this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2024
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[–] blaue_Fledermaus@mstdn.io 6 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Not saying the guy wasn't, but I'm pretty sure my former classmates would recall me as very conservative, and I changed a lot.

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 22 points 4 months ago

From like 2-3 years ago? My friends from that long ago would not get that info wrong. Former classmates from almost 2 decades ago might get it wrong.

[–] morphballganon@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Guy was 20, so if we're talking high school senior classmates, that's only 2-3 years of growth.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 10 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I changed a ton just the first 2 years of college. I had a real shitty time in high school and didn't come out of my shell until I got into an environment where I wasn't getting fucked with every time attention was focused on me. I didn't stay in touch with anyone from high school but the times I ran into people from then they often commented on how different I was. I definitely became a lot less conservative after I got out of that environment where I felt like almost everyone was my enemy.

I don't know anything about this dude but that's what happened with me.

[–] Drusas@kbin.run 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That's why conservatives hate people getting educated at college. Being better educated tends to make them better people. Excuse me, I mean "more liberal".

This guy wasn't in college.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 1 points 4 months ago

For me it wasn't really the college so much as not being in that environment where a lot of people treated me like shit at every opportunity and the rest stood by while it happened. Going into the workforce also helped and I would say either of those by themselves would have been sufficient. I went to technical college so there wasn't a lot of exposure to liberal ideas, just people treated me like I belonged instead of bullying the shit out of me or shunning me and that helped me become a much more well-adjusted individual. I'm not arguing one way or the other about the shooter because we have very little information. I'm only saying that it is possible for someone to change a lot in that timeframe.

[–] todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Why are you arguing so hard that the registered Republican and gun nut who tried to kill Trump be on the left?

Are you trying to claim credit, or are you trying to assign blame? Either way, consider not carrying water for the MAGA conspiracists, and listen to the people who actually knew the guy.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 4 points 4 months ago

Neither? I'm waiting for more of the story to come out. One kid he went to high school with isn't a reliable source. All I'm saying is my personal experience of changing a lot after I got out of a shitty high school. I know next to nothing about the shooter so I'm not making any claims as far as what his beliefs were one way or the other. It doesn't really matter what side he was on to me, the actions of one person don't reflect the whole group.

[–] todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 5 points 4 months ago

At 20, were you completely different than you were when you were in High School, or are you being generous to yourself because a lot more time has passed?

[–] Willy@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

same. once the world starts to roll you, you get better perspectives.