“My parents told me if you vote Republican, your life will get better. Well, things are not getting better, and these guys have been in charge for a while, and we’ve got dirty water and cancer and rising costs” - says Republican Iowa voter on why he is switching sides

[u/Quiet-Battle8005]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/republican-says-he-s-ditching-the-party-over-one-painful-realization/ar-AA2e4Cs5?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6ace1e1abb0a4fe6804facdaf61c622b&ei=99

[u/BananasPineapple05]

"I voted Republican because my parents told me to" is just about the dumbest shit I've ever heard.

And my mother controlled my life way longer than most people would consider normal for all kinds of reasons that are not relevant to this.

But anyone who's ever heard of the teenage years should be well aware that this some BS. It's laziness and a thorough acceptance that you don't need to be curious or ask questions, because life hasn't been "hard enough" (whatever that means) for you to start questioning things.

"I voted Republican because my parents told me" is code for "I was born on third base and had every reason to believe things would only ever improve for me."

[u/JordanRS1980 → u/BananasPineapple05]

While I don't disagree with you, it's not like this is unheard of. It's really no different than religion being passed down from parents to children.

[u/BananasPineapple05 → u/JordanRS1980]

Yeah. That's also very strange to me.

I realize there is no line in the sand that lets us know we have "achieved adulthood" but people who just defer to whatever it was that their parents did on things that are not, like, recipes and family traditions boggle my mind. Like, you believe you only have one life to live, right? Are you planning on making thoughtful decisions about it any time soon or is just "yeah, I dunno..."

[u/JordanRS1980 → u/BananasPineapple05]

I'm with you, I will never fully understand it. I think a large part of it comes down to education, or lack thereof. People who aren't interested in learning, or given the opportunity, are less likely to ask questions and less likely to consider other viewpoints. At least this person is using their lived experience to change how they vote (assuming the story is legit).

[u/ElephantFamous4117]

If only all of this could somehow have been predicted..... Who knew? /s

[u/Automatic_Candle3830 → u/ElephantFamous4117]

Only Nostradamus could have foreseen this. /s

[u/Waquoit95]

It must’ve sucked having morons for parents.

[u/Gloomy_Session_3875]

What parents tell their kids who to vote for? How are the kids going to learn to think for themselves?

[u/Kihran → u/Gloomy_Session_3875]

My great grandfather told my grandma who to vote for. She never questioned it her whole life (Republicans).

[u/theRemixNow → u/Gloomy_Session_3875]

when my husband briefly said that he admired Obama’s intelligence, his mom yelled at him and told him that she wouldn’t have any Obama lovers in her house

[u/MiserableChain2644 → u/theRemixNow]

Could his mom have been using "Obama lovers" as a euphemism? Politics and family can be difficult, but it's ok to disagree politely and live your values.

[u/beckerman67 → u/Gloomy_Session_3875]

At 18 or 19 I’d have been more likely to be influenced by my parents having not developed my own political identity at such a young age. Yes, at some point we need to think for ourselves.

[u/HawgChuggins]

No he won't. He will vote for the Dems this one time. And then in 2028 he'll vote for his favorite child rapist again. They don't change, we did all this in 2020, and where did that leave us? With MAGAts cheering for higher prices.

The first time someone hits this loser with an "I told you so" he will immediately run back to Republicans and vote for them again.

The MAGAt cry babies could prove me wrong, but I doubt very much they will.

[u/Artaxmudshoes]

My father told me that the older I get the more conservative I will become and the smarter he will seem to me. Both have been exactly the opposite.

[u/hyphenssuck]

Having been raised in a very "conservative" (really just a Rush Limbaugh cult follower abusive father) household, I sympathize with the plight.

But this is where education is so vital. If properly taught to think for yourself, to ask questions, don't accept ideas without justification. These mindless cult like ideas have a harder time taking hold. Yet public education itself traditionally promoted the same problematic foundational concepts.

So I guess on the whole it mostly was all a bit of a trap for the mind. I feel a lot of sympathy for people who fell prey to it.

[u/tlhsg]

your parents are dumb, no offense. next time as for an argument, reasons, evidence.

[u/SimkinCA]

go to your parents house and lock out Faux News!

[u/Porunga23]

No one’s life has ever gotten better by voting republican (conservative) except for the politician themselves and their rich friends/donors/lobbyist/owners.

[u/quail_challenge122]

Iowa is the cancer capital of the world

[u/Gingeronimoooo]

Well, I respect they can admit they were wrong.

Shameful it took so long but I still welcome them to the side of common sense,
Empathy, and decency