I think I'm turning Japanese... I really think so [View All]

[Anser]

I am known in my own local circles as that left wing guy you must be careful not to bring up politics with.

I'm respectful and do not resort to ad hominem attacks, but I refuse to let something close minded, bigoted, wrong headed or even just misinformed go without setting the person straight, usually quite forcibly. My wife has complained that seeing me "set stright" the average joe-the-fox-news-watcher is the intellectual equivalent of Bruce Lee kicking a baby around.

I've been and organizer and an activist (mostly during the run up to the war a few years back, and more recently for women's health, climate change, and socio-economic causes) for most of my adult life.

And yet, I feel something changing. I think I may be turning ... *gulp* ... centrist.

My DU compatriots, I come to you, with heart in hand and tongue in cheek, asking for help. I need to be cleansed before its too late. Is it a slippery sloe? Is the next step Limbaugh listenership *shudder*?

I've already began to admirer and empathize with corporate entities I once feared and revile. For example, Chik-fil-A always scared me with their fundy backing, but recently I went in there (I had a coupon I could not refuse) and I saw a family gathering place. They had free cups of cherrios for people to give their babies, a well tended play area, signes up for "a break for mommy" type events where they would provide child care free of charge, etc.

Has my extreme (never thought of it as extreme at all, only rational) left perspective and staunce defense of open mindedness been, ironically, closing my mind? Is Obama just that good that he's even cnvincing me that centrism isn't so terrible?

What's y'all's thoughts on this?



P.S. this is my first post to the lounge, I hope this is the right place for this kind of discussion.