Which influences your political views most?

[Zarn]

The scenario: My American government teacher asked our class (all 13 of us) how we ordered these nine things in terms of influence on one's political status. I was wondering how everyone at CFC would order their list.

Here is mine

1) Religion (believe it or not)
2) Political Events
3) Family
4) Economic Status
5) Education and Achievement
6) Peers
7) Opinions of leaders
8) Race and Demograhics
9) Media

Here is my class on average

1) Family
2) Education and Achievement
3) Media
4) Peers
5a) Economic Status
5b) Political Events
7) Religion
8) Race and Demoghraphics
9) Opinions of Leaders


You can only order these nine here.

Enjoy.

 

[jack merchant]

1 Education - in the sense that I used to be somewhat more left-wing, until studying economics brought me in touch with reality)
2 Family - My value system & social conscience have been very much determined by my upbringing
3 Political events (insofar as they change my perception of any particular party)
4 Religion (as in, a party's being religious is an active disqualifier for me to vote for that party)
5/6 Economic status/demographics - these are not all that different from each other if you assume one's social position determines what a person votes - however, I prefer to vote for something that I think is right and good rather than purely out of self-interest
7 Media - I hope its influence on me is not too big - it can play a role in people's votes by spinning events, and not always, or even usually, in a good way
8 Opinions of leaders - hardly
9 Peers - never - what do they know ?

 

[nihilistic]

1) Education and Achievement
2) Political Events
3) Religion
4) Peers
5) Opinions of Leaders
6) Family
7) Economic Status
8) Race and Demoghraphics
9) Media

 

[muppet]

Could you elaborate a little more for the dense ones like me?

Is the question about:
(a) how I or You specifically orders these things, or
(b) how I or You perceive how others or the general populace orders these things?

Also, what is meant by political status?

Edit: Oops. Nevermind. I can gather from the two simul-posts what the question is about!

 

[Zarn]

(a) It's about how you order them. I want want influence YOU most. i already gave mine.

politcal status: It's where you are politcally. My influences lead me to being a Republican.

 

[cgannon64]

My list:

1) Political Events - 9/11 and the War in Iraq really changed my views on the world
2) Religion - Helped my anti-war and pacifist stance
3) Education - Nothing like History to teach you the evils of war and the hypocrisy of...everyone!
4) Family - I take my skepticism from my family
5) Peers - I learn NOT to have the blind patriotism of these people
6) Media - Can't deny the bias this gives everyone
7) Economic Status - Very little. I'm middle class...
8) Opinions of Leaders - Very little.
9) Race and Ethnicity - Hmm...not much here. White-Irish-Catholic...

 

[Archer 007]

1) Religion
2) Political Events
3) Education and Achievement
4) Economic Status
5) Race and Demoghraphics
6) Opinions of Leaders
7) Family
8) Peers
9) Media

The media, peers, and family are at the bottom, because they are mostly fools who have no real idea what the real motives are.

 

[muppet]

1) Education and Achievement
2) Family - Most moral values adopted from parents.
3) Political Events - Unfortunately, too important to ignore.
4) Race and Demographics - MY political position may be marginally effected by my Race.
5) Economic Status - My political position is not reflective of my fortunate economic status.
6) Peers - I think most of them slept through college or purchased their graduate degrees.
7) Religion - HA!
8) Opinion of Leaders - I live in a democratic country. When I offer an opinion, I expect my leader to listen. When my leader offers an opinion, I expect an announcement to employ ear plugs.
9) Media - LOL! It's for the intellectually challenged.

I would rank items 4 to 9 as tied for 9!

 

[Silverflame]

1) Political Events
2) Education and Achievement
3) Economic Status
4) Opinions of Leaders
5) Peers (I influence them now)
6) Family
7) Media
8) Race and Demoghraphics
9) Religion (I'm secular)

 

[Toasty]

1) Religion (Atheism )
2) Political Events
3) Education and Achievement
4) Opinions of leaders
5) Economic Status
3) Family
6) Peers
8) Race and Demograhics
9) Media

 

[Akka]

Gnuh...
Hard to answer : except for education and family, there is nothing on this list that influence my political opinions...
And the most important factor (personnal ideals) is not even listed...
Well, I'll try anyway...

1) Education and Achievement (used to be much more on the right until class about history and society brought me back on reality)
2) Family (well, obviously, you're always influenced by the people that raised you)
3) Political Events (though they don't change my political status, they can change the way I vote, if some political side is really screwing it up)
4) Opinions of leaders (I'm a bit puzzled here : is this the opinion you personnally have of the leaders, or their opinions ? I ranked it as if it was the first case)
5) Media (I suppose that anyone can be a bit manipulated by the medias if he does not keep his guard up)
6) Peers (perhaps a good rhetorical peer can change some of your views on some points ^^)
7) Economic Status (not important, but well still more than the two others)
8) Religion (clearly not related to politics, but I suppose that the philosophy coming with a religion could somehow alter the political ideas)
9) Race and Demograhics (doh...)

