Do any of y'all plan on EVER actually trying to make a difference in the views of the general public politically, or do you simply plan on passing your time debating on an internet forum forever without actually trying to do something that means anything? I mean..even I wanna eventually try and sway peoples' views, but I can only do that if I know the views of my opposition (which basically includes Big Police/Nanny State supporters, the far left, the far right, and people who want to let other people irresponsibly reproduce) well enough first.
I want to make a difference. Which is why over the course of my stay on this and other political forums I have been compiling a list of root issues from which most if not all other political issues stem from. At some point, I'll want to prioritize these in some fashion, then work on coming up with solutions to them of which most people would be able to agree on.
yeah..and the reason why no society will ever survive, is because ultimately, everyone has competing interests. That always makes society go from a connected web of people, to a spinning web of people, then to a spinning web of people that has people flying off the web due to centrifugal forces from said spinning, to a disconnected chaotic array of people, all dead.
I am involved with the republican/tea party organization on my campus and we actively debate the liberals through campus sponsored debates. We've recently gotten our first gay/republican group formed and they are quite active also. We are trying to break the liberal train of thought on college campuses and plan to open other chapters at other colleges in the future. I'd say i'm doing my part.
If one knows how to apply what they can learn here... their political activity can be VERY effective. Not all individuals use the knowledge and experiences they garner in the exact same ways.
I work as an intern for my local Democratic Committee. I organize petitions, research local issues, and do other grudge work to help the party. Upon entering college, I will be majoring in political science and international relations. I intend to apply for at least two internships over the next few years, one at the office of Chuck Schumer, the other at the United States Department of State. My career path is to work for the United Nations, as well as to get elected to the United States Congress.
I majored in political science also. Currently working on my doctorate but its a great field. I went the history route as a second degree but international relations is a very good choice also. I wish you luck!
Posting on message boards is a reaction to the frustration of being largely unable to influence public policy. I have the added disadvantage of being a middle-ground moderate in a world that only listens to extremists. I actually feel posting here can help, albeit in a tiny way, in getting a few people to think twice about various issues, but I could just be kidding myself.
I consider expressing views on a forum as "making a difference". People listen to me and I listen to them. Interaction creates change of one way or another. And I've learned A LOT as well. Its been a great education actually---and I better understand "liberalism" and "conservatism". Also learned much regarding politics outside the USA. Besides that.....I make a difference by trying to be involved in my kids education, teaching them a good foundation of values and.....I vote.
I consider expressing views on a forum as "making a difference". People listen to me and I listen to them. Interaction creates change of one way or another. And I've learned A LOT as well. Its been a great education actually---and I better understand "liberalism" and "conservatism". Also learned much regarding politics outside the USA. Besides that.....I make a difference by trying to be involved in my kids education, teaching them a good foundation of values and.....I vote.
I KNOW you are not talking to me - I even started drinking beer to try to get through to their thick skulls [video=youtube;5bBl3xE6xcs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bBl3xE6xcs&feature=youtube_gdata[/video]
It is the typically CANDID reactions of my fellow (Conservative) interlocutors that I value a great deal here. That is, knowing how people react here tells me a lot about what to say and NOT to say in-person. The things that 'trigger' people here, generally cause the same effect when I speak with people one-on-one. The "Conservative" mindset is expressed MUCH MORE OPENLY here... than most will express in-person. Even so, one can pick up on hints of the same reactions which we see here in the forum. I've listened to Conservatives talk to one another, and they express or say a lot of the things I see right here in this forum. It is very helpful to have experience here.
I did that professionally for a few years. It's not a lot of fun. To give it some context, I find programming to be far, far more interesting. Maybe because computers are more obedient.
You really think you make any kind of difference at all, by being an anonymous "internet person" who frequently insults those with differing views? You make no difference at all here. None of us do. How many of your views have become Liberal because of the best reasoned, most logical and well thought out post, which presented a strongly Liberal view? The question is, what do you do in real life to make a difference?
no im good messing around on hear not l ike protesting or arguing in person with peapole would have any efeect either
I tried so hard to make a difference in the little town I worked in as a reporter that they fired me. I've written books, articles and screenplays that could impact society, but I need an agent to advance them into the public arena. Right now I can't afford my car payment. Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry haven't responded to my emails. Mickey Rooney's agent responded but my screenplay was in the wrong format and I still can't afford to fix it. My latest brainstorm is to radically improve American education. Should I try contacting Arne Duncan now or wait until the election is over?
I'll talk to people at the bars if they'll listen but for the most part there's nothing I can do; people don't like freedom.
I'm under no impression that I make any difference in anyone's mind. However, I enjoy talking about politics and also enjoy having other people challenge my views. I view it as a way to figure out where I stand on issues...if I don't atually "listen" to people who have different views than myself, then what's the point of debating? On another note, I've actually got a meeting scheduled this week with a couple of local legislators (Representatives and Senators) to talk with them about various political issues in my state, so I do get involved politically, but probably not as much as I could.
While I would say that no one here impacts the political opinions of others on this board, I make a huge difference to people in real life. I'm certain many other people here do, as well.
