DUers, At What Age Did You Become Politically Minded and Why?

[byronius]

121. Harlan Ellison, Heinlein, Harry Harrison, Robert Silverberg, Asimov, Philip K. Dick.

I started reading the sci-fi section at Sanger Library in Toledo at 13, finished every book in it by sixteen. My secret power is reading, without a doubt. I have consumed an endless variety of books at an increasing rate since then.

Plus, cultural events like the King/Riggs match and Elton coming out. Social studies with Mrs. Klimko in seventh grade, where she showed us slides of black men that had been blowtorched to death.

I stuck my head in an oven at Dachau when I was ten. Kind of warped me permanently in a good way. I may not tolerate Nazis, not ever, not in any way, insert extreme adjectives here. I've studied the two wars and history ever since, continuously. I enjoy Inglorious Bastards and Django waaaaaaaaayyyyy too much. OMG.

My father was a Goldwater conservative. Logically racist and and intelligently anti-Semitic. Misogynistic, violent, ruthless, and the smartest guy in the room. Anyone who knew him long enough was scared of him. Never knew what that guy was capable of. Holy %$#. Tried to teach me how to kill cats at the age of three, and that's my first memory.

I took a left turn. Both my kids are self-determined, strong-minded, well-educated liberals who have promised me to never, ever allow their children to experience corporal punishment. And that is my greatest revenge.