Contradiction #2

Contradiction the second

This is a little disorganized, I know.

            This is more reconciling my personal political beliefs and the ways they have changed throughout my life.  My family is very politically liberal, especially my maternal grandmother. She lives with us, and when I was younger I went to her and my late grandfather’s house every day after school and spent many summer days there.  My grandmother is your textbook “bleeding heart liberal”, she gives a lot of money to various causes and never hesitated to remind my sister and I how privileged we were, compared to those in need. Because of these influences once I was old enough to understand politics, I like most other people emulated my family and identified as a liberal democrat. I went to a very politically conservative prep school, where with one other kid, a good friend of mine, I was the only liberal in the grade. I loved being contrarian and challenging the conservative values of my peers, especially because I have always been good at debating, and politics has always made sense to me.  I never discriminated against someone based on their political beliefs but I had a definite feeling of superiority over those I regarded as unfeeling and uninformed.

When I was a teenager, like most teens I rebelled against the values of my family in order to pursue my own identity. In my case this resulted in my switch from a pure liberal to a variety of political identities ranging from libertarian to moderate-conservative. I find that a lot of people in the adolescent stage of life embrace a libertarian or conservative viewpoint, not necessarily socially but economically. The concept of society takes a back seat to the most important person in the teens life, namely themselves. The questions “Why should I have to pay for someone else to be on welfare ?” or “Why is it my responsibility to help others ?” are pondered, and the conclusion is reached that “I don’t owe the world anything, I’ll make my own way in the world and not rely on handouts.” In my case this could not be farther from the truth.

I have been given educational opportunities that few others have the privilege of receiving. I attended private school from K-12 and go to a very expensive and “prestigious” private university. I did not do anything to earn these privileges, they were provided for me by my parents and grandparents, who were only concerned in seeing my sister and I succeed in life, and become educated peoples like themselves. My point being is that I did nothing to deserve the leg up in life I have received, it is merely and accident of fate. Any time I find myself thinking “god this guy’s an idiot why cant he just X…” I have to fight to remind myself that I am so lucky to have been given the choices I have had.  This si not to say I have done nothing to achieve success in my life, I have studied hard (for the most part) and kept out of trouble (for the most part), but I understand that anything that results from my education is not merely my own doing, it is a combination of support from my whole family

This among  other reasons has caused my to move back towards the left in recent years. I understand that society needs a safety net; it needs the rich helping the poor and most importantly the current economic system needs to be vastly overhauled. .  I want to help people, I am not just concerned with my own life and especially my own wealth.

I may not agree fully with the way the “Occupy Wallstreet” protests have been handled but I agree with their message. The banking system needs to be held accountable for the way it has destroyed our economy Pushing people into poverty while giving its guilty executives million dollar bonuses and golden parachutes. Change needs to be fought for. Hopefully like myself, others can look inside themselves and recognize their privilege and stop supporting people who exploit them, recklessly gamble the future of an entire generation then demand YOUR money when they fail.

Just some food for thought.