To the younger DUERS in the lounge....

[Ekirh]

Do your parents view your Liberal views, or just the sheer fact your not a Republican just to be a phase...

I'm 22.. I've been a registered Democrat Since I was 18... yet my parents believe It's because I'm young and haven't truly experience the world yet..

They keep on pulling this stupid quote out during the few times we have political debate...

If your not a Democrat by the time your thirty... you got no heart

If your not a Republican by Forty... you got no brain..

A really obnoxious quote.. and of course... if I start to rebuttal they say "we aren't suppose to be discussing politics" or "I don't want to discuss this any further" or blah blah blah some other excuse.

Just want to know... is there any other 15-25.. heck even older DUers out there.. whose parents believe... he's/she's a liberal.. but he'll grow out of it eventually.


Note: I love my parents and all, politics is the only thing we don't get along with, besides that though, I love my parents and appreciate all they have done for me in life, because in all honesty they have done a lot.

[jellybelly]

1. who is long now?

oh...sorry, my parents are repugs...

[Ekirh]

3. Bad Typo

Been corrected

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. My mom's almost 80...very smart and a Democrat

[supernova]

4. I was raised a liberal

and at 42, I'm growing much more so. I'll probably be a full-fledged communist by the time I die! :-)

But no, no one ever thought it was a phase I would outgrow. It is true that there are certain things about your parents that you yourself do when you get older, including, perhaps ways of thinking. But you can always change that.

[Left Is Write]

5. My 17-year-old daughter considers herself a Democrat.

I certainly hope it's not just a phase.

My 65-year-old parents are lifelong Democrats, and I absolutely detest that smug attitude some "older" Republicans spout about how life and experience will give one the "wisdom" to become a Republican. Bullshit.

[Misunderestimator]

6. My father was a Republican until he was 70.

Now a registered Democrat. I've been a democrat all my life. My father thought that I would grow out of it, until he became a liberal himself. Have heart... just smile and think about how they will eventually grow out of it.

[ronnykmarshall]

7. My parents became democrats in 1994.

They were both in their 50's when they woke up.

[Ladyhawk]

32. Wow, that is so incredible. They must have flexible minds for their ages.

I wish my family would address the probably-deafening cognitive dissonance and learn. It's a damned hard thing to do at any age, though, and my family are too set in their ways, I fear.

[OrwellwasRight]

46. My mother, 77, became a Democrat about 7 years ago.

I decided I was a liberal when I was 16 or 17 (not that I was switching, just not committed before that), and I've never looked back.

I'm coming darn close to 40, but I won't become a Reublican (even if I get a lobotomy) and I've been told I have a really big brain.

So much for the common wisdom.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. I have moved more and more to the left the older I have

gotten. I agree with the earlier post, by the time I die, I guess I will be a Communist!!!

[madrchsod]

9. i have noticed that

as democrats grow older they stop "aging" and are more open to the changing society around them. of course i find somethings not to my liking, but this old long hair hippy certainly tried my parents patience but they were democrats and remembered when they were young. actually they figured i`d just "grow up",well i grew up but not any older.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

10. my family is all a bunch of dems

my great grandmother was a socialist, grandma is very liberal, (on my dad's side). And my parents are dems.

On my mom's side is another story ... two of my four uncles are crazy * supporters. Can't stand even being in the same room with one of them because he is a FAUX news watcher. Thankfully don't have to see him much.

My mom seems to think I am a bit too radical, but my dad is steaming right down the same path as I am. He's 46, and I just introduced him to Rage, he loves Eminem... and he goes to protests with me. My mom actually was the one who decided we'd go to the 51 capital protest in Boston last month - suprised me :)

I know I'm really lucky, which I'm really thankful for.

[CatholicEdHead]

11. Parents flipped

from Democrats over to Republicans, but mostly on the economic/tax issues. They are as socially liberal as you can get, but not activist.

I grew up with a moderately liberal upbringing, but the entire area is Republcian, and deeply so with some people. At least 2:1 from the 04 elections.

After 9/11 I started watching the issues more and swore off every voting Republcian again (though I am more independent and do consider voting Green or Mn Independence Parties besides the DFL).

I am in my late 20's.

