Despite this passion, our political beliefs are more fluid than we would like to believe. Personal experiences can shift one’s ideology, and our conversations with others should reflect that our political views can and often do change swiftly.
I, for one, entered college as a bit of a socialist who believed that President Obama was too right-wing. But classes in economics, public finance, and political science shifted my beliefs toward a more pro-establishment perspective. Furthermore, I disliked leftist clubs on campus because of how ideologically charged they were. It seemed they disregarded any belief that didn’t already fit in with their preconceived worldview, which made me not want to associate with them politically. None of this is to say that I am more correct about political beliefs than others; rather, it shows that my experiences over the past four years significantly shaped my new opinions.
Nor am I alone in my “evolution.” The general populace also politically shifts over time. A 2007 study in the American Sociological Review found that as people aged, they became more accepting of changing societal norms. Later in life, survey respondents were more likely to be tolerant of homosexuals, have more liberal attitudes toward premarital sex or believe that women could be capable breadwinners. This could also arguably be attributed to these people’s personal experiences over time.
Our political opinions are much more malleable than we may think they are, even in the short term. Researchers from Ohio State University and Colorado State University split a group of 178 college students into two groups — one that watched a crime drama, and another that watched an unrelated drama — to test the show’s influence on their views. The students who watched the crime drama were more likely to support the death penalty compared to the control group, regardless of their original political affiliation.
Tracing the lives of politicians further confirms that our political beliefs are hardly static. Hillary Clinton was originally a Republican, and Ronald Reagan was originally a Democrat. Since 1980, 16 members of the House of Representatives have switched their party affiliations. Even here in San Diego, political affiliations are changing: Former Assemblyman and UCSD Professor of Practice Nathan Fletcher moved from the Republican Party to an Independent and then, recently, to the Democratic Party. President Barack Obama recanted his opposition on same-sex marriage after an outburst by Vice President Joe Biden forced him to address the issue.
Political loyalties are not set in stone, and new experiences may change how we view the world. One’s life path may genuinely lead him or her to a different political outlook, but it is hardly a final state. The fluidity of political beliefs further suggests that our differences are not innate and that conversations about politics are not truly as divisive a subject as conventional wisdom has held.
