Does reading increase chances of being really liberal?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I thought I’d post this in the parents forum because you guys have a lot more experience in the area of thought. I’ve always had an intense enjoyment of news and politics, but until the last year or so, I’ve been very moderate and conservative leaning. In french class, I read Voltaire’s “Candide” in French and it just sparked me. Ever since I read that book, I’ve been reading more social satire like “The Running Man” by Stephen King, George Orwell, etc. I’ve started watching stuff like the Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I just stopped for a second and I realized I feel like I’m extremely liberal. I took a test on <a href=“http://www.politicalcompass.org/”>http://www.politicalcompass.org/&lt;/a&gt; and I remained moderate in a fiscal sense, but my social politics are way down in the libertarian region.</p>

<p>I don’t know why, but I’m afraid that I’m becoming too liberal in my views and too cynical. i.e. I now feel that our govt is completely corrupt: both Democrats and Republicans are the same evil, the news is all sensationlist trying to scare people into submission through fear, religion is a way of controling people, etc.</p>

<p>I am scared because I believe in balance and moderation… I feel like I’m drifting more and more out there. I feel like this is because I’m reading a lot more than I used to read.</p>

2

<p>Reading is wonderful, and the more people read a variety of subjects, sources, styles, books, magazines, the better</p>

<p>I don’t know if the READING made you more “liberal” or what, but you are seeing a bigger world, asking more questions, understanding life isn’t black and white, and I think more to the point, you have learned that what you have been told may not be the whole story, and if you feel you haven’t been told all the issues from many sides, that can make one cynical</p>

<p>For instance, if you were told that republicans were evil conservatives your whole life and you read and learned, well, they aren’t all crazy, or if you were told your whole life that liberals were all drug crazed sex fiends, and your read and learned, you may discover and be a bit angry that you weren’t given all the facts, on either side</p>

<p>Enjoy your learning and your exploration of politics</p>

<p>Seeing what is happening in the world, the good and the bad, and caring about it can be overwhelming</p>

<p>I recommend doing some service work- a shelter, with animals, the envirnoment, something where you can take that new energy you have and use it constructively</p>

<p>And, if you don’t agree with your parents currently with regards to politics, that is okay, go with it, but be respectful, and if you do debate, don’t get angry, but have your facts</p>

<p>And congrats for reading so much!!! It is a good thing, if you were stuck at thinking the same as you did when you were 14, THEN I would worry</p>

3

<p>Education is amazing, ain’t it?</p>

<p>Quips aside, I wouldn’t worry–it sounds to me like you are becoming more moderate in your views. The most positive sign is that you’re reading with an open mind; you’re receptive to alternative points of view, whatever they may be. If you can keep this as a habit of mind–and it’s more difficult than you might think–you’ll be fine. Be liberal, be conservative, be whatever you’re inclined to be; just don’t be a horse’s a**, the kind of person who never challenges himself, who only reads things he knows he’ll agree with, nodding along with a complacent smirk or a sleepy, self-satisfied smile. Come to think of it, that might be the most insidious form of cynicism. Good luck.</p>

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<p>I think it depends on what you read, your critical thinking skills and what experiences you bring into your reading. I am sure there are numerous conservatives out their who read more than your average person. I believe that the more we know about the world the more we are inclined to be progressive or liberal in our thinking about the environment, health care, and education, but I respect that others may come to a different opinion.</p>

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<p>It totally depends on the context. If all you read is The Communist Manifesto, DNC handouts and Sierra Club publications, then yes. Personally I believe reading is a good way to learn new ideas, words, concepts. If you strictly develop how to think and not blindly believe everything you read, I don’t see possibly how you become more liberal (note, I am using the word liberal to mean socialist or progressive, because that’s what liberal means in modern times. The word liberal had a differnet meaning in an earlier era). In the end, thinking about ideas and concepts should make you rational, not liberal or conservative.</p>