[tjwmason]

12. Non political

Both of my parents are utterly non-political. They vote at general elections, and if I manage to drag them out for other elections (in England we have barely any elections compared to the U.S. as well). They really don't mind what my views are.

My grandfather has strong views on politics, and every single one is the exact opposite to my own; but we never discuss them.

[messyca]

13. I get that line all the time!

It's infuriating, because my mother has no factual basis for her beliefs. It's simply an image she wants to convey. Her only reasons for being a republican, is that;

1. she thinks she should be able to keep her hard earned pay (forgetting that we have never been more financially secure, than during the Clinton years. My stepfather has been in and out of employment since being laid off 2 years ago, and my mother managed to keep hers by a thread. She now works twice as much for the same pay.)

2. She believes that by being a republican, she is in the same league as the super rich and elite. She gets to rub shoulders with the Stepford Wives, and does run-way work for their fashion show fundraisers. (The thought never crosses her mind, as to why these women never show up to her dinner parties, or why she's never invited to theirs)

3. She is mis-informed. This woman would make Faux viewers, look like brain surgeons. Every opinion she has about our government, and foreign policy, is pure confabulation! I won't even go into detail, as it makes my mother look nutty, and I still love her to pieces.

She had me when she was 16, and lived out of the pockets of my father's blue collar, tough-as-nails, Democrat, mother. She owes her very existence to my grandmother, and has never thanked her. Aside from what I mentioned above, My mother's lifestyle is consistent with any self-respecting Democrat's, yet she insists on calling herself a republican. It's all smoke and mirrors, and it drives me nuts!!!!!!

[Allenberg]

14. I'm 23

..both my parents are in their mid-50s and are both socially and fiscally conservative...but are both Democrats. They both worked in a steel mill, union, and have long known that Democrats are more for worker's rights and the such.

[NightTrain]

15. To the younger DUers: Drink your milk!

:evilgrin:

[Placebo]

16. My parents are both Democrats...

but I'm sure a lot of people on DU would say they're "DINO" or "Republicans in disguise" or "Republican-lite" :eyes:

[aePrime]

17. I'm 26

I'm 26, but my parents and parents in law are all liberal Democrats, so I'm just another in my family. On top of that, my mother and my brother, both liberal Democrats, are ordained Methodist ministers.

[deadparrot]

18. My parents are both quite liberal (I'm almost 18).

My dad even more so than my mom, even though my dad is more religious (though not excessively so). They're both teachers, so we're pretty poor. My mom is especially anti-war, anti-gun, etc. She hates America acting the part of "policeman of the world." She also hates how the religious right is taking over. My dad is just a stereotypical liberal; his views are left on just about every issue. He was one to vote for third party candidates when he was in college, though he's voted Democrat in every election in recent history.

[sakabatou]

19. Nope

Both parents are progressive. My mom being more moderate.

[smbolisnch]

20. Ekirh,

I am 25 and married, but the one thing that my parents and I do not agree on is politics. The are both repubs, and when anything political comes up, you'd think we hated each other. On that note, we don't discuss politics. My mom always says under her breath: "I don't know how in god's name we raised a liberal." :eyes:

[Catchawave]

21. Lifelong Dem here....

...starting in high school and the feel good generation of JFK. Guess the Dems always made me feel better about myself and making the world better. *See my sig line* A JFK quote that always helped me understand the world's ideologies. Quite simply, it also helps me understand the extremists POV also.

[JohnKleeb]

22. Yeah my parents share my views

They encourage it and my dad I found out used to work for NORML part time and he has attended a few anti war rallies in his day.

[asthmaticeog]

23. That line is fucking stupid.

Next time someone lays that "If you're not a Republican by 40 you've got no brain" line on you, remind them about John Glenn, Tip O'Neill, Harry Truman...

[JohnKleeb]

24. Teddy Kennedy too

[asthmaticeog]

42. True, but

dropping the Kennedy bomb isn't going to score any points with older cons. Glenn was an astronaut and national hero who is ethically pristine and thus unfuckwithable. Tip O'Neill is fondly remembered even by people who disagreed with him, as he was a famously effective legislator and respected statesman. Truman was the far-left liberal who won WWII. With THEM, you can shut a conservative up. Kennedy just fuels the fire.

