When did you become politically aware?

[quaoar]

At what age did you start to pay attention to politics? Was it a person or an event that made you politically aware?

For me, it was 1968. I was 10 years old and was hit with three shocking events -- the Soviet invasion that crushed the Prague Spring, the assassination of MLK and the assassination of RFK. I will always remember how my mother, a hard-core Republican, took me to church with her to light a candle for Bobby Kennedy.

[mark414]

1. for me

i always tried to at least have an educated opinion, but it was the 2000 election when i was a sophomore in high school when i really started paying attention, researching, etc. etc. etc.

[Jo March]

2. When I was about 4 - seriously

My dad made us all watch the news and then quizzed us on world and national events.

[havocmom]

12. Hey, are we siblings?

All us kids were expected to contribute to the conversation at the dinner table. Only excuse acceptable was being too young to have speaking ability. My baby brother was exempt til he was 2 ans a half.

[Jo March]

25. Yes! (sobs) I knew that I was adopted & my real family was out there

My father, mom, sister, brother and half-sister are all repubs! My mom used to tell me that I must have been adopted. And now here you are - my sister!

I...I am so grateful.

Seriously, we had to contribute to the daily debate/discussion going on no matter what. Used to get very interesting as I was quite the little liberal! ;)

[havocmom]

29. Hey, my family has a token conservative! You and him might've been

switched at the hospital!

I brought my borther to tears in 1970 during a political disucssion he was WAY over his head in. He sent me a smart assed email about Clinton a couple weeks ago. I countered with the loyalty oath required to see the Vice pResident and an article about Cheney's people asking the race of a newspaper photographer before granting her permission to go to a rally. Told him if he didn't want me to make him cry again, he wouod button up about the Clintons around me.

I hate having to rough up my big brother, but...

[Howardx]

3. 1982

actually

[havocmom]

4. 1960 when Mom told Dad to get registered or she would vote for Nixon

We had just moved and Dad was a world class procrastinator. As deadline for registering neared, Mom brought out the big gun... I'll vote for Nixon if you don't get registered The man FLEW off the couch and out the door. Came back in 20 minutes with proof he had registered.

Dad died in 1983. In our last conversation, he asked "Your mom didn't vote for Nixon, did she?" She would never tell him in all those years.

I guess I got curious, at 6, at what sort of power 'register or I vote Nixon' held over my old man and why. I remember a lot of chatter in 1960. Those were dangerous and strange times. They look mild compared with today. And Nixon doesn't look as bad compared with the bushco junta. THAT is really dangerous

[quaoar]

8. So...

Did your mom ever tell you if she voted for Nixon?

[havocmom]

24. No, but she thought it amusing that ANYBODY would worry that she would

consider it. There are pictures of my mom from about age 2 on up, attending Union Conventions with my granddad. She never accepted color or religion as a bases for making any opinion about anyone. Figured if you kept the Golden Rule (not the one about he who owns the gold rules)in mind in all your dealings in life, you were a being of light and goodness and were loved by whatever creator there was, no mater what any preacher in a tent, tabernacle, or temple spewed.

Did mom ever tell me? No. She never needed to.

[fudge stripe cookays]

34. Smart lady, yer mom.

The Golden Rule is my religion as well.

It's worked for me lo these many years since I turned my back on Catholicism and Epicopalianism (both thrust down my throat by my mom).

I feel much more at peace now.
FSC

[MisterP]

5. Clinton impeachment, esp. when the persecutors were womanizers

early on, being scared by Nixon in kindergarten and creeped by Newt later on.

[tilsammans]

6. The late sixties

During the Vietnam/civil rights era.

[Southsideirish]

7. Lefty husband opened my eyes - and they've been wide open

ever since.

[CarolynEC]

9. At about the same time awareness kicked in!

Seriously, my dad was among the leaders of my home-town's Democratic party. As kids, my brother and I folded gazillions of campaign flyers for various political races, and logged countless miles delivering them to houses all over town. Knocking on doors and handing them to homeowners, slipping them in door-handles and porch railings.

[fudge stripe cookays]

14. You have no idea how jealous of you I am!

:D

[skygazer]

10. Early

I grew up during Vietnam and my family was VERY political. The news was turned on every night and I watched from a very young age, like 5 or 6. When I was 7, I was sent home from school for fighting on the playground - it was because one of the other kids ridiculed my dad's choice for governor (to be fair, probably neither one of us knew what we were talking about but I was learning). My parents were both Republicans and by the time I was 8 - 1969 - I knew I didn't agree with their views. Mainly because of Vietnam which made no sense to me even at that age.

[fudge stripe cookays]

11. Ashamedly, 1994.

The pro-choice issue glared at me up close and personal over an unplanned pregnancy. When I never thought it could happen to me.

