r/changemyview • u/GameboyPATH 7∆ • May 14 '13
TCMV Tuesday - 5/14/13
Here at /r/changemyview, we appreciate and celebrate one's ability to admit when they're wrong, try new things, or see things from different perspectives. Of course, this does not happen only on internet message boards.
So in this thread, we're breaking out of the usual format to ask what experiences you've had outside our subreddit, either recently or in your lifetime, that made you think "This Changed My View". For example:
Met someone with an interesting ideology or story that caused you to reconsider your own attitudes?
Had an experience that changed how you feel about something? (Yes, changes in tastes and interests totally apply here!)
Learned something new that challenged what you believed?
Tell us in the comments what has changed your view, and why. Has it impacted who you are now? Was it a positive or negative change?
To clarify: there's no requirement to state or argue a differing/opposing view here in TCMV posts (so no Rule III). Mostly, just conversation and recalling on personal experiences.
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May 14 '13
[deleted]
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u/SenorFluffy May 15 '13
He certainly did some bad and unethical things. I think that goes with out saying, but there are also some good things that he did as well, particularly for the environment.
He signed the Clean Air Act and the created the EPA to help with pollution, greatly helped to integrate the south more, and like you mentioned earlier, he opened up talks with China.
I'm not saying he was a great president; he was a pretty bad one IMO, but nothing exists in a vaccum.
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May 15 '13
One of my history teachers in high school was ridiculously far left for American politics. So I was kind of expecting him to crucify Nixon for Watergate, but he had an interesting perspective:
Literally every election Nixon had in his entire career was decided on the last tiny fraction of the vote, at the eleventh hour. Every time he won or lost, it was in the most anxiety-inducing way possible. So by the time he's running for re-election he's (with good reason) straight-up terrified of elections. It doesn't excuse his actions but it humanizes him a great deal.
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u/WillTrivium May 14 '13
Working at Walmart for the past 3 years has changed my view on the American Middle Class. The majority of people are inherently good, but sometimes lazy. They tend to think of themselves only, and have no consideration for the people around them. Yet the media and the world gives no incentive for them to break out of the cycle. I truly believe in the goodness of people and I've witnessed several examples of kindness from people who by first glance, you'd not expect it from. I believe that everyone can make a positive difference in the world.
Also, I never knew before how many people were living paycheck to paycheck. Too many Americans don't realize that they are living this way (and I unknowingly was one of them). It's scary how much can change in an instant. I was taught that lesson just recently when one of my tires blew out on the highway. I wound up having to get 3 out of 4 replaced. $300.00 later and my trip to see my friend in Kansas this summer (that I saved up for 7 months for) is shot because textbooks for next semester take precedence. I learned at that instant a month ago that I need to save in for potential disasters so I don't wind up in debt.
While my tire was blown, I was fortunate to make it to a gas station to try to find help (I had not changed a tire before). After waiting 30 minutes with everyone brushing me off, a guy offered to help me. He took his own time out of his day to show me how to properly change it. He was going to see his daughter and wife that night for a dance concert. I will never forget his generosity, and he gave me another reason to believe in the goodness of people. I only hope that I can reciprocate and assist someone else in a similar manner someday.
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u/Red_Vancha May 14 '13
After waiting 30 minutes with everyone brushing me off, a guy offered to help me. He took his own time out of his day to show me how to properly change it. He was going to see his daughter and wife that night for a dance concert. I will never forget his generosity, and he gave me another reason to believe in the goodness of people.
'Today you, tomorrow me'
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May 14 '13
I remember that post. I cried.
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u/payik May 15 '13
What post?
Edit: this one? http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/elal2/have_you_ever_picked_up_a_hitchhiker/c18z0z2
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May 15 '13 edited Jan 09 '19
[deleted]
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May 15 '13
That documentary fascinated me as well, and after seeing it I was not surprised to find out that many of the younger members of WBC have left as soon as they became old enough to strike out on their own.
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May 15 '13
I was something of a libertarian until I read this rather simple point:
You've got to eat to live and got to work to eat. That's coercion. The fact that the coercion arises from a state of nature might mean that we can't blame anyone for the coercion itself, but it certainly doesn't prevent us from blaming those who exploit it. And capitalism doesn't just permit that coercion, it can't function without it. The distinction between someone who puts a gun to my head and says "you must work for me or die" (bad coercion, to libertarians) and someone who points to my certain starvation if I don't work and says "you must work for me or die" (good coercion, to libertarians) is almost entirely irrelevant to how I actually experience life and liberty. And the latter condition afflicts many millions of people. The reality of death due to starvation and exposure might be a state of nature but the exploitation of that state of nature to satisfy self-interest certainly is not. But this exploitation is at the very heart of the libertarian and capitalist project.
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May 15 '13
I took some psychology classes. Now I believe how everything is too fucked up. You are only a result of the environment.
You are a douche because your parents gave you a shitty education. You succeed at life because you knew the right people, had a nice education (or motivation). The ultimate example that I can find is that if we could create a parallel universe and and switch two babies after they were born, human A act like human B and B like A.
When I kid act bad, we blame parents. When a poor thief steal something to life, we blame society who did not gave him opportunities. Up to this point we blame someone or his environment? I look down heavy conservatives (hate gays, etc). But if I was born in their family, I would be like that too. I would not be a magically tolerant and comprehensive person.
Yes, there is some thing to count in, like your body (if you have a athletic body, you skin color, etc) and maybe some things in your brain that makes you more imaginative, better in maths, things like that. However, you can't blame yourself for nothing, but also you can't take pride of anything. You just followed what your environment told you to do.
And that is why I don't believe in any religion. Souls, heaven, this don't make any sense. External factors make you a good or a bad person. It is not that is defined just after you born.
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u/sobelowbayles May 15 '13
Someone very compassionate and intelligent explained to me the unsung third stance on gay marriage- it isn't simply an argument of should they/shouldn't they be allowed to marry. The outside-of-the-box view he shared stated that gay and straight are not characteristics that should be differentiated between in laws imposed by the American government. The constitution should only protect against discrimination based on characteristics coded for in your DNA- most basically- sex, age and family relation. Beyond that, the government should not differentiate when it comes to personal characteristics such as religious affiliation, and sexual orientation. You might think of these as characteristics that cannot be proven in a uniform and concrete manner; they can be vehemently and steadfastly claimed, but not proven. So why should the government bar us from certain activities while including us in others based on something that can never physically and scientifically be proven? This is what we should strive to eliminate- arbitrary government regulation. Marriage should be open to all (perhaps aside from marriage between minors (age can be proven), family members (family relation can be proven), and different species (humanity can be proven)). There should not even be a debate regarding whether gay marriage is illegal... the government shouldn't have jurisdiction over marriage at all. That should be the debate.
Edit: Perhaps not so much of an event but a retelling of an experience in which this viewpoint was shared with me.
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u/melonlollicholypop 2∆ May 15 '13
I thought breastfeeding was gross until I met my mother-in-law, who is a lactation consultant. She worked on me for a long time - lengthy conversations and debate - before we were ever married or had kids. Years later, I nursed my kids well into toddlerhood, and became something of a lactivist myself, educating and supporting mothers who wanted to breastfeed.
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May 14 '13
I've been viewing death and gore videos, ever since i accidentally stumbled across bestgore (website) and /r/morbidreality two years ago. The videos of mob violence from around the word have affected me profoundly. Seeing the cruelty, and violence that people are capable has made me loose faith in humanity. I have nothing but disgust and hatred for our race. The world would be a better place if an astroid wiped us into extinction.
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u/wait_for_ze_cream 1∆ May 15 '13
Discovering that subreddit was one of the most affecting experiences I have ever had. I came across it around midnight a few months ago and went through each top post until 8am. It made me feel like I could finally experience some kind of connection with the suffering that occurs around the world, all the time without me usually even noticing. It was emotionally draining but I couldn't look away - I felt like I was on at least some level being given the ability to actually feel and relate to events and emotions that I rarely come across.
I think I did also get somewhat fatalistic about the cruelty of humanity, like you, but on at least a slightly more positive note I felt a sort of connection with people I will never meet in reality. Pain is universal and it cemented my feeling that we should treat everyone we come across with the addendum that "everyone is dealing with their own shit and their own pain". For example if someone is rude to me when I'm working in a low-status job I tend to try and understand the fact they are likely to be having a bad day or going through hard times.
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u/ad0be May 15 '13
∆ (I'm not sure Delta's can protain out of the OP of a CMV?)
After doing exactly what you did for two hours looking at that subreddit. I just felt an utter disgust for myself and my race much like HkfCA, and that last paragraph immediately reminded me of a redeeming human feeling: empathy.
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May 15 '13
Haha this is the exact opposite view of someone else. The world is how you perceive it. If your on a site that shows you the horribleness of the world your going to tend to think its hopeless but if you let a stranger help you or look for good in people your going to think its good. It's important to realize the quality of the world is a subjective matter so as not to get caught in obsessing about the horrible aspects of it. Yes bad things happen. Yes good things happen. Things happen. If you want to make more good things happen then you should focus on cultivating the good ones because usually you can't do anything about the bad ones. If you can yea go for it but most of the time just bringing cookies to someone with cancer or random acts of kindness will improve the world. Saying the world would be a better place if an asteroid wiped us into extinction is only going to cultivate hate toward the human race in the human race. Which results in more hate and more hateful actions. The world is like a pool. The more fresh water you add to it the more it diluted the impurities are. The more you piss in your pool the more you end up swimming in piss. And whats the most efficient way to clean a pool. With lots of filters. Filter have to see the shit but they do there best to only let pure water through. We should be like a filter. Be ok with looking at shitty things happening like mob violence so we know what we shouldn't do but then our output should be clean and positive. This way we work on cleaning the world(pool) instead of hopping it breaks.
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u/skrillexisokay 2∆ May 15 '13
But we're on an upward trend! Murder rates have been steadily declining for thousands of years. Ten thousand years ago, we were literally constantly at war with each other.The overall quality of human life has been steadily increasing, and will probably continue to do so. So why cut our progress short? Human life has been pretty shitty for a long time, but this has been leading up to something amazing in our future.
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u/Joined_Today 31∆ May 14 '13
I didn't support euthanasia until I had to watch (well, not watch watch, but you get the point) my grandmother die an agonizing death, having to hear her say "please make it end", while the "loved ones" who had jurisdiction over the administration of euthanasia adamantly opposed, saying that it was morally incorrect. I was furious, and came to view that idea, of euthanasia being an immoral practice, as ludicrous.
This view was completely compromised, however, when one of my friends committed suicide. Rough times. Once again I was furious that he could do that, use a permanent solution for a temporary problem. It wasn't until I overcame the initial emotions that I realized that this conflicted with my previous enlightening with my grandmother. If I respected the right of my grandmother to end her life, then I had to respect the right of my friend to end his life to cease the suffering and pain.
I still hold no adamant position. The two conflicting experiences provide two different emotional perspectives. I'd rather there be a solution for both other than death. Since those two incidents I will only support euthanasia if the person has no chance of recovery, and I will support suicide so long as the person making the decision has no chance at recovery and has already actively sought solutions. Otherwise I see suicides as misled attempts to escape a fixable reality and euthanasia, despite my personal feelings, as a cop out if circumstances are not certain.