LoneVoice said:
See?
Listen up...
The Question was clear. It asked "Has any opinion, issue or statement voiced to any of you from the opposing point of view, ever had any impact whatsoever in swaying you to that opposing point of view? If so, what?".
If you read the post by Moi, you'll see that he said that the Democrats listen to their own constituents, and the Republicans listen to their constituents.
That misses the mark.
The issue is do you as a Democrats ever listen to and are impacted by a Republican point of view, or do you as a Republicans ever listen to and are impacted by a Democrat point of view. If neither side ever impacts the other, then they just spewing party rhetoric trash at each other, for no reason.
Let me speak as a recovering rabid socialist. In my foolish youth, I let idealism form my political beliefs. If I read or heard something that supported my view of the world, I incorporated that as added proof that I was right. That is inferential reasoning. When I argued with conservatives, who were people in a different click who I felt looked down upon by, I just thought they were brainwashed and didn't see the big picture. I didn't consider where they were coming from. That is arrogance.
Luckily, I did learn about debate. Unfortunately, I thought the lesson was that you could come up for proof for anything. Later, I learned some sources are more reliable than others. In debate, it was about winning, so you don't care about the source as long as it supports you want it to. In the battlefield of ideas, it is about being right, so it is very important to consider the validity of "proof".
Later, I had a good friend who was a Republican. He wasn't socially conservative, but he believed in small government, cutting social spending, and other "evil conservative" ideas. We would often get into arguments, which was good because I didn't have any other friends who enjoyed political discussions. We almost always disagreed. However, a few days later I would think about his arguments and find that they made a lot of sense. After a couple of years, I found that my views were becoming more conservative because it made more sense.
Through the years, I learned more about economics. The more I learned about economics, the more conservative fiscal policy made sense.
After 9/11, I learned that evil truly exists. Good and evil cannot exist in the same space. This changed my world view. I went from being unsure about George W. Bush to being a staunch supporter after witnessing how he handled the aftermath.
After I had a child, I found that my personal morality was lacking. I listened to people who I before thought were "holier than thou". They began to make sense. I realized we must improve ourselves to be the best possible example to our children.
So, yes, I was swayed by the "dark side". However I see it as growing and improving my mind. The more I learn, the more I can piece together to find The Big Truth. I have learned to rely on deductive reasoning removed from emotion. I am guided by what is, not what I want to be true or what I fear to be true.
I will not be swayed back, though. You see, I have already been over every argument that a liberal could possibly think of. I used to believe it. I now know it is a bunch of nonsense. It is harmful to me, my family, and my country. I will fight to the death do defend your right to believe and say it, but I will pray that you will begin to use the divine gift of reason someday.