<p>I do agree with Mr.B, with regards to what he says about knowing more about the world, but I have a different conclusion if that would make you more liberal. The more facts you know would make you neither liberal or conservative. It is a shame to divide every issue along ideological or partisan lines. If you are informed about the environment, with actual data and not meaningless predictions or fears, you will come to a differnet conclusion. For example, take DDT, or species extinction, or population growth, or food production. If you know the facts, as I do, you will certainly disagree with what liberals have to say about it. The same thing applies to conservatives. The more you know about religion, or about the Founding Fathers, or about morality, the more you will disagree with what conservatives have to say about abortion, ethics, cloning, etc.</p>

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<p>Wicked, I want to learn, please share with me the sites or sources that say DDT wasn;t so bad, where you get info on global warming and other environmental issues, really, I want to check them out</p>

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<p>1st- No link between DDT and breast cancer, Rachel Carson to the contrary</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.breastcancer.realage.com/content.aspx/topic/21[/url]”>http://www.breastcancer.realage.com/content.aspx/topic/21&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

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<p>2nd- Primates fed 33000X normal dosage of DDT (as humans would be exposed to) showed no increase in risk of cancer.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10235477[/url]”>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10235477&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>3rd- Study over 20 years found no correlation between DDE and breast cancer (DDE is a metabolite of DDT)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10385143[/url]”>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10385143&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>4th- Study of 35 workers exposed to 600 times average DDT exposure for 9-19 years. No increase in risk of cancer.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=6061300[/url]”>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=6061300&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>5th- People basically ate DDT for two years with no elevated risk of cancer.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=13366680[/url]”>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=13366680&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Sigh, schools in the United States are so bad that even adults have no knowledge of things :(</p>

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<p>Wicked I don’t know about your other sites, but I think the last one is based on a fifty year old study. The one before it was from the sixties.
DDT is toxic to birds, mamals and fish. It is persistive in the environment and collects in animals higher up the food chain.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/actives/ddt.htm[/url]”>http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/actives/ddt.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>{quote}Reproductive effects
DDT causes adverse reproductive effects in test animals. In one rat study, oral doses of 7.5 mg/kg/day for 36 weeks resulted in sterility. In rabbits, doses of 1 mg/kg/day administered on gestation days 4-7 resulted in decreased foetal weights. In mice, doses of 1.67 mg/kg/day resulted in decreased embryo implantation and irregularities in the oestrus cycle over 28 weeks(15). Many of these observations may be the result of disruptions to the endocrine (hormonal) system.
Available epidemiological studies involving exposure to DDT have not confirmed adverse effects in humans. One study did report a significant association between maternal DDT blood levels and miscarriage, but the presence of other organochlorines in maternal blood, make it difficult to attribute the effect solely to DDT(16).{/quote}</p>

<p>Not having a study linking to a specific cancer isn’t the same as saying a chemical is safe. That is why the government still recommends:
If you still have containers of DDT stored in your home, garage or barn, ask your regional environmental authorities how to dispose of these products properly.
Check with your local fish and game or health authorities before eating sport fish caught from local streams and rivers. (In New York call 1-800-458-1158 extension 27815, or call EPA at 1-513-489-8190, for information on fish advisories.)
Wash all fresh produce thoroughly in water, especially leafy greens, beans, root vegetables, and fruits and berries, to remove soil and any residues of DDT or DDE on the surface of the food.
Choose lean cuts of meat, poultry and fish. Trim excess fat from meat and poultry, since DDT and DDE concentrate in animal and fish fat. </p>

<p><a href=“http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/Pesticide/fs2.ddt.cfm[/url]”>http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/Pesticide/fs2.ddt.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I find it interesting that DDT is now the hot button issue to denigrate environmentilists…larouche is one of its biggest supporters</p>

<p>Now that global warming is proven, after being denied for years, this is now a way to trash environmentalists</p>

<p>why don’t we talk about finding a vacine for malaria, getting medicine to people, helping them have clean water, AIDS prevention, all kinds of issues that are ignore</p>

<p>DDT may or may not work, but there are so many other issues in Africa that are related to deaths- malnurishment is a big one</p>

<p>So to say, well, if we stop the DDT ban, all will be well, is being blind to all the other issues…I am still doing research on DDT, because I try and get my news from places other than FOX and Lyndon Larouch, and remember, DDT was banned under a republican president</p>