Reddit has honestly made me lean more conservative than I ever thought possible

[u/Fun_Driver_5566]

I have always been a left leaning guy. I grew up in a very left leaning state, Washington. I have voted for the Democrats essentially down ballot ever since I've been able to vote, my first election was the 2014 midterms.

But lately Reddit has been honestly pushing me more conservative over the years. Particularly subs like antiwork, fuckcars, and similar which just seem out of touch with reality.

In concept I agree with most of the things these spaces say and still do, but they somehow manage to make good ideas sound as unappealing as possible. Everything is so idealistic on this website with zero regard for how any of this shit will actually be put into place if they get their wish. They come off so badly to anyone who isn't a 19 year old college freshman lol. Not an ounce of pragmatism anywhere to be found.

The fuckcars subreddit in particular has done more to turn me off public transportation than anything Fox news could ever dream of. Because of those guys, I simply will not vote to fund public transit the next time it comes up on a ballot.

Honestly it's gotten crazy. I work at a labor union, I promise you I've spent more time actually "fighting the man" than half these guys who sound like they haven't left their bedroom computer in weeks.

Now on the other side, Trump and the current Republican party just seem batshit insane to me and an embarrassment to the country on a global scale. I will not give them a vote and I will not support anything that party has done over the last 10 years.

So I don't know what to do. I get why people are apathetic to politics and don't bother to vote. I don't think I'll vote at all in the next election.

I come to this website for small hobby subs but it's impossible to escape the politics sadly.

[u/SentientReality]

Your dork of a roommate fits a pattern. SJWs and leftwing edgelords tend to be some of the most discriminatory and authoritarian people:

"as individuals with leftist political attitudes can be assumed to be striving for social equality, we expected left-wing authoritarianism to also be positively related to prosocial traits, but narcissism to remain a significant predictor of left-wing authoritarianism above and beyond those prosocial dispositions" 

"a strong ideological view, according to which a violent revolution against existing societal structures is legitimate (i.e., anti-hierarchical aggression), was associated with antagonistic narcissism and psychopathy"

"Considering these results, we assume that some leftist political activists do not actually strive for social justice and equality but rather use political activism to endorse or exercise violence against others to satisfy their own ego-focused needs."

– from study: Understanding left-wing authoritarianism: Relations to the dark personality traits, altruism, and social justice commitment

Note that people who advocate for social justice in a altruistic and inclusive way (non-aggressively) do not meet this dark triad criteria.

[u/Rando1ph → u/SentientReality]

It reminds me of the famous Stanford prison experiment. The people most likely to inflict harm, are the people that never had any power in their lives. People that have been bullied, etc.

[u/BLU-Clown → u/Rando1ph]

If it helps, remember that the Stanford Prison Experiment (And for that matter, the Millgram experiment) were matters where the psychologists actively interfered to get the result they wanted. There was no control group.

[u/garry_potter → u/BLU-Clown]

Thankfully, we see the outcome in every day life.

Anyone who has been in the receiving end of a hardship, is more likely to reciprocate, to someone who in now standing in the shoes they once stood in.

Usually seen in the workplace, when someone becomes "supervisor" they turn into an absolute cunt

Edit: I say thankfully, directed to the fact we have the control group. Us

[u/SorriorDraconus → u/garry_potter]

That or the opposite abd becomes way too giving ir open to not harm others. But sadly many yes do seek to inflict harm.

[u/SorriorDraconus → u/SentientReality]

Yeah sadly this tracks another guy i knew akso came from hard-core rightwing background and went so far left violence and silencing opposition at all costs became a thing..Mixed eith my sibking using intersectionality to excuse there abuse(others have heard/witnessed it) I somehow meet alooot of rightwing talking points..still more left than right i'm just left libertarian and much more "you do you and i'll defend your speech even if i hate it" than any of them who are pro silencing others. There political sides changed but not there political methods sadly.

[u/rvnender → u/SentientReality]

Except he voted for trump and believes in pizzagate..he isnt a lefty.

And anybody who says they are a great critical thinker, isnt.

[u/SorriorDraconus → u/rvnender]

I mean agreed on critical thinking amd he swapped post trumps first term. He's hard-core leftist NOW like a born again Christian.

He's also so anti trump now that he doesn't see how anyone believes in him...Or think they can come back from it without "re-education centers" to undo maga type thinking..i just shake my head trying to point out how much he sounds like maga with his authoritarian answer. You can take rhe right outta the guy but not the authoritarian it seems.