The Off Topic Topic

[grumbler]

I think that people are correct to note that, often, the left is the side defending "the status quo," but I'd argue that those on the right also claim that they are defending the "status quo," and that a leftist current situation is just an example of an excursion that has "gotten away from our core values" and so not the "status quo" at all.

[crazy canuck]

For example: in Canada, the Liberals are as much closely identified with the status quo as the Conservatives. In the US, the Republicans are expressly and explicitly reactionary: the Trumpites at least (and many others) want to tear down the "status quo". According to this theory, the older one gets, the less attractive that ought to become.

I find myself becoming more left wing as I age.  I think your post explains part of it, but also I see the policy failures of simply living by the mantra that less government involvement is always better.

[Razgovory]

I'm becoming more conservative as I age.  Basically I've come to terms with global capitalism.

[derspiess]

I'm staying about the same overall.  Maybe slightly more libertarianish since my college years.

[grumbler]

I'm generally more leftish as I age.  I am essentially a "that which governs least, governs best" libertarian, but I've abandoned hope that the corruption of government can ever be eliminated to the extent that the "least government" will not effectively be "the least responsive to corruption" government. 

The top 20% of Americans own 90% of the wealth in the country.  The top 1% own 40%of the nation's net wealth. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/06/the-richest-1-percent-now-owns-more-of-the-countrys-wealth-than-at-any-time-in-the-past-50-years/?utm_term=.63c49b16a62c  I think that this is a huge problem - even though, but the standards listed, I am in that top 20%.  Owning Congressmen is more profitable than owning stock (though I myself only own stock).  Citizens United is the modern Dred Scott Decision.  It needs to die in fire.

Since I am pontificating, let me pontificate that the American pundit class are morans to think the red is the color of conservatism.

[Admiral Yi]

Youtube seems to have really ramped up the ad toll you have to pay.

[mongers]

I'm SO old I can remember keeping in contact with friends who went up to different universities, by writing* letters!   




* I may still have some of the multi page replies somewhere here.

[Admiral Yi]

I'm so old I can remember waiting until long distance rates dropped after 11 pm.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I think the primary driver behind increased "conservatism" as people get older is scepticism. The young favour Corbyn, for example, because many of them have similar aspirations and expect him to be able to deliver on his program. Being old, I expect him to completely fail to deliver on half his promises and for the other half to have unpleasant unforeseen (at least by him) consequences.

If we get a Corbyn government then it will be a huge disappointment to his supporters. Moving forward 30 years the 2048 youth will wonder why the 48-54 age group is so conservative.

[celedhring]

Stumbled upon the self-driven bus the transit authority is testing in one of the suburbs of Barcelona. Thing is tiny (just six seats) and the route only runs though a few blocks in a linear route (no turns), but it's just as a testbed for the technology.

[Maladict]

I'm generally more leftish as I age. 

Same. I'm milder and more relaxed in middle age, but definitely more leftist than I was ten years ago.

Since I am pontificating, let me pontificate that the American pundit class are morans to think the red is the color of conservatism.

Yeah, I never understood that. Wasn't it the other way around at first?

[Syt]

Yeah, I never understood that. Wasn't it the other way around at first?

Didn't it use to alternate between elections on TV coverage but has stuck since Bush the Younger?

[Grey Fox]

I have grown to be more right in my old age. There wasn't really any place on the left for me to go.

[Barrister]

You know, while I think I've gotten more pragmatic in my tactics as I'm older, my base political philosophy hasn't bodged from when I was younger - Burkean conservatism.

[celedhring]

I find myself more leftist than I was 10 years ago, but less than I was 20 years ago.