Anyone else have chameleon friends?
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Anonymous
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So, we're getting ready to visit some friends who now live in another state. When they lived around here, they were fairly typical somewhat liberal folks. Initially they were young DINKs that believed in woman's rights, women's lib, that women should work to set an example for young girls to know that they had options, etc. Husband's work moved them to a conservative state. They join a new church and become very conservative. Last time we visited, we went out to brunch with them and their friends and the conversation was painfully conservative, including the need to return to traditional values including that women should not work outside the home (because it's not only better for the children to have a parent in the home, but it is poor parenting to ship your children off to institutionalized and weaker childcare outside the home).
So, has anyone else had friends who were chameleons for the local political drift? |
Anonymous
| Sometimes life experiences cause people to re-evaluate previously held opinions. I was a Dukakis Democrat from the Midwest who became a conservative Republucan after moving to the dc Meto area and seeing first hand The failure of liberal policies. The change in your friends is most likely not due to behind "chameleons" but rather due to an eye opening resulting from new life experiences. Unless they change back and forth depending upon who they are with and where they are they are not chameleons. They are former liberals. |
Anonymous
| Also, having kids sometimes changes people's political opinions. |
Anonymous
| We are all products of our environment. The word "chameleons" makes it sound like they are constantly changing, and they don't actually believe what they are saying but they're saying it just to fit in. That's different from moving somewhere else and having different life experiences and then reassessing your beliefs. I too would find your friends' new views off-putting, but I do understand that people can legitimately have views that I don't understand. Maybe the friendship has run its course. |
Anonymous
Sorry, I forgot to include that they had child #1 while here and were still liberal. When they moved to the conservative state, they had DC #2, but were not FTP. If that makes any difference... |
Anonymous
| Op, you need to consider that this may just be peer pressure - they live in a different environment with people with different views maybe they need to be this way to fit in. How do they act when the other friends are not around? |
Anonymous
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They moved, their environment changed, their feelings and beliefs changed, people change. What's the mystery?
It's not bad or good, right or wrong. It's just how life works. I don't think this is "peer pressure" (no more so than affects every single person in the country). |
Anonymous
So they had #1 in daycare and now think it's terrible parenting? |
Anonymous
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They have been brain-washed and fell to the peer pressure. I am glad they are now republicans, who needs them.
Yes, I have a friend who became super wealthy and then turned republican. Yes, I am still friends with them because they truly are rich not just "wannabes" and they can't afford to be liberal. Although, obviously some very wealthy people are still liberal. I at least grant them this change of heart. |
Anonymous
No. They had #1, she was on a long maternity leave when his job transferred. Before they moved, she had investigated daycares and was planning on going back to work. When his job transferred, she quit her job and they moved. When they relocated, she decided that she no longer wanted to go back to work as she had planned. I thought this was reasonable...it was a choice that they made for their family. It was the attitude shift that accompanied the change (that staying at home was the only/best option and that it was wrong to go back to work because there would be no parent caring for the child) that was a bit baffling to me. |
Anonymous
Now this makes sense. She is just trying to convince herself that she make the right decision and this is her way of coping. Is she raising other "conservative" viewpoints or just the family values part. |
Anonymous
| Am I spelling, HYPOCRITES correctly? |
Anonymous
| Please. People's opinions can legitimately change due to life experiences. Doesn't make them anything but open to a new perspective. If they change again, will you hate on them some more? |
Anonymous
| PP. Mitt Romney's changes in position confirms your proposition |
Anonymous
No. Since the hate only applies if they become Republicans. The relationship is not associative. Republicans becoming Democrats = learning to care about others and joining the community of truly civilized humans. Democrats becoming Republicans = hypocrites, and chameleons, either that or they are "truly are rich not just "wannabes" and they can't afford to be liberal (whatever that means...). |