aging related, that openness to new experiences and information declines with age, that our tolerance for ambiguity diminishes.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative

Others see the trend but aren't sure why exactly.

https://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-do-we-become-more-conservative-with-age-47910

And an interesting point of view, that poor people tend to be more liberal but do not survive and so decrease the number of liberal older people. (not super sure about this).

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/05/poor-people-often-dont-survive-to-become-seniors-who-vote.html

I have noticed anecdotally in myself, that the music I grew up with is WAY better than the stuff on the radio right now, although I have to say Kendrick Lamar is as good as any of the rap icons of the 80's and 90's. My parents felt the same way about the rap, rock, R&B that I listened to as opposed to the music of their time.

This doesn't mean too much in the way of conservatism v. liberalism but it does show that we tend to value our formative experiences more than new experiences as we get older.

I think that if you maintain your empathy for others and value the community at large than there is a way better than average chance that you will maintain your liberal ideals.

[Buckeyeblue]

13. At 48 I am so much more liberal than my 18 year old self.

[MaryMagdaline]

19. Me too!

[democratisphere]

15. GIVE ME LIBERALALITY

OR GIVE ME DEATH!

[lunamagica]

21. It was the opposite for me

[Siwsan]

23. I wonder if the threats to Social Security and Medicare/aid will upend this "trend"

I can't imagine people who depend on the 'social safety nets' ever supporting the people who are trying to yank them away and give the money to the already filthy rich. If they do, they may have a terminal case of cognitive dissonance.

[Mariana]

29. Probably not.

I think most current recipients really don't believe their benefits will be affected, and in this they are probably right. The right wingers among them don't care about anyone else.

[Javaman]

22. there was a great quote on here years ago, it went something like this...

as a youth, I was conservative

as an adult, I was liberal

as an oldster, I'm a bomb throwing anarchist.

[Siwsan]

24. In today's world, you can reverse those first two

In the trump* universe, there does seem to be a serious de-evolution going on with their thinking.

[bluestateboomer]

30. Me Too!

[Polly Hennessey]

31. Growing younger by the day, am I.

[obamanut2012]

32. My parents are waaaay more liberal now than in the past

Same with my BIL.

[Greybnk48]

33. I think it's the opposite. Oldermore liberal.

At least in my crowd. I do know some very bitter old people my age who have blamed almost all, if not all, of their bad choices and failures on what was done "to" them by city, state and federal laws and regulations. Nothing's their fault.

First off, CONSERVATIVES NO LONGER EXIST!

These people are either the current radical Trumpian right, or something else. but they're not liberal. They're pissed at the world, tantruming assholes that some call "Libertarian" whatever that is (no coherent definition). You know, the "I hate the gubmint, but give me Medicare, S.S. and food stamps!" crowd. And I "ain't following the laws!"

[PJMcK]

35. Not me

I've always been a Democrat. I'm 60 and as I've gotten older, I've gotten more and more liberal.

So I'm with you, Siwsan. It's great to feel young!

[Augiedog]

36. I give this post 68 kicks. I'm sure the trolls won't figure out what I mean

[riverbendviewgal]

37. Me too

I am even more progressive at 70.

[lancelyons]

38. I used to say I was a republican because of my family

I am 54. I used to say I was republican because my family was.

I remember when rush limburger first started blabbing back in the 90s. I was amazed at all the things he had about how bad the government was and nobody was covering those things...

I have never voted republican. i didnt vote until 2012.

My father was hooked on Fox News... I watched..then after awhile of constant negative stuff about Obama and My father getting more and more angry.. I started digging into what Fox would say.

I was astonished by what I found. Fox News was highly misleading and was telling this group of people (their audience) some highly inaccurate and hate filled content.

I found this was in general the approach of the GOP (probably caused by Fox News and the like).

54 and pure democrat today and believe that Fox News, Limburger and the like have done more to destroy America than any thing else.

sorry for the long blab

[Siwsan]

43. I love learning about other DUers

We may not put faces on our posts, but we do put our personalities and experiences into them, and that is the best way to acquaint ourselves with each other.

[MontanaMama]

39. I've certainly gotten more liberal

and I’m 53...my parents died young but they got WAY more liberal before they left the planet. Even my republican husband (yeah...I know ) has eased up on his bullshit as the years have gone by....for which I will take credit. BTW, he voted a straight Dem ticket last week. 😳

[SammyWinstonJack]

40. Yeah, me too. Fountain of youth here.

[Wounded Bear]

42. Actually, I am a bit conservative...

and if there were any real "conservative" Repubs on the ballots, I'd consider voting for them.

Repubs have gone way beyond conservative to reactionary to downright fascistic. So, for now I'll continue to vote Dem.

[llmart]

50. I'm much more liberal socially than I used to be.

I just voted to legalize marijuana and I don't think I would have done that in my younger years. However, I do tend a bit toward conservative when it comes to the economy and money. I'm 69.

I just hate that we have to have these labels to categorize people. I think most people have a bit of both in them, except for the very far right wingnuts.

[Wounded Bear]

51. I could have been a bit more specific...

I'm socially 'liberal' in that I don't want to live in some theocratic hellhole. I strongly support women's rights and healthcare and vote accordingly. Religious "freedom" does not include the freedom to force one's beliefs on others through government coercion. In early America, school lessons were often from the Bible because the Bible was one book that almost every home had. That's no longer true.

