That only works when people are able to successfully find a comfortable place in the system, then the urge to say “fuck you, got mine” grows more and more, making conservatism increasingly likely. But when the system breaks and multiple entire generations stop getting theirs, FUGM stops being a possible option— you ain’t got any to say got mine about.

Accumulated lead poisoning over decades also helps contribute to an increase in likelihood of conservatism as a person ages. Perhaps even more substantially than what I said before.

I’m definitely less liberal. Now I’m an anarchist, leftist, socialist. They were right!

Only if you’ve never known the benefits of positive social experiences.

I can see people who’ve been hurt by groups, repeatedly, come to believe their safety and welfare lies in more individual power and less group power. I can understand becoming selfish if you’ve experienced the freedom of significant individual power.

I do not understand how someone can know billions of us exists and that we have to function as groups, suggest individual power, and less group power, is better for the future of everyone.

I remember when my ex-sister-in-law told me this verbatim. I was enraged.

She’s backed off of that sentiment ten years later now that she’s seen what her votes have gained. But I won’t forget.

The reason people assumed this was the case was that statistically the more money or influence you have the more conservative you become, and for most generations you were able to build savings or property or status slowly as you got older. This stopped being true with milenials.

Somewhat related observation: gen-Z entering the work force right now are highly radical because even while actively working multiple jobs theyre actually losing wealth and are percieved as entirely disposable by employers no matter how long or hard they work.

Uh huh. And you old people picking up your social security, index linked pensions, subsidized healthcare are just so anti-socialism.

This is something I was always told, my family members that would say that were all boomers. Which is just another example of how they fucked us.

Good music and drugs, cheap education, sex in the 70’s along with cheap housing and job security. They voted it all away and said we didn’t deserve it and to pull the bootstraps.

Can’t wait for that generation to go away.

You’re supposed to become more conservative as you gain a larger nest egg to conserve. When even a nest is out of range of affordability for most, these is no nest egg to be conservative about.

I grew up hearing, “a person should be liberal in their youth, otherwise they have no passion; and conservative as an adult, otherwise they have no sense.”

I’m in my late forties and still think it’s as much bullshit as I thought it was as a teen.

I was always told I would become more conservative as I got older.

Joke’s on them. Actually understanding capitalism and conservatism and how politics are corrupted by money has bodily yeeted me so far left that I am two good shakes away from being an anachro-communist.

The real irony being that idealized “pure” democracy - fully participatory democracy where the people vote directly on policy, and politicians and most of the political apparatus no longer exists - is essentially political communism. All that remains are bureaucrats whose only job is to implement and coordinate the policies that the people vote for.

50s here. I’ve only gotten more to the left than ever. At this rate, I’ll be an anarcho-communist by the mid terms!

As a child I went to this man’s Halloween show at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA where he was a professor of chemistry. Amazing show! Love seeing this meme.

I remember hearing that I’d become more conservative as I got older. 15 year old me thought “sure, communism and anarchism are great IN THEORY but they could never work in the real world!” and 48 year old me thinks “anarchism-syndicalism is the ideal, we just need to smash the state so they don’t crush the movement in its infancy!”

You usually become more fiscally conservative though because you have decades of savings, home, car, etc that you’ve worked for.