Formulation of my Political Ideology
As I attempt to search the alcoves of my mind for the origin of my own political identity, I really can’t find one; but that implication is far from certainty. True we are not inherently born with political viewpoints, nor do we produce them: We learn them through political socialization. Political socialization is the process by which parents, peers, relatives, and other people teach children about political beliefs, values, and attitudes. A person is fed information throughout their life from various outside influences, this is how one forms values, views and opinions, and from this, one shapes their political views based on what they believe or have been taught to believe. ... Political socialization not only helps people find their group identity, it also influences how the person views politics. ... There are three main influences, which had a major impact on my ideology, the family; the black church, and college. ... Those Sunday dinner shaped my initial introduction to the political world. ... This was the beginning, as I was introduced to more situations and experiences my political standpoint changed a little but for the most part I remained consistent with my parents viewpoints. ... Many political leaders such as Rev. ... The role of the black clergy in local elections was to mobilize church members to participate in the political process and to communicate information about candidates and issues. ... With the history of the desegregation struggles that the school had, I bonded immediately with my more radical political thinking peers.