Like a moment that seemed insignificant and unimportant at the time, but looking back was in fact a pivotal moment in pushing you towards radicalization.

For me probably being introduced to Guitar Hero at my friend’s house in like summer 2007. At the time it was just another day, but looking back I ended up falling in love with those games, I ended up being introduced to The Ramones and even more importantly the Dead Kennedys through them, which caused me to get into punk music and resulted in me adopting very critical attitudes towards larger American society, attitudes which later grew into anarchism and then Marxism

    • coeliacmccarthy [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      30·
      2 months ago

      yeah getting a dishwashing job at a first-wave gentrification business under a leftist head cook did it, more of a political education than my liberal arts degree ever got me

    • Grandpa_garbagio [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      16·
      2 months ago

      Specifically getting a job and the immediate dissatisfaction of my paychecks lol

      I didn’t know what the hell was wrong until I ran into a leftist at a bar when I was like 23. Had no idea about these topics, the online discourse wasn’t there yet so this was like the only way I could’ve found out

    • sOlitude24k@lemmy.myserv.oneEnglish
      14·
      2 months ago

      Gonna have to go with losing my job and enlisting. Absolutely spiralled after basic training and AIT. The perspective from being a part of the American machine did not do a lot to make me more patriotic lol. A lot of dudes I was in with drank the Kool aid and went the other direction, though. I don’t think anyone leaves the military as a centrist.