Have you ever changed a long-held opinion?

lazygal · 15-01-2012 01:17PM #1

I did recently on something that I had a very black and white view on but circumstances made me question my deeply entrenched views. If you have changed your mind, was it instant or did it take time?

Ghost Buster · 15-01-2012 01:18PM

lazygal wrote: »

I did recently on something that I had a very black and white view on but circumstances made me question my deeply entrenched views. If you have changed your mind, was it instant or did it take time?

I used to enjoy the music of Chris De Burgh
Not so much now how ever.

Feeona · 15-01-2012 01:19PM

Yes......no

BBDBB · 15-01-2012 01:20PM

Yes...........and then pretended that I had held that opinion all the time:cool:

Immaculate Pasta · 15-01-2012 01:22PM

I think it's natural you change opinions about certain things as you get older.

How about the fella David Myatt though? He was a former neo Nazi who ended up converting to become an Islamic extremist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Myatt

stovelid · 15-01-2012 01:24PM

I've changed my belief in certain political values purely as a result of getting older. Not the inherent virtue or worth of those values, just the possibility of their realization.

These days I also let experience shape my views instead of observing the world through the filter of my views - an important distinction.

aphex™ · 15-01-2012 01:29PM

I used to believe people were mostly good until I switched on the news :eek:

Shenshen · 15-01-2012 01:31PM

I used to be religious, until some religious people - on a forum, funnily enough - convinced me that I wasn't.
I re-evaluated my thoughts and would now describe myself as agnostic atheist.

seantorious · 15-01-2012 01:50PM

I used to think the daily mail was a terrible newspaper. Now I read it... and yeah its still terrible

mikom · 15-01-2012 01:55PM

lazygal wrote: »

I did recently on something that I had a very black and white view on but circumstances made me question my deeply entrenched views.

Chess?

Bluefox21 · 15-01-2012 01:59PM

Used to be against gay adoption rights :eek: This was when I was much younger and my family was quite religious so I'm blaming those circumstances. Still younger me was a bit of an idiot!

44leto · 15-01-2012 02:53PM

I like to think I am not absolute about any position, I have changed my opinion on a number of things. The biggest would be my politics, as I got older I have become more conservative/right wing. I also went from hating Sinn Fein to voting for G Mc Guinness in the last presidential election.

Loads of other areas as well,

mcmoustache · 15-01-2012 03:00PM

I used to think that Israelis were the good guys and that Palestinians stupid towel-heads who blew up civilians and threw rocks at tanks.

Then later, after reading up on some of the history, I thought that Israelis were nasty occupiers looking for their lebensraum and Palestinians were just fighting back.

These days, however, I think that they're both a bunch of cúnts.

Millicent · 15-01-2012 03:06PM

I was pro-life when I was a kid. I was also anti-divorce. Fucking religion. I've since learned to think for myself.

Millicent · 15-01-2012 03:08PM

44leto wrote: »

I also went from hating Sinn Fein to voting for G Mc Guinness in the last presidential election.

I like that you changed your opinion enough to vote for him, but not enough to get his name right. :pac:

Eric Cartman · 15-01-2012 03:08PM

I used to think teachers had to be smart, then I went to college with people who wanted to be teachers

Ghandee · 15-01-2012 03:10PM

I really changed my attitude and opinion on the Queens visit.

Before she arrived, I (as a Republican) was of the opinion that it was too soon for a ruling monarch, apologies for army activities in the north, 800 years etc etc, blah blah blah.

Totally changed my whole outlook and opinion from the moment her plane touched down in Baldonnel, watching her bow her head at the garden of remembrance, and make a speech in Gaelic, I saw a wise, articulate woman with a lot more compassion than a few Irish folk (and I include myself in this) gave her credit for.

But then again, perhaps i'm mellowing with age.:p

theTinker · 15-01-2012 03:15PM

I used to think the creation of the universe and evolution were all explainable by science and that god was a crutch for people.

The more i learnt about the universe and evolution, the more I lean towards an intelligent design or creator behind them.. Evolution without god or something similar just seems mad.

