Reply To: Talking Political Philosophy with Family

#20212
anthonymay
Member

I have found this when dealing with my family who veer left on economic issues, some to extremes, is that when I talk with them I am dealing with ingrained emotions. These emotions are born from political betrayals from past decades when I was a child or yet non-existent, tribalism as Professor Gutzman describes and media labeling. There is no way to resolve these issues in a few conversations, nor is there a way to resolve them when they go unrecognized by the individual.

On top of that you’re speaking to your Father. To him you are still that little baby he cradled in one arm and whose diapers he changed. This will never change and it definitely affects how seriously he takes your opinion. Expect your ideas will tend to be dismissed because of your “lack of life experience” or similar matters. If you have older siblings then you should expect similar perspectives from them.

Additionally you’re likely dealing with people whose entire intellectual life has been confined by the spectrum presented by the mainstream. They don’t even have the imagination to even visualize what you’re talking about in many cases. This means that immediately you appear crazy.

This is why the Liberty movement is much more a youth movement, because the youth have less baggage, aren’t stuck in their ways and have a much more fertile imagination. That’s not to say you shouldn’t ever engage the older generations but don’t expect any mid-conversation conversions.