'You get more right wing as you get older' - discuss

[Echobelly]

My mum has always said to me ‘Ah, you’ll get more right wing as you get older, everyone does’, but I really think this isn’t the case anymore.

Caveat first: I am aware I am writing from a white middle-class standpoint here, though I think we are the group of whom ‘you’ll get more right wing as you get older’ is most often said.

I think there’s been a fundamental change since my parents’ generation (they are approaching 70 now) – they grew up believing fairly comfortably that their children would do as well or better than they had, but their children have no such assurances about their own offspring. We have done pretty well by most people’s standards, but we still bought our family homes much later than our parents did, and we can’t afford the same lifestyles as they did on equivalent money (eg my parents could go to the opera and theatre often, buy new cars, send a child to private school) due to housing and childcare costs, and then when it comes to our kids, at this rate they will struggle to do as well as we have unless something changes fundamentally.

The ‘getting more right wing’ thing comes from the idea is that as you get older you are more invested (literally) in the system with wealth and property, and perhaps we are, but we know that the system as is will be unlikely to work for our kids. So we’re not getting more right wing because we recognise something has to change, although we are on the horns of a dilemma as we have to admit we ourselves have done OK from The System

I'm more cynical than I used to be, but I'm still left wing possibly because of that.

Also, anyone who can look at what's happening to the disabled, sick and mentally ill, not to mention increasing homelessness and child poverty, and still shrug all that off like it's nothing as long as they're alright, is not someone I want to hang out with.

Not a fan of Corbyn and his cronies though, but that's a different matter.

Well, I've stopped buying the Grauniad after 30-odd years

That may have something to do with its increasingly problematic ratio of shite to decent journalism, though.

Raised by conservatives and was fairly RW when younger. Became more liberal, alongside husband. Now that we live in the US with all the weird and unpleasant RW attitudes here I think I might eventually turn into a Marxist.

For me growing up with the myth of "if you work hard you will do ok" and being disappointed has kept me left wing. I'm a lot less judgemental of "scroungers" than I was at 20.

I think with all the 30+ people stuck in their childhood bedrooms or flatshares I'm not convinced this statement is true anymore.

I’ve gotten less left wing but I’m still more left than right

I’ve always been left and as I get older would say I am more left than in my youth !

So proud my DCs are too!

From my very first vote I voted Tory and can't see that changing in what's left of my life. Nor do I think I've become more right wing. I pretty much believe what I've always believed.

when you're young, you're usually very idealistic. You also need help getting started in life and use more facilities such as schools, nurseries, etc. You need the state to finance things and make life more affordable.

Fast forward to when you've worked your ass off for many years just to keep your head above water and you find the state wants to take a huge chunk off you to finance things that you often don't agree with.

Still left wing (believe in a decent social security safety net, the NHS, unions and collective bargaining), but increasingly out of step with the Labour party, who are currently showing all the signs of a lurch towards left-wing authoritarianism (authoritarianism isn't confined to the right). Cult of the leader - check. Group-think - check. Silencing of dissent - check. Enforced speech (specially round genderism) - check. Plus a rabid streak of anti-semitism.

I can't see myself voting for them next time round. But I don't know who the hell to vote for. Greens ("non men", anyone?) and Lib Dems (let's tolerate a violently misogynistic twitter feed run by party activists, Layla "I can see into souls" Moran, etc.) are vehemently anti women's rights at the moment. Obviously not the Tories, (a) because they are ripping the welfare state to pieces and (b) because the Brexit debacle has shown they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery and (c) they hate women too.

Spoilt ballot paper is looking increasingly likely.

when you're young, you're usually very idealistic. You also need help getting started in life and use more facilities such as schools, nurseries, etc. You need the state to finance things and make life more affordable.

Fast forward to when you've worked your ass off for many years just to keep your head above water and you find the state wants to take a huge chunk off you to finance things that you often don't agree with.

Or, you know, you could engage your brain and think about things other than as they directly affect you.

not at all in my case no

Or, you know, you could engage your brain and think about things other than as they directly affect you. hmm

I used to be very left wing and idealistic but life and realism stepped in. The views we have are coloured by our experiences in life. I do believe in the welfare state , but I also believe in balance.

p.s. to above - balance and responsibility

I used to be very left wing and idealistic but life and realism stepped in. The views we have are coloured by our experiences in life. I do believe in the welfare state , but I also believe in balance.

So being left-wing isn't 'realistic'? What is it in your experiences has led you to think that?

Nope, still a raging pinko.

Mmm... being left wing means having faith in other people will probably do the right thing given the opportunity. It's an optimistic view of future. I reckon ppl go right as they age (on avg) due to becoming disillusioned & distrustful & more pessimistic.

My dad & step-mum (upper 70s) are fairly financially comfortable. Everything they have they earnt. They are more lefty than ever b/c they were raised poor & they care passionately about equal opportunity & fairness.... and they still believe that most people are good or can be redeemed, at least.

The problem with politics for me is there have been no decent leaders of either Labour or the Conservatives in a very long time.

I'm still left wing, and far more feminist than I was when I was younger. DH is getting more right wing though. I think it has a lot to do with our working environments which are very different.

I don't think left and right have to align with existing parties. They are different ways of thinking.

I've been the opposite, I really feel awful at how we live compared with people in less developed countries and how we exploit their natural reserves

I think with all the 30+ people stuck in their childhood bedrooms or flatshares I'm not convinced this statement is true anymore.

Anyone remember the 1980s sitcom “Sorry!” with Ronnie Corbett, based on the utterly absurd notion that a man of 40 might still live at home with his parents?

63 and a leftie more frightened by the exteme right than the extreme left tbh (extremist of any shade are sociopaths imho).

I'm also very worried by the extreme right. especially when it is driven by religious fervour.

I find government wastefulness terrible - that I overlooked when younger.
At least tories have more fiscal discipline - though gove still managed to change the entire curriculum during austerity... why create unnecessary, harmful, costly problems?

I couldn’t vote for tories still but i’m Less idealistic and deeply suspicious of govt plans to reorganise the nhs or do big projects to solve all our problems. Keep the status quo and make small sustainable changes that are fully risk assessed and costed. But no - instead of technically experienced ministers we get career politicians out to make a name for themselves for the big change they implemented.