* Edit, Killing people. I used to think this was wrong in all cases. These days. There is some that may happen that i'll turn a blind eye to. I honestly can't reason myself to think i've the right to judge who lives and dies when I'm not the victim or participant in cases.
It's made me think twice about our legal system too. Odd that a person unaffected by a crime is the one handing out the sentence. I can see why they are considered so light.

Peetrik · 15-01-2012 03:16PM

The Beatles... and fish, I can eat fish now

My name is URL · 15-01-2012 03:25PM

I've definitely relinquished some of my more stubbornly held political beliefs over the last number of years. And I now despise Ryan Giggs too..

callaway92 · 15-01-2012 03:27PM

Blur!!!!

....

No..OASIS!!!

PK2008 · 15-01-2012 03:30PM

They say you get more right wing as you get older

44leto · 15-01-2012 03:31PM

Doctors and nurses, I use to think they were professional and all caring, then unfortunately I had to deal with them. Bluffers is the only word I can come up with. Still they know more then me, but doctors don't make me sith green anymore.

Millicent · 15-01-2012 03:32PM

PK2008 wrote: »

They say you get more right wing as you get older

I've heard that but I don't get it. My views are much the same for the last decade. I really can't see them changing much as I get older.

sandra06 · 15-01-2012 03:37PM

when i was younger i honestly believed you could get pregenant by kissing i now know different,nuns in school taught me that

CricketDude · 15-01-2012 03:38PM

I used to think that I was the best economist I knew, oweing to having studied it at university.
But now im realizing that everyone in Ireland with a keyboard is a genius economist. Who'd have thunk it.
We should start exporting them.

44leto · 15-01-2012 03:58PM

CricketDude wrote: »

I used to think that I was the best economist I knew, oweing to having studied it at university.
But now im realizing that everyone in Ireland with a keyboard is a genius economist. Who'd have thunk it.
We should start exporting them.

Well with the world economy still on the brink after it nearly collapsed totally in 2008 and is still in danger of doing so, the keyboard economists have a better record then the paid ones.

Celebrity economists have somehow become the new celebrity chefs with their economic recipes and book signings. Economics is hardly a science, it can only predict the future after something has happened, in other words tell us how we got here.

The book, The Black swan by Nicholas Taleb sums up economists. No-one can predict the chaos of markets, they haven't a clue. Which is why even now they give such varied and conflicting advice.

fiinch · 15-01-2012 04:27PM

i used to think that Joey was the funniest one, now i reckon it was actually Ross.

Millicent · 15-01-2012 04:29PM

fiinch wrote: »

i used to think that Joey was the funniest one, now i reckon it was actually Ross.

Pivot! Pi-vot!

44leto · 15-01-2012 05:07PM

I recently started a thread about libraries no longer been necessary, I started out believing that, but as the thread progressed I changed my mind. You see, you can learn stuff and your position can be altered even here on After hours.

CricketDude · 15-01-2012 05:27PM

44leto wrote: »

Well with the world economy still on the brink after it nearly collapsed totally in 2008 and is still in danger of doing so, the keyboard economists have a better record then the paid ones.

Celebrity economists have somehow become the new celebrity chefs with their economic recipes and book signings. Economics is hardly a science, it can only predict the future after something has happened, in other words tell us how we got here.

The book, The Black swan by Nicholas Taleb sums up economists. No-one can predict the chaos of markets, they haven't a clue. Which is why even now they give such varied and conflicting advice.

Isnt it a pity more keyboard economists wouldnt realize this.

One lecture on day one and they would never come out with such nuggets as -
- "Property prices are only going to go one way."
- "In x number of years property prices will be up/down."
- "Interest rates are only going one way."

And celebrity economists - I know one of the very high profile ones very well. He used to say that even when 95% of people are predicting one thing, you have to predict the opposite. People wont even notice you when you are wrong. Then when it turns, you'll look like the only one who was right and be declared a genius.

I remind him of this from time to time and he laughs and says "sssshh".

Hes made himself a nice profile and a few quid from it too.

Have you ever changed a long-held opinion?

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