[Ekirh]

26. "Nods"

That list could probably go on and on and on... and if I can slip it in before the "this discussion is over" line.. I will... thanks :)

[RevolutionaryActs]

25. My parents would have been aghast if I hadn't turned out a liberal! LOL

My mom is far left, but my dad was more so.. and I am very much my fathers daughter. :)

[karlrschneider]

27. Funny how it works sometimes...I'm old enuf to be your grandpa but I

know how you feel. I was a staunch Repug 'til I got into college, because my parents were, I'm certain, but honestly wasn't anywhere close to being a political wonk as I am now. And I had also considered myself a Christian as well, though I did have lots of questions, having attended several different churches. Ironically, my abandonment of that particular religion (but keeping allegiance to the teachings of Jesus) was precipitated by the -required- courses in Religion that my University (Tulsa) then required! It took a couple of years for me to heal completely, though...I admit I did vote for Barry Goldwater (first election I was elegible to vote in)...partly I now believe because I had actually talked with him on ham radio in the early 60s. So now I am a committed Dem, and my mom who was always active in Repug circles, now 87 and still sharp votes Dem. She hates Boosh and uses adjectives even *I*
rarely do to describe him! :D

[da_chimperor]

28. My mom is semi-apolitical, but she's voted Dem as long as I can remember

We don't really talk politics other than me hating bush. She doesn't like him either, but she's not the political junkie I am.

[JohnKleeb]

29. sounds like my ma

My dad always was the more political one of the two but her parents are on my list of political influenecs especially when it comes to economic issues.

[loudestchick]

30. I don't think I qualify as "younger" at 36.. but my parents are repugs

they are religious and wealthy and are convinced that as I get older I'll not only become a republican but that I'll also "return to the church"...not bloody likely! They actually think my husband and I are sure to divorce someday because of his "vegetarian lifestyle and lack of faith" BWWAAHHAAHHAA!!! I almost fell over when my mom said that to me at T-giving.

[tainted_chimp]

52. Unbelievable that she

could say such a fucked up thing to you....especially at Thanksgiving!

:eyes:

~Lisa

[loudestchick]

53. Actually, its par for the course...14 yrs ago at our wedding rehearsal

she told my best friend (butch gay man) not to worry...I'd be free in a year. She's a piece of work. The comment at T-giving was as part of a suggestion that I try to establish some "separation of finances" now that my husband has become self-employed.

[tainted_chimp]

59. Christ!

What a toxic person to have in your life! Hard to believe that she could be your mother.

She must make your husband feel especially shitty as well. Such IGNORANCE should be ignored. Though it's probably harder to do that considering the source.

:hug:,

~Lisa

[Lenape85]

31. My parents are Dems

[Kat45]

33. I'm in my forties now; my parents always voted repub. And they

always believed that my political beliefs are because I was brainwashed by liberal professors in college!

[stevedeshazer]

34. Then I've got no brain

I turn 50 next month. I'm MORE liberal than I was at 22.

[orleans]

57. me too!

and i have way less tolerance for small minded people.
when i was younger i was more laid-back, thinking well--that's their opinion and that's okay.
now i look at it more like they're ignorant and they need to educate themselves and they also need to stop poisoning the well (the minds of other people)
i have very little tolerance for that shit anymore

happy upcoming birthday

[warrens]

35. So they're calling you stupid and themselves heartless

There's great intelligence at work. I would simply ask them, you like highways, liberals did that. The GI bill, liberals again. Social security? Yup, them damn liberals again. Oh, and those fuckers made it so you are deprived from working 12 hours a day six days a week. Bastards. I'm sure you can come up with a couple hundred more on your own.

Republicans are heartless, and morons. They vote against their own self-interest every day of the week, unless they are worth a million. In that case, yeah, greed explains it all. Up until then, it's pure bone stupidity.

[Ekirh]

37. Only one of those that wouldn't work..

Is the 12 Hours a day... since... My Dad does work that six days a week.. and at times 12 hours a day. He does it to himself though (Self employed.. Contractor)


In either case, I appreciate the advice you and a few others have given in this thread to counter act the quote, serioulsy I will keep these in mind.

