revelation: i'm an ass!

Due to the current political climate (especially this past week), each of our political persuasions are likely to be uncovered at some point. I don't really care what you align with; if it opens topics up for intelligent debate, even better. If we disagree on some issues, that's fine. Just don't try to ram your version of politics down my throat.

I will say I've had intelligent and insightful conversions with those on the other side of the fence (thank you Rob and Craig), but those are few and far between. While I don't openly divulge my political views (sans this week on the fb), I consider myself a liberal. Sorry Mom, I know you prefer me using just "Democrat", so for you I will be a Democrat liberal. (Note: Mom does not actually read this blog)

For some reason, that revelation seems to surprise people. And for the life of me, I'm not sure why. So, let's explore why their assumption is unfounded.

I went to Marquette University.
Marquette's defining statement states "Marquette is a Catholic, Jesuit university dedicated to serving God by serving our students and contributing to the advancement of knowledge." The mission reads, "Our Mission is the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to others. All this we pursue for the greater glory of God and the common benefit of the human community."

Yeah, I can see that - if you look at it at face value. My guess is that I overlooked any preposition or phrase that explicitly mentioned God or religion. I'm also certain that my parents thought me going to a Jesuit university would strengthen my religious faith. Epic fail.

However, if you look deeper into Marquette's mission there are four core values: excellence, leadership, service and faith - all of which we (per Marquette) should strive for in our lives. I would think that any educational entity would strive to instill the values of excellence and leadership in its students, at least on some level. As for service, I believe that everyone should dedicate time to service. While this value was instilled through my dad's own volunteer efforts, my involvement with service organizations at Marquette fostered it. Faith is likely only prominent in religious institutions. While usually referenced as a religious term, faith can also elude to trust in yourself and/or others or to belief in something. To quote Dogma, "It doesn't matter what you have faith in, just that you have faith."

I think I just partially de-religioned part of Marquette's core values. Thank you for teaching me to think critcially!

I was raised Catholic.
So was JFK...and he remains the only Roman Catholic president this country has elected. He was also a Democrat, and likely could have been one of the greatest presidents ever had his life not been cut short. But I digress.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a poll on religion in America. Overall, their study confirmed that the more often people attend services, the more likely they are to be conservative. Of course this varies based upon specific religion and its general doctrine and theology. (ie. Mormons are conservatives, atheists are liberal). I used every excuse I could to get out of church, as I don't believe you need to go to services to "prove" your worthiness. I am liberal. My mom goes to church religiously (pun intended). She is a Democrat as of 2002.

In fact, 38% of Catholics consider themselves as leaning to the left. I believe this is due in part to the strong dedication to service to others in the hopes of leading to a more just society. This "service to others" DOES NOT include the allegations against current and former Catholic priests.

It is true that historically, a vast majority of Catholics have a strong opposition to abortion. According to the findings, this isn't necessarily the case. Catholics are split on the issue: 48% believe abortion should be legal in most cases, with 45% illegal. The Catholic church itself, with all its doctrine and high-and-mightiness, may be opposed; but apparently its followers live in the 21st century.

I am not a follower and refer to myself as a "recovering Catholic", but I indeed live in the 21st century.

Strong military history

Numerous members of my family (grandddad, uncle, cousins) have served in the armed forces and my parents were civilian employees. The Navy, to be exact. Traditionally, the armed forces and the GOP go hand in hand. In a non-scientific poll of my friends and family currently serving or having served in the armed forces, this would be proven correctly.

However, this "tradition" can also foster ignorance (and perhaps stupidity). Case in point: during the 2008 election, a co-worker saw that I voted prior to coming into work. The conversation that ensued:

Ignoramus: Oh did you vote for your man McCain?

Me: How is McCain my man?

Ignoramus: Your dad was in Navy so you voted for McCain because he's a Navy veteran.

Me: Umm, no I didn't.

It's true. I proudly voted for Obama. And you know what? So did my dad.

Overall, I believe it's the experiences (not circumstantial facts) that leads one to their beliefs - religious, political and otherwise - that make each one of us the person we are today. My parents gave me the blueprint; I built the model known as Bec. Politically, Bec is a liberal Democrat.

But in the grand scheme of things, it's a model that really doesn't fit into any mold.