 

[kmad]

1) Political Events - I think this is required #1 on everyones list.. political events are what make politics..
2) Education and Achievement - if I weren't educated I wouldn't be able to form an opinion huh?
3) Opinions of leaders - the only reason why I hate America right now
4) Media - sometimes i'll distrust a government if what the media tells us is obviously deceiving
5) Race and Demograhics - tells us how good the country is being run
6) Religion - if there is religion involved I hate it already
7) Peers - teachers, etc.
8) Family - my family doesn't like politics, theyre more of a philosophical discussion family
9) Economic Status - I don't even think I have an economic status

 

[GenMarshall]

1) Family
2) Economic Status
3) Political Events
4) Education and Achievement
5) Peers
6) Opinions of leaders
7) Race and Demograhics
8) Media
9) Religion

 

[Simon Darkshade]

1) Race and Demographics
2) Political Events
3) Religion
4) Opinions of Leaders
5) Education and Achievement
6) Economic Status
7) Family
8) Peers
9) Media

 

[Sultan Bhargash]

1) Political Events
2) Opinions of Leaders
3) Education and Achievement
4) Economic Status
5) Media
6) Race and Demographics
7) Peers
8) Family
9) Religion

These are generally listed by how close to relevant to my choices (which aren't always strictly reasoned out) would be to my beliefs. The events and expressed opinions of leaders seem most important. Once my list gets down below economics, the influences are negligible.

 

[Stapel]

Not easy, I guess we don't know exactly the mind works, but:

1. Family ie My mother. She has been political active all of her life. She is a liberal. She is also christian, but refuses to use here cristian values in politics. I think the same, though I am not a christian.
2. Education
3. Econimic status. Common sense. In NL many social security laws are abused or miss their goal. A good reason to avoid socialist in our government (IMHO ).
4. Media
5. Demographics. race? come on! no!
6. Political events
7. Peers
8. Leaders
9. Religion

Religion does not belong in politics! It is personal.

 

[G-Man]

1) Political events
2) Opinion on leaders


I try to avoid the effects of all other things so any effect they're having is mostly without me really noticing it.


Edit: You have just 13 people in your class? What kind of a school is it?

 

[EzInKy]

Why isn't just plain ol' right and wrong on the list?

 

[Cecasander]

1) Political Events. Politics make the world
2) Eductation. The case that I study journalism gives me a great way to reach out to the world. I watch a lot of news on different chanels and read severe newspapers.
3) Peers. The fact I spend a lot of time with left-wing friends made me a left-winger for some way, but alos becourse i didn't agree with my right-wing friends
4) Family. My parents raised my not only to care for yourself, but also to care about others and know there is a 'common good'
5) Race and Ethnicity. Mainly becourse I dislike people who hate people for having the 'wrong' religion. And politicians who make 'black sheeps' from these enthical minorities.
6) Media. It infuences us always, the way we think, if only by the fact that editors dicite what info is important or not, when others might think its important. Most of the times not on purpose, but it still influences.
7) Opinions of Leaders. I might like or dislike people for what they stand for.
8) Economic Status. I hope I don't get a right-winger when I might get rich
9) I don't have any specific religion in which to believe but my own.

 

[CornMaster]

I'll play...

1) Political Events - Duh...
2) Education and Achievement - Duh Pt. 2
3) Opinions of leaders - It matters what leaders think/say as it gives us the best idea of what they support. I applaud the current Canadian Government, and boo the current American...
4) Economic Status - I'm not sure if this is of me, or of society in general. But I'm sure if I wasn't so dirty poor growing up, I may have slightly different views. But fair, and right/wrong have a lot to do with it.
5) Race and Demograhics - I'm assuming this has to do with culture and such, along with polls and statistics. And while they play a part...not a huge one.
6) Family - Well.....my mother and I share many views. I'm not sure if my father has any either way....oh wait...we talked about it the other night and got into a fight...(well...mini fight. ) He buys all the American BS propaganda. I can't want till he gets back from Sealing to rub it in his face. And my two sisters also have no opinions...(that I know of.) And I don't speak to my extended family....so I don't know their views either. (Many of them are dead anyway...)
7) Peers - Me and my friends don't talk about politics much.
8) Media - I blow off most Media as propaganda from one source or another....I listen...but don't take much as stock unless verified by other sources.
9) Religion - Religion is what is wrong with the world....well actually...it's the clashing of religions....but since I do not believe in such nonsense, it has no bering on my beliefs.

Of course...this doesn't really give a clear picture. Since we don't know the scope of positive and/or negative implications of these points.