The more sobering and downright terrifying experience was reading the pamphlets in the lobby of the clinic and realizing that nuts were trying to take my rights away. I woke up right then and there. After some research, I became a Yellow Dog Democrat on one issue alone. It's how I've voted ever since. The rest of the issues are important to me, but never as much as that one.

The first vote I cast was in 1996 for the Big Dawg.

Howard Dean, however, turned me into a hardcore activist in July of 2003. I haven't looked back since!

FSC

[democratreformed]

33. I ashamed with you. I have paid attention for as long as I can remember

half-hearted attention, I might call it. For the most part, though, I followed the papers and local news, etc.

In 2002 was the first time I ever went down my ballot and marked any and name with a D beside it. I didn't care who they were as long as they were Democrat.

That was also the year that I began to research and not believe everything I read or heard in the news. The wife of our local Dem club remarked about how silly it is that ppl. believe that something printed in the newspaper is gospel. I told her that I USED TO, up until a few years ago.

Maybe it's b/c I had some journalistic experience in high school and college - but, I really believed that journalism was about reporting facts and telling the truth.

Now, during this election, there are many issues that I don't really have an opinion on b/c I don't know enough about them. And, I get scared over silly little things b/c I am not experienced enough at paying close attention to campaigns. And there is always this little niggling doubt in the back of my head b/c I feel that I have lost all objectivity in my quest to see Bush gone. I can no longer casually discuss political things because it is a MAJOR thing with me. I wonder if I know how to tell if a certain speaker could be making sense to regular people even though they don't make sense to me because I have a preconceived notion that the damn Republican is a LIAR and PHONY.

[Beware the Beast Man]

13. I was always left of center but politically apathetic-

until this year. It finally dawned upon me the damage that this administration has done over the last 3 1/2 years.

[seabeyond]

15. always, interested in people and politics are so much a part

when i became obsessive the way i am now........aware/concerned with reagan, angry with bush one campaign and then yukified he was elected cause his connec tion to iran/contra, then newt and the attacks on clinton got me paying attention to all nuances of political scene, adn that has just escalated to now........getting all info i can from everywhere

[livetohike]

16. 8 years old in 1960

and my Dad paid me a quarter to deliver fliers for JFK on our street. (Dad was a committee man). I remember him making phone calls to all the Dems. He had me read the numbers to him. :-)

Thank you Dad!

[yellerpup]

17. 1965. When I was able to support my family at age 14

because of one of Lyndon Johnson's Neighborhood Youth Corps jobs. My dad was selling orange "drink" door-to-door on commission, my mom was cooking in a diner for $5/12 hr. shift. I had one of those new "minimum wage jobs" working before and after school in the cafeteria for the fat sum of $1.60/hr. I paid the rent, prepared the family meals and took care of my younger brother and sister. My dad came home one day cursing LBJ. He threatened to shoot us all because he was underemployed, at which time I took on two more part-time jobs so I wouldn't be home when he decided to do it. I loved LBJ for signing the civil rights act for which my dad accused me of being a commie dupe.

[mmonk]

18. Around 1968

though I still remembered the Kennedy assassination at the time.

[TahitiNut]

19. I wore an "I LIKE IKE" button when I was 9, in 4th grade.

We played "King of the Hill" on the playground ... "IKE" supporters against "Adlai" supporters.

I remember pencilling in an "M" in front of the "IKE" ... to make it "MIKE" ... since gaining popularity was an issue in those days, at a new school.

I'm guessing those who continue to support the GOP are about as mature as I was in 4th grade.

[stevedeshazer]

20. November 22, 1963

I was eight years old.

[Fovea]

21. I guess I was 5

and Kennedy was running against Nixon.
My mom was a jazz musician and dancer, and race relations
were always a subject around our eastern Missouri
household.

[greekspeak]

22. I remember being excited about Reagan in 1984

Now cut me some slack-I was only 11 and regularly got infusions of Puke paranoid propeganda even at that early age. My move to the left did not happen until I was in 11th grade, the first time I looked at what Democrats beleived instead of what Pukes said about them.

[watercolors]

23. about 1947

I was 13, my grandfather was mayor. We were a large family and all of the children and grandchildren were made to be present at functions. Later in high school I worked at the polls, got alot of early training. Then had two uncles become councilmen and grandfather went on to become part of the state Dem party in Mass. Met Ted Kennedy when he was a mere teenager at one function. I have stayed political all my life, and impressed on my kids how important it is.

[cmf]

26. Around 4

That's when Ray-gun was elected. My parents would prophetically say, "This is the worst thing that could happen to this country." We talked about politics a lot at home. When I was a teenager, I would defend my liberal viewpoints against those Rush-bots at my snooty private school. It went a little dormant in college, because I went to a pretty apathetic university (although I did march in a couple demonstrations), but then I got active again after college.

