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Has anyone ever had their mind changed on a political/religious/controversial issue?

F

flkraven

Member
Tossing this question out for the people of NeoGAF, but any anecdotes about others would be welcome.

People get into heated debates all the time on reddit, Neogaf, etc. So much energy, research, anger, vitriol, effort, & fact-checking- yet does any of it actually work? Is anyone's mind ever changed? I'm not talking about small things like 'which are the best sneakers'. I'm talking about 'Is climate change caused by humans', abortion, military spending, the death penalty, healthcare (US), transgender rights, gay marriage, affirmative action, and so on. Not people on the fence of contentious issues (like should the minimum wage be $12 or $15), but whether or not the minimum wage should exist all type stuff. Is anyone actually moved or is it just a bunch of wasted time?

I didn't remember it feeling so hopeless. My story: I used to be strongly against hunting in all forms. I hated the idea of anyone picking up a gun and shooting an animal. I'm not a vegetarian or anything, but it was just something I believed. I didn't think a non-farmer should be out there killing wild animals. After listening to a debate in college in my speech communications class, I now believe that some forms of hunting are okay (and can actually be a good thing). I flipped to the other side of an issue. Likewise, I used to be in favour of the death penalty and now I'm strongly against it.
 
S

Slayven

Member
Death penalty, I am a lot less for then i use to be. Still think certain people should still be taken out back and double tapped.
 
D

Davilmar

Member
Changed my views on death penalty, the War in Iraq, and somewhat on abortion. Just those views off the top of my head.
 
E

EdibleKnife

Member
I honestly wasn't a feminist some 4-5 years ago. I was on this site and made fun of initiatives like Feminist Frequency but thankfully the efforts of women like Anita, female journalists and women on this site made me look at myself critically and grow up.
 
P

Platy

Member
Death penalty, if it matters if the fetus is a living being or not for abortion, when an abotion must be performed, lots of social issues in relation to class and capitalism, that everything is more complex than originally imagined
 
J

joe2187

Banned
GMO's. Though mainly because I was a kid and my only exposure was heavily biased documentaries, but this forum actually taught me that not everything is as black and white as it seems.
 
LordKasual

LordKasual

Banned
flkraven said:
People get into heated debates all the time on reddit, Neogaf, etc. So much energy, research, anger, vitriol, effort, & fact-checking- yet does any of it actually work?
Click to expand...

No.

Energy, research, anger, vitriol, and fact-checking will never change someone's mind when it's already made up.

people need to experience things to change, words are worthless like 85% of the time.


that's why so many of these GAF "issue" threads are wastes of time. Just a bunch of people coughing up their opinions and views, praying someone disagrees with them so that they can expose how wrong they are.

The only results are either assimilation or further detachment, at least from what i've observed.
 
G

Glix

Member
Yes, of course.

Capitol punishment was a big one for me. And many of my views get adjusted and stuff, these issues all have lots of nuance.
 
N

Neece

Member
Yes. Many of my most deeply personal held beliefs changed over time due to arguements posted on forums.
 
S

Skellig Gra

Member
Very much had my mind changed on prison sentences. I now firmly believe prison should be heavily focused on rehabilitation/reintegration not just punishment.
 
V

Viewt

Member
So fucking many. White supremacy will fuck your head up and have you believing all kinds of stupid shit.

I was never an overt racist, but the system is set up in such a way to make white and white-presenting people oblivious to their own privilege. That and embedded fragility made me really defensive whenever institutional racism was brought up. It's so damn easy to look at racism as a binary thing - you're either trying to lynch people or you're Mr. Kumbaya. In reality, all white people participate in a structure that affords us more opportunity and protection that simply does not exist for other demographics. It's not that we're all millionaires, it's just that the game is substantially less stacked against us.

Anywho, I credit a lot of very patient people for helping me break out of that mindset. I probably didn't deserve it, but I'm thankful, nonetheless.
 
L

Linkark07

Banned
Well, yes; age made me change. Being born in quite a conservative country, I was a racist, homophobic and xenophobic piece of shit. Again, age started changing my mind and slowly but surely I started abandoning all those awful stances. GAF also helped me realize what a terrible person I was back then.
 
A

Atomic Playboy

Member
I'm now firmly against the death penalty, which I used to be quite keen on (because there's a lot of assholes in the world, you know?). Too many exonerations based on evidence that wasn't available at the time (like DNA); if you can't be 100% sure that you aren't executing an innocent person, it shouldn't be used. That and it actually costs more than a life sentence, so it's not even saving money.

A friend of mine changed my mind on gun control. He's a former Army guy, likes shooting guns, and he flat-out told me "there's no reason for civilians to have access to AR-15s and AKs. I like shooting them, but I'm willing to give that up to keep them away from crazy people." Before that I was very much in the "sure, let everyone have guns, fuck it" mindset.
 
G

Grym

Member
I used to be Catholic. I used to be socially conservative. I used to be against abortion. I used to be against LGBT.

I am now atheist. I am now socially liberal. I am now pro-choice. I am now vocally supportive of LGBT.

In my experience the surroundings you grow up with have a huge influence on your worldview. Growing up, moving and experiencing people and things you never have previously, etc. can change you immensely as an individual. Either that or I was brainwashed through our public university system and/or media
 
V

Viewt

Member
Platy said:
Oh and how much is the fault of religion for religious people be assholes.
Click to expand...

I'm iffy on this, for sure. I think organized religion is another power structure where, when abused for ill intent, is extremely efficient at dishing out misery. But I also know a lot of people who've drawn strength, confidence, and good-heartedness out of their religious community. I'm not a believer, but if someone is able to use religion to become a better person, I'm all for it. It just needs to be closely monitored/regulated to avoid the aforementioned systematic abuse.
 
F

Fenderputty

Banned
180's:

- Homosexuality
- Death Penalty
- Was religious, then a deist now an agnostic atheist.
- Illegal immigration

Refined my preexisting beliefs:

- Economics

No effect:

- Guns. I still like mine.
 
T

Trigonometrize.

Member
I used to be anti-abortion, but then once someone pointed out to me that all of the points along the fetus' development are completely arbitrarily chosen and do not really offer a good argument for affording someone the right to human life, I became pro-abortion. And pro-abortion well past the point most people would be comfortable, or at least thinking that it's a morally neutral act.
 
K

Knuckle Sandwich

Member
I used to be a big JFK conspiracy kid because of Oliver Stone's movie. I think either my brother or one of his friends talked sense into me when I was in high school.
 
S

Serpens007

Member
joe2187 said:
GMO's. Though mainly because I was a kid and my only exposure was heavily biased documentaries, but this forum actually taught me that not everything is as black and white as it seems.
Click to expand...

Yes, GMOs, Vaccines, Feminism, etc. I was never a misogynist or anything, but I failed to see a lot of points regarding male privileges, abortion, etc.

Not only in this forum, but getting to watch actual science people talking about these topics made me re think a lot of stuff
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
I used to largely support the death penalty. I am now strongly against it. This was due to a series of conversations, reading up on it, and self-reflection.
 
LordKasual

LordKasual

Banned
Neece said:
Not true.
Click to expand...

It depends entirely on the person.

but since we're on GAF, i'm assuming OP was talking about the sorts of thread convos we have here.

in my experience, when someone invests really deep into an idea or ideal, it's nigh impossible to sway them with logic or facts. You can seed something into ears with arguments, but the trigger itself is usually something that has to come from within the person themselves to actually change.
 
P

Perfect Blue

Banned
Used to be anti-Apple now I own an iPad Pro, iPhone, and buying a MacBook Pro. Also was a dumb kid in high school with some anti-gay views but that was ages ago and now I'm as pro-gay rights as you can be.
 
D

Doctor_Thomas

Member
For a short time I genuinely believed that Gamer Gate was actually about ethics in video game journalism. Embarassingly naive choice from me. I own up to it because, honestly, it is awful and I'll never pretend it wasn't.

Other than that, there's not really a massive amount of things I've changed on. I've always been very left wing, probably a "liberal socialist" and have been since I was, basically, politically aware. If anything I've become more hardline in that direction due to the rising right wing.

Pro-LGBT rights. Feminist. Humanist. Pro-Choice. Against the death penalty. For equality. Against the Tories.
 
L

Liu Kang Baking A Pie

Member
Serpens007 said:
I was never a misogynist or anything, but I failed to see a lot of points regarding male privileges, abortion, etc.
Click to expand...
I know for sure I was a misogynist as a teen to early 20s, and it took many, many women in my life to show me how I rarely genuinely listened to women to get their perspective.

I see many kids making the same mistake now where their podcasts, books, websites, games, and shows are all male-dominated, and they don't realize how they only really understand the motivations and thoughts behind a tiny segment of the global population. Their worldview is completely skewed by primarily taking in performative masculinity as their news, edification, and entertainment.
 
S

shaneo632

Member
Up to my mid-20s I really wasn't sure about surgeries for trans people. Seemed very "drastic".

But I researched the issue and found it unthinkable to want to stand in the way of someone trying to find happiness.

Empathy is the most important tool to change minds.
 
V

Vincent Grayson

Member
I've changed my mind on many things over the years, but never because I "had my mind changed" by someone, so much as through personal growth, seeing more of the world, etc.

Mostly, I've become more and more liberal and/or left-leaning over time.
 
A

Alex_Mexico

Member
I used to be very conservative about many things (just not GOP-levels of conservative like I was never against immigration or for fucking guns).

