It’s not entirely an age thing. Yes to an extent neuroplasticity decreases, attitudes become ossified, struggle of youth becomes forgotten, the material comforts of “getting yours” etc.
But I think most of it is indoctrination. If it were simply age then that would mean most people on here are going to become conservatives in old age and I just don’t see that happening. I’m over 30 and I keep moving left. I was much more reactionary at 15 than I am now. I think we have access to information previous generations did not, however we also go out of our way to vet sources, etc. There are lots of young people who get caught in a reactionary echo chamber. In particular people over 40 have been taught that Israel is the “only democracy in the middle east” etc.
Mark Ames of Radio War Nerd, a Gen X guy, went on Chapo, and talked about how he was a Republican Zionist in the 1980s and one of the things that got him to open his eyes was going to Israel and seeing how much it didn’t live up to what he was told about it. The 2nd thing was getting spied on by the ADL for being an anti-apartheid activist. Even though he was a Republican Zionist and Jewish, the fucking ADL was spying on him, for being left wing on an issue totally unrelated to Israel. That made him move left. So it’s not just age, it’s escaping your reactionary echo chamber.
It’s not entirely an age thing. Yes to an extent neuroplasticity decreases, attitudes become ossified, struggle of youth becomes forgotten, the material comforts of “getting yours” etc.
But I think most of it is indoctrination. If it were simply age then that would mean most people on here are going to become conservatives in old age and I just don’t see that happening. I’m over 30 and I keep moving left. I was much more reactionary at 15 than I am now. I think we have access to information previous generations did not, however we also go out of our way to vet sources, etc. There are lots of young people who get caught in a reactionary echo chamber. In particular people over 40 have been taught that Israel is the “only democracy in the middle east” etc.
Mark Ames of Radio War Nerd, a Gen X guy, went on Chapo, and talked about how he was a Republican Zionist in the 1980s and one of the things that got him to open his eyes was going to Israel and seeing how much it didn’t live up to what he was told about it. The 2nd thing was getting spied on by the ADL for being an anti-apartheid activist. Even though he was a Republican Zionist and Jewish, the fucking ADL was spying on him, for being left wing on an issue totally unrelated to Israel. That made him move left. So it’s not just age, it’s escaping your reactionary echo chamber.
for anyone who doesn’t know, ADL stands for Apartheid Defense League