[Bandit]

27. In 1965 when Mario Salvio had the first "Sit In" at Berkely

Plus Timothy Leary was making headline news at the time as well.

[Kitsune]

28. 1996, when I was in 8th grade

My history teacher bought the entire class a subscription to Newsweek and gave quizzes every week about current events. He is one the best teachers I've ever had, and I owe my political awareness largely to him, I think.

[kaitykaity]

30. December 12, 2000

Before that, I listened to politics but didn't
really pay attention, I mean the activist-like
attention I do now.

[manic expression]

31. I remember

beginning to discuss politics gradually with my mom. The thing that really got me active was when I saw "Bowling for Columbine". Especially the "What a Wonderful World" part where you see all the horrible deeds of the U.S. That movie opened my mind to so many new things.

[pacalo]

32. The seed was planted with the JFK assassination, then I got

really hooked as a teenager with the Watergate scandal/Nixon impeachment. However, there's nothing as sinister as this administration. I think this administration has taught me to keep a steady eye on the WH no matter what party is running the country.

[NeonLX]

35. What year did LBJ pick his dog up by the ears?

Right about then. I remember JFK's assassination but I only knew he was President at the time. I kinda sorta started becoming aware during the LBJ years because some of my family went off to Vietnam. By 1968, I was FULLY aware. My mom was a big Eugene McCarthy supporter in the '68 primaries.

[hiphopnation]

36. Political??

I thought this was the Britney Spears Underground Fan Appreciation website?!?! Jesus, no wonder I've been getting such a weird reception. Apologies folks...

[HarveyBriggs]

37. 1959, I was five.

We liked Ike (Mom and Dad), but Nixon was evil. Right up there with Castro as I can recall.

Worst I ever felt was in 1968, the assassinations, the riots, Cambodia, Czechoslovakia invasion.

Bush is just as bad as all that, maybe worse.

Ollie north got me thinking about making a left turn.

Ken Starr sealed the deal.

Harvey Briggs

[IdaBriggs]

38. Generally Always; Seriously Nov 2000; PANICKED 9/16/01

When Donald Rumsfield got on national television (This Week w/George Stephanopolis or whatever it was that year, shown locally at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday) and explained it was okay for the United States to DROP NUCLEAR BOMBS whenever we wanted for whatever reason we wanted. There was a WHAT-THE-HELL moment for me -- and I knew we were in even bigger trouble than we had been five days before on September 11, 2001.

[KamaAina]

39. Must've been about ten. Grandpa took a wrong turn

in his big old dark green Buick Electra 225. We were in Naples, Fla. It wasn't quite as ritzy as it is now, but we DID know someone who'd take us out on his yacht.

Anyway, Grandpa is taking us back to the house from somewhere on Tamiami Trail (the main drag). He takes a wrong turn, and Grandma cries out, "Oh no! We're going into McDonald's Quarters!"

This ain't no Quarter Pounder, folks. McDonald's Quarters was an old-fashioned, open sewer, dirt road, tumbledown shack, migrant worker slum. Right in the middle of Naples. As Grandma hurriedly locked the doors, I could see African American children playing barefoot in the dirt "street".

The upside was, Naples was a small town in those days, and so McDonald's Quarters was only two blocks long. We got through it without any "Bonfire of the Vanities" incident (much to Grandma's relief). We got turned around and headed back to the house on Regatta Road where I proceeded to take a nice refreshing dip in the pool.

Grandma and Grandpa are both several years deceased. HUD built a modern housing proect on the site of McDonald's Quarters. But the memory lingers still.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

40. 1964

[Fla_Democrat]

41. 1976, 10 years old

Had a shirt with a peanut on it with a big toothed smile that was captioned... "The Grin will win".

Didn't get really interested till about 1980, and didn't get involved till about 1982. Registered to vote the day after my 18th birthday, and been pulling the lever ever since.

Not sure why I became 'politically aware', other than having a belief in what was right. I can remember my parents grumbling about things in general, but don't recall them being too political in their comments.

[left is right]

42. 3-5 years old

I remember seeing Joseph McCarthy on the tv in full rant and thinking that was the scariest man alive. It wouldn't be for several more years before I knew his name and understood what he represented.

[cms424]

43. re

I'm not exactly sure...but I was raised in a rah-rah for Unions family and always had some awareness that the Republicans were the bad guys, if only from listening to my father curse at the news.

I grew up in a slightly Republican-leaning suburb of a Democratic city. I remember sitting in the hallway in elementary school on election day 1984 like it was yesterday, and being horrified as some of the other kids started chanting "vote for Reagan!" to the incoming voters. I was 7.