Personal Essay: Political Identity

I have never identified myself as conservative or liberal. I just don't find identity in either of those ideologies. I'm glad that I hold views from both sides of the isle, it helps me to not judge one party or ideology harder than another and it helps me to understand were each are coming from. I am right in between my mother and grandmother in my home. My grandmother would probably be consider a Democrat in name only (DINO) because she a registered Democrat and believes in the what Democrats say she doesn't really support it. My mom is a registered independent but she defiantly leans to the right. I feel like the both of them have helped shape my views on politics. When it comes to friends, in my friend group there are three hard core conservatives, two moderate conservatives, and 2 liberals. With such a mixed group I’m glad I find myself in the center. I learned a lot from the political spectrum analysis that helps me understand what I identify

Out of the five categories on the political spectrum line I place myself as a Republican. In my opinion being a Republican means to me that there should be a smaller government, the government should not be a big role in business and that we would prefer spending our tax money on infrastructure and the military . I believe that I am a Republican because I do not always want things in the government to change every day. I think that change is good but if something is working out good we should keep it and just build off of it, that is why I believe that I am a conservative. The three reasons/issues why I placed my self where I did was because I do not think that we should be spending a large amount of our tax money on social programs, I think that we need more security on our border and should be somewhat concentrating on legal and not illegal immigration, I do not think that we should punish success by taxing it , and lastly I believe that people should acknowledge that the police work hard and that I support the police and law but also think that they need to respect everyone's individual rights of people.

I have grown up in a divided family. A democratic left leaning mother and a “claim-to-be” independent who is closer to conservative father. I have always taken after my mother but now I find myself leaning even more left than her forward-thinking ideologies. When I began to do research I first looked at the Washington Post. I read the Washington Post

This quiz placed me in the category of Conservative Republican- a blatant overstatement, in my opinion. While I do identify as a conservative, I would most likely have placed myself in the category of Republican-Leaning Independent or Moderate Republican. Both of these groups are conservative leaning, but not unwaveringly Republican. This is particularly evident in the fiercely conservative beliefs of solid Republicans on issues such as civil liberties. Although it is not shown on the continuum, I identify most closely with the views of the Libertarian Party, which is known for its positive stance on tax cuts, laissez-faire economic policies, and protections for civil liberties such as marriage equality. In addition, I hold a conservative view on how the Constitution should be interpreted, preferring the ideas of a limited federal government and strong state governments to the liberal preference of heavy interference from the federal government. This view is a defining characteristic of my political ideology, and as such, I am more likely to identify with and vote for parties and candidates of the conservative persuasion who tend to favor a smaller federal government. Still, I would not agree that I concur with the Republican Party to the extent that the Political Party Quiz determined, with the most notable disagreement being that of the federal government’s role in social

Growing up, I have always heard my parents discuss their political party preferences on many different issue. There are many differences between the two major political parties Democratic and Republican. Each one of those parties has their own beliefs and they can be similar, but some may be different in many different issues. With time, personal experience, and with reading on many different issues, I have realized that I am more of a liberal democrat and not a conservative republican. I looked at each parties beliefs on the issues of welfare, abortion, gun control, education and defense spending. .

Identity-“Ones personal qualities.”Identiy is something only he or she can fully define. My uncle says I am affectionate,cheerful, and calm. My grandmother sees me as slim, pretty and sweet. My dad described me as perky, cheerful and happy, my mom says beautiful, gentle, and self-conscious. These adjectives describe me accurately, yet they are only abstract versions of me. Adjectives cannot begin to describe me and I aknowlege these descriptions for what they are, a condensed translation from my outward self to the world. It is impossible for anyone to understand me completely because nobody has experienced the things I have. My mother has never cherished a raggedy doll named Katie and my father never

Family is not the only place I received my political socialization from, another place where I receive it is from my location in the United States. I am from Massachusetts which is in the North. I believe that people from the South would tend to be more conservative than people being from around here. A good example of this would be that Massachusetts is a state where homosexuals are allowed to get married. This might not be true for a southern state. That is another place where I do receive my political socialization from.

     When this class initially began I was sure, without a doubt I was a conservative. As the semester progressed I discovered the reasons I was considered conservative. The town a person grows up in, financial status, social class, age, gender and the race of the individual have a strong influence on a individuals

I took in information from immigrant families that leaned democratic, as well republican teachers and adults in my life, I did not agree to everything on either side which has led to carefully study every position before choosing my own stance. This I think makes me a little different from people that have their own stance on a topic and then choose whatever solution works around their stance. I generally look down on using media as the sole motivator to form a political opinion although I am a fan of political satire shows such as The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Last Week tonight with John

In my life I have never had any political enforcement or strict religious influence. My parents were very lenient when it came too political preaching. I was taught to be a caring and respectful individual. My political understanding and beliefs have been molded from my early political memories and socialization experiences. As a young adult I have always strived to become knowledgeable about political ideals mainly because I was never really taught to believe in something specific. I eventually was drawn towards many different social and political perspectives, which is how I came to a logical conclusion of how I view the world politically

To first understand my political views, one would have to understand what brought me to those views. Growing up, my family was what you would call politically

Growing up, my family had always been strictly Democratic with a conservative view here and there and it surely has influenced my political stance. Not only that but being a Democrat to me means being a humanitarian and genuinely having hope for the future of America and all its

My mother opened up doors to me to try and experience as many things possible however never made me conform to one direction. Now looking back this obviously directly contributes to my thoughts on political affiliation and participation in interest groups. According to Lenz and Holman, “There is broad agreement that a person’s identification with a political party is caused by upbringing, ethnicity, race, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. A person also identifies with a party because of ideology or positions on important issues. “(Lenz and Holman, 2013) As I alluded to my upbringing never forced me to identify with one political group over another. I was exposed to them through family, school, media, etc., but was allowed to think freely. Jumping to present day I now can identify with things that are Democrat or possibly something that is more Republican. I believe it is too divisive to just say I am one or another and it seems a lot more Americans are thinking this way. Previously reported by NPR, “Turned off by the partisan wars in Washington, 39 percent of voters now identify themselves as independent rather than affiliated with one of the two major

Growing up, I was never really exposed to any talk about politics or government. This means that I also was never exposed to any strong political beliefs or opinions. My entire family, including my grandparents, are definitely not the type of people known for getting into screaming matches over new presidents or anything related. At the end of the day, they just want what is best for our country and are willing to listen to almost anyone’s opinions. Not surprisingly, I ended up the same way. I guess you could use the phrase, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. It’s not that I’m completely

A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet