I am, above all, someone who cares for the well being and equal treatment of all human beings.
I used to be very conservative in my younger and foolish days. I was a registered republican and nra member. Mind you, this was due to me growing up in a very wealthy, closed minded, and sheltered suburban neighborhood.
I joined the army at age 18, and that's when my preconceived naivete began collapsing. I saw how our officers tried to instill an irrational hate of all Muslims and people of color. I saw how our cadences and marching songs weren't about freedom or rights, but about killing people and seeing their blood spill out. This sickened me, and I slowly started realizing that I wasn't fighting for freedom, but for the profits of oil companies and the satisfaction of bigoted politicians who can't tolerate other religions and cultures, even half a world away.
While I was in the army, I also lost my faith in christianity. This wasn't due to any main reason, I simply started accepting science over superstition. However, revealing my non-religious beliefs to my chain of command exposed to me just how vicious the christian fundamentalists in this country can be towards somebody who doesn't believe in their dogma. I was harassed by my chain of command, bullied by my so called "battle buddies," and treated as a second class citizen of the country whose Army I was serving in.
I left the army with my illusions about what I was taught by nationalistic teachers, whitewashed history textbooks, and fox news completely shattered. I did not immediately leave the right wing, but my mind was now opened and the more garbage I heard my former friends or local politicians say, the more angry I got. Eventually, I realized that conservatives had no room for free thinkers like me in their ranks, and that I certainly had no room for right wing brainwashing and misinformation in my life.
Today, I consider myself an independent. I don't blindly follow partisan politics, although when I do vote, it is either for the democrat party or a third party candidate. I am active in helping to better the lives of the less fortunate and trying to change the massive unfairness present in the United States today. I continue to educate myself and to seek new ways and means to combat racism, sexism, homophobia, and poverty in this country.