I'm fiscally conservative, in that yes, I think programs should be paid for and for that, we need a reasonable tax structure. If I ever got rich, I like to think I would be happy to pay reasonable taxes.

[pazzyanne]

45. Right there with you, Siwsan!

[geardaddy]

46. I'm 53 and have been pretty liberal most of my life

but I get more liberal the older I get. I think the big thing is that I've become more adult about taking responsibility. I think that's what liberals do best - they take responsibility for themselves and how they treat other people.

[spooky3]

48. I'm staying the same, but the Republicans have become so extreme

That now my label has changed to “liberal” even though I still think I’m “moderate.”

[sarge43]

49. I've become more liberal as the years fly by.

Experience and paying attention will do that.

[skip fox]

52. Hell, I'm almost 72

and I'm only conservative about my finances.

[True Blue American]

65. And being conservative

About your finances should make you more Democratic by the day because we gain with Democrats in office!

[Codeine]

53. I have a few positions that could be described

as being in line with those of some conservatives (I strongly support nuclear energy, ferinstance) but if anything I have on the whole grown much, MUCH more progressive as I’ve aged. At this rate I’ll be a doctrinaire Marxist within a decade.

[Lucca2]

54. Been progressive since a teen

and I first became aware of political issues like war, income equality, and feminism. I am even more outspoken as an older woman. I wonder where that idea of creeping conservatism comes from? Research seems to show our politics is affected by the way we think and that rarely changes.

[SergeStorms]

56. Total bullshit.

I started voting 50+ years ago as a tree hugging liberal and I haven't moved an iota to the right since. I was the product of a totally Republican family in a totally Republican town as well. Let's just say I was looked at with just a hint of disdain back in those days. And I being the progeny of a steadfast Republican politician as well. I was viewed as a turd in a punch bowl where I came from. I loved every minute of it, because I knew I was right, and history has proved me correct.

[Siwsan]

63. I know people that followed that exact trend, so it's not total B.S.

Perhaps it is something that some people believe is true, so that's the direction they take. I do know that some of the ones I've seen go that way were never deep thinkers, in the first place.

My family is mostly made up of conservatives from all across the spectrum. My mother, who is on the FAR FAR right side told me, one of the few raging liberals, that I had no ability to think for myself. All I could do was laugh.

I have noticed that a number of my cousins, who have always been pretty apolitical, are now moving far more to the liberal side of things.

[Blue_playwright]

58. I get more liberal by the day!

And more pissed off. Lol

[homegirl]

62. Another

Me Too!

[Lithos]

64. I can't stop the aging process

But I certainly do not have to grow up...

I've gotten more progressive as I've gotten older - seen too much of the world to retreat back into a shell.

L-

[Siwsan]

66. My Dad used to say 'You can't help aging, but you don't ever have to get old.'

So now that is my mantra.

[Lithos]

68. Smart man

Definitely words to live by.

L-

[CelticWinter]

70. Forever young!!!!!!!!!!

[sinkingfeeling]

71. Not me. The older I get, the more liberal I become.

[Nitram]

72. I guess that applies to me as well.

The Republican meme that people are Democrats in their idealistic youth and become Republicans when they gain maturity, responsibility, and experience is total hogwash. I was actually a more conservative in my youth (although nothing like today's Trumpists), and have moved farther left with each passing year. I'll probably die a total Bolshevick.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

73. I'm 70 and I'm more liberal than ever.

What has astonished me reading through this thread is how many who are self-identified liberals did not vote until a decade or two after they were eligible.

Perhaps the real issue is that those who are going to vote liberal (meaning for Democrats) are a bit slower to take up voting. Not sure.

I was in high school when I first heard the quote that goes something like if you're not liberal when young you have no heart, if not conservative when older you have no head and I thought it was remarkably stupid even when I was 17. My opinion has not changed at all.

[NewJeffCT]

74. I've always been a liberal - even as a child

I remember when I was 10-11 years old and there was a big push for the ERA and thinking, "how could anybody oppose wanting people (women) to have equal rights"?

However, I used to be for a total ban on all guns, except for police and the military. Now, I'm more for strict gun control and a ban on assault style weapons, or weapons that could easily be converted to assault weapons. So, in that way, I have become more conservative.

At that rate, I'll be a centrist somewhere around the turn of the next century.

[green917]

75. Stealing this!

[hostalover]

76. I don't think I could be any more liberal!!

[Martin Eden]

78. It all depends on whether a person continues to mature in terms of ...

… learning, keeping an open mind, and having empathy for other human beings.

I've grown more liberal as I've discarded juvenile, uninformed, and prejudiced notions.

[Siwsan]

79. Great observation

[sammythecat]

80. I don't think we change so much as we just

become more what we really are. Conservatives more conservative, liberals more liberal. Middle of the road, wishywashy types become even more useless and annoying.

[niyad]

81. fuck that nonsense. my ancient friends and I are not only more liberal, more progressive, some

of us are quite radical.

[Martin Eden]

83. Part of that is due to the devolution of the right ...

... further into the abyss of post-truth ignorance and racism. THEY have become radicalized, dangerous, and easily misled down the path towards fascism.

We have become more strident and more focused in our liberalism because the threat has grown significantly.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

84. Quite the opoosite!

The older I get, the more different kinds of people I encounter, the more different experiences I have, the more obstacles I come across, the more I learn, the more liberal and tolerant I get. If you stop growing and if you stop caring other people and the world, you might as well be dead.