[barackmyworld]

36. My parents agree with my liberal views

They were baby boomers, and I think they still hold many "hippie-ish" views about freedom and helping others.

[njdemocrat106]

38. I've pretty much been a Democrat all my life, and I'm 24

Though when I was in high school, my views were actually more conservative. Since the selection of Bush in 2000 and my discovering DU, I've definitely become a liberal. My mom is apolitical, but my dad came from a long line of NYC Democrats (my grandfather actually forbid having the New York Post in his house).

[SeanQuinn]

39. I'm 13 and have a liberal mom, conservative dad.

The quote was:

"If you are not a liberal by 18, you have no heart.
If you are not a conservative by 30, you have no brain."
Winston Churchill.

You, sir, have no brain.

[OrwellwasRight]

47. You go, Sean.

I guess even respectable historical figures can say REALLY stupid things.

[huskerlaw]

40. My parents finally gave up

I'm 26 and my parents have been calling it a phase since I was 10. I haven't heard them say that in a while, but now they just kinda look at each other like "what did we do wrong".

[baby_mouse]

41. It was that twat Winston Churchill who said that.

:grr:

Fat old fart!

I apologise on behalf of the United Kingdom.

[OrwellwasRight]

50. Apology accepted.

No if we Yanks can only do something about Bush so we can stop apologizing for him . . . :evilgrin:

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

43. I don't have this problem because my parents

have always been democrats.

[NYC Liberal]

44. My entire family is made of

huge Liberals.

[PittPoliSci]

45. My mom's a liberal.

And she's become even more so liberal since I've taken up ranting about politics around the house. My father, the Reagan republican, however, voted a straight democratic ticket this last election, which i assume is partially because of the things i say. So we don't fight about politics, and generally get along well.

[Taxloss]

48. My parents are both extreme-left atheists.

My father tore up his Labour membership card when it abandoned its commitment to the nationalisation of industry. He is a hardline leftist. His political education was protesting the Vietnam War, and he was in Saigon when in fell to the Viet Cong. He is my hero.

My mother is much more moderate. She just believes in fairness and hates that some have nothing while others have everything.

I love them both very much, and am blessed with a far closer relationship with my parents than many people can say - something I never forget. I was speaking with my dad on the phone only a few minutes ago.

No, it's not a phase. (I'm 26.)

[Downtown Hound]

49. Let's see how smart these older folks turn out to be

when Bush guts their social security.

Oh and on edit, Bill Clinton's IQ is 185.

[inslee08]

51. Well...

Uhh, I'm 15, and my parents are as liberal (if not more liberal) than me...I sure hope my liberalism isn't a phase :hippie:

[Borgnine]

54. My mother is a fundie type...

...but I'm working on converting her. It's just the "values" her parents installed in her since she was a child.

My dad is sort of a Liberterian-type, but my outspoken liberalism is finally getting to him. Hell, he voted for Kerry in November, which really surprised and pleased me.

[fnottr]

55. If anything my parents had gotten more liberal as I've become political

Their presidential voting record is:

Nixon (Dad only...Mom was 15)
Ford
Reagan
Reagan
Bush
Perot
Clinton
Gore
Kerry
(they've always voted the same way)

I'm 20 now, so as long as I've been old enough to discuss politics, they've been dems. My dad's told me that I will probably 'mellow' with age, which is might be true since I can get really really worked up sometimes, but he's never tried to convince my my views will change.

[CubsFan1982]

56. I'm 22...

And I've always been a hardcore Democrat. I used to consider myself left of center, the only thing I think that kept me from being a hardcore liberal was the death penalty issue. But four years ago, I switched to opposing the death penalty, and that pretty much made me liberal across the board. My dad is a rabid Republican, mainly because he thinks it makes him fashionable to be of the rich white man's party (he's 1st generation Mexican-American). Age certainly hasn't given him much wisdom, he's 60 and still, with all due respect, dumb as rocks. My mom, whom I was raised by, is a liberal Democrat who supported every presidential candidate from McGovern on. She's had a LOT of life experience, and she's as liberal as ever. She encouraged my interest in politics, but let me develop my views on my own.

[WMliberal]

58. their entire political discourse is summed up in one pithy remark?

Ask them who has the brain if that's as far as they can go.