I used to be totally against abortion, against gay marriage and gay adoption. Goes with being raised in a catholic school. But I've done a 180 on all of that.

But even during my most hardcore conservative years I always disagreed with the Iraq war and also remember watching Bowling for Columbine and being flabbergasted thinking "why would anyone think everyone having access to guns is a good idea?".

Of course I don't like in the US of A so that may have a lot to do with it.
 
S

Sir Abacus

Member
Gay marriage. It was 2003, I was out with a friend and his friend who is gay. Somehow it got around to gay marriage for some reason. I felt icky about gay people because I was 21 and stupid, the gay friend turned to me and said "you don't want me to be able to get married?". It was at that point I realized how stupid it all was and immediately changed my view to pro-gay marriage and have been ever since.
 
A

Aaronrules380

Member
I don't think any of my major view changes have come directly straight from conversations with others, but I do think conversing with others, fact checking, and similar activities did play a major part as a catalyst that got me thinking on topics and got the ball rolling
 
T

tr4nce 26

Banned
I was an atheist all my life, but in the last two years I have been walking with Christ. I try my hardest to live my life by what God deems righteous, but like every other person on earth I have my struggles and faults, which is why Christ came to save us in the first place.

My views are all biblical, but I completely respect anything anyone wants to do with their own lives. I will always tell someone what God's word says about a certain subject if they ask me. I fear God, not man. Man has the power to end my life here on earth, but God has the power to cast my soul to complete separation from him for eternity, and that thought is chilling.

So yes, I have indeed had changed viewpoints on many subjects.
 
D

Dan-o

Member
I've changed my opinion on issues more as a silent observer than actively partaking in debates with people I disagree with.

Religion, right vs left politics, all that stuff... but if I had to focus on one topic, I'd say trans/intersex/non-binary rights and issues. As a default (I use default jokingly, as I now know how fucking dumb that is) cis white hetero male, it was far too easy for me to be ignorant about it, and I'm sure I made my share of poor-taste jokes in the past that would make 2017-me punch 19xx or 20xx-me in his stupid fucking face. I think observing "GG" go down played a part in my "wokeness" about non-binary issues, though, as I got exposure to more varied communities and entertainment and such.
 
A

AnathemicOne

Banned
I have, and it's my view on black people. For reference I'm asian and very much bought the "good minority" stereotype but only for selfish reasons. Asian American communities tend to be very exclusive and only look out for other fellow asian americans at the cost of other minorities. Was always a liberal but only to move social progress for the benefit of Asian americans.

GAF changed that mindset and I'm now open and empathitic to all plight of all and any minorities in the US.
 
P

Platy

Member
Viewt said:
I'm iffy on this, for sure. I think organized religion is another power structure where, when abused for ill intent, is extremely efficient at dishing out misery. But I also know a lot of people who've drawn strength, confidence, and good-heartedness out of their religious community. I'm not a believer, but if someone is able to use religion to become a better person, I'm all for it. It just needs to be closely monitored/regulated to avoid the aforementioned systematic abuse.
Click to expand...

ironically what made me change my mind on that is seeing people like TERFs who have the basic same hatefull ideas as religious people but .... are irreligious or never mention god on the conversation.
 
E

emag

Member
Sure. In high school (mid to late 1990s) I thought communism ("socialism") was a fine system that just hadn't been implemented well in practice. In college I swung around to reading Ayn Rand and her ilk and turning Libertarian. Also in college (circa 2000), I was for civil unions for all domestic partnerships (regardless of sex) with marriage being abolished as a government-sanctioned institution.

I don't think any of those views (none of which I now hold) were changed as the result of a single conversation, but I won't pretend that external forces didn't have an effect. What I learned most as I matured was that society cannot be transformed by fiat, with historical and societal conventions swept under the rug.
 
F

FranF

Banned
I used to be transphobic as hell, viewed trans women as "appropriators of female identity" and trans men as internalized misogynists or whatever the fuck. But they just want to live their lives with the freedom to express themselves and be comfortable in their skin that I take for granted gender-wise. Unlearning hate doesn't happen overnight but I couldn't keep shitting on one of my good friends who was trans
 
llien

llien

Member
Yes, quite a number of times and I think it it is good.

There are facts and there are conclusions. You learn more facts, you get to different conclusions.

I don't have beliefs of religious kind.
 
N

NullPointer

Member
Sunster said:
yes, on this very site many times.
Click to expand...
Truth. I've learned a hell of a lot from the discussions here, and plenty from people who I totally disagree with.

Am always willing to see things from other viewpoints if I can at least understand them on some level. And that practice always shines some light, whether in a better understanding, a softening stance, or in figuring out the ever-present hidden assumptions that can be confronted to change minds.
 
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