Issue by issue, ask them. If they claim to have a brain, ergo, be Republican (in their not thought out opinion), ask why they can't discuss why they favor Republicans on the issues.

[LeftyMom]

60. Not here

I'm at the upper end of the age group you're asking about.

My Dad is a liberatarian/small govt/"paleoconservative" sort and didn't like these Nixonians and Raygunites the first time. We disagree about a lot (although we both think Bush is an ass, we just have very different reasons) but he respects my opinion.

My Mom is a dyed-in-the-wool Bay Area liberal. We don't argue about politics because we usually agree. On issues we do disagree about (more related to our family than anything else) she still listens to my opinion.

Your parents really ought to respect you (and by extension thier parenting) by honoring your chioces and feelings even when you disagree.

[fleabert]

61. I'm early thirties, still a Liberal...

my family keeps saying I will 'wise-up' sooner or later. I have heard that same stupid quote too many times to count. One uncle in particular loves to say it, my response is to say that I hope and pray that I am never so greedy as to vote Republican. In fact, the quote my family regurgitates says if your aren't a rethug by 30 you have no brain...I guess I have no brain, thank god.

I can't discuss politics with anyone in my family really (my grandmother was the only other bleeding heart, and she passed away a year ago), and I have a pretty big family (all from Texas!) :-(

[Historic NY]

62. I've been a Democrat all my life.....& will not switch.......

I come from a family of Democrat politicians many years ago so I guess I was exposed early to the differences of being a stuck up conservative or a liberal. I chose liberal. I'm pushing 49 soon.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

63. Anyone who believes in that rhyme...

...supports the Bush war crime.

Say it after me.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

64. I'm 17 and not a Democrat

But have always considered myself a liberal, not because of my parent's choosing, but because of my own choosing. My parents are registered as Independents, but have always voted solidly Democrat.

[Rhiannon12866]

65. My mother believes as yours does

I think all parents are the same, no matter what your age, and I'm twice your age. My mother is very offended at my liberal views and keeps hinting that I'm being influenced by something or somebody, like I've joined some kind of cult, LOL!

As far as I'm concerned, she's the one who's joined the cult, watching FAUX News, and really believing that this is news, but there's no talking to her. We have to be the ones to deprogramme our parents, and not vice-versa. They are the ones who have drunk the kool-aid. We are the ones who have looked for and found the truth. I continually search for it, trying to find out what's really going on. Don't let your parents influence you otherwise. Maybe you can turn them around. My mother, who is devoted to Bush*, is too far gone for me to save. But my grandmother, who voted Democrat for the first time in her life when she voted for Bill Clinton, was not. Only you can judge. I sympathize.:-)

[Bill Lumbergh]

66. My dad is a Repub

We disagree on a lot of stuff politically.

But we can talk.

I think he voted for Kerry this time, although he doesn't discuss who he voted for.

I'm guessing he voted for Kerry because he was adamantly against the war in Iraq, being a doctor and all. And exit polls showed that people who strongly disapproved of the war went like 95/4 Kerry, so I'm just basing it on that.

I think my mom voted for Kerry too. And she is also a Republican, albeit a very liberal one.

[livinginphotographs]

67. 24. And yes.

They think once I start making money I'll become a greedy, self-absorbed, SUV-driving capitalist. :eyes:

[Ekirh]

68. Yah same with my Dad.

My Dad's fond of saying "You will stop disagreeing with taxes cuts once you start earning heftier pay checks...."


at the same time and oddly enough...(We live in VA) Dad actually supports the increase in the cigarette tax (He does smoke) but despite that... he HATES Mark Warner.

[youngred]

69. my mom will be protesting with me on Jan 20

they have kept their views for life and expect that I probably will too

[dean_dem]

70. That quote you mention....

was attributed to Winston Chruchill, I think it was something like, "To be a Conservative at 20 is to have no soul, to be a liberal at 40 is sheer idiocy." I've heard it too.

Yeah, great remark, the only problem is HE NEVER SAID IT! I emailed the Winston Churchill Centre about it a while back when I was getting sick of hearing it. Turns out its a common myth about Churchill that he made the remark. Of course, a quote he actually did make was: "Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

Next time somebody tries to feed you that B.S., hit them right back with that quote.