Has NationStates Changed You?

[The Glorious Third Reign of Templedom]

Solving those blood-curdling, sardonic issues is akin to navigating a minefield: one wrong step and it blows up in your face. Devil is in the details, they say. But the real eye-opener is coming to awareness of this new breed called, affectionately, Social Justice Warriors. Man they are vicious!!

And latin is cool. I came for the latin, really. Snubbed on post #1. Is disappoint,

[Kenmoria]

NationStates has changed my politics massively. I used to be moderate left, then moderate right, currently centrist. Abortion in particular pretty much changes depending on who's winning the abortion thread. As for personally, well I've gone from extreme pessimism to very extreme pessimism, a few looks at General does that to a person.

[Washington Resistance Army]

It's made me even more pessimistic about humanity.

[Elvectica]

Used to be a hard-line liberal, then a hard-line capitalist, then conservatism, then liberalism again. I'm pretty neutral when it comes to everything, really, I could go anywhere.

But in general it's just made me more pessimistic.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Ive become more politically engaged, that is the big thing i'd say has changed about me and interacting with this forum. And that ive finally found a fixed position for my politics across the spectrum.

[Razarija]

I found myself accidentally fitting more and more into stereotypes of people from my country but that's probably only a coincidental correlation

[The Slightly Madlands]

Well I used to be a socialist when I joined back in 2012 with The Equal People's State of Steelia, now a Conservative Libertarian.

I've changed as a person too, o have formed a genuine friendship with all kinds of people, I've had my horizons expanded so far and I've learned how truely diverse humanity is, and I'm massively better for it. Thanks NS!!

[Soyouso]

A'ight, I joined NationStates when I was 13, I didn't come to the forums until I was 14 or 15 I think, I hardly remember. At that age I kind of supported democracy. When I say "kind of", I mean that I was very declining in faith in it but didn't trust any alternatives to the current government, so I just kinda pretended to be okay with it and was in denial that I no longer liked it. I was similarly centrist to the way I am now, and was certainly proud to talk people's ears off about how fucking proud I was to be neither Republican or Democrat. Some of you guys probably remember. You also probably remember how shit-tier my debate skills were back then. I actually learned to debate productively from being on here.

Which opinions changed aside from the main one during my stay here? I used to be pro-choice, now I'm anti-abortion, but that was bound to happen given I'd never do one myself because to me it is definitely murdering babies. I became more center economically, and I support the economy being a tool to bring national wellbeing, not the other way around. I became a LOT more regulation happy there than I was when I was a capitalist. I used to see socialism as a strange belief and didn't understand why the hell anyone would ever want that as a solution. Now, though I'm not a socialist, that's how I see laissez faire, it no longer makes any sense to me. Again, also resulted from the philosophy change during my transition from democracy to fascism, where everything is meant to serve the nation and it's people.

Meanwhile on gameside Soyouso slowly went from an edgy dystopia with my oc/persona in charge and an excuse to make a religion with Flippy from Happy Tree Friends as god, to an actual fascist nation with genuine ideological and pragmatic reasons for it's policies that make sense in the context of their history. And I started to notice, I was beginning to really wish I lived there. It was my utopia. But I didn't think a real fascist nation could ever accept someone like me, and would just exclude me from participating in the collective. At the same time, I still developed high levels of empathy & sympathy for the ideology, and had an idea that it wasn't what the media says it is, which lead me to look into fascism. Fascism was an answer to basically all of my grievances with democracy and the current system, the philosophy surrounding it spoke to me on a personal level, and I figured out the beliefs that were keeping me from jumping ship for it could still be there. And then the Fabulous Fascist happened, daydreaming of uniting the abused masses against the forces of materialism, the elite, and the American government's bullshit. The end.

Now go to sleep children. *SHUTS BOOK*

[Divitalia]

Nationstates has shown me the upsides of socialism.

[Edreland]

I have driven my family and friends away in my quest to engage in the perfect worldbuilding.

In all seriousness, when I joined I was one of those teenage communists and now I am a solid Trumpian.

[The Federation of Kendor]

I originally came to NS to find a game where you can play in a nation simulator. The effects, today, are obvious. I am exposed to politics, as well as RP's. In fact, about my RP'ing, I went from a person who wrote one liners to one who write in more than a one liner, writing at least two paragraphs or more. My writing also improved.

[Chessmistress]

Voted "NationStates HASN'T changed personally." even if it's slightly imprecise: I enjoyed different perspectives and by so enriched my perspective about some specific issues.

[Dumb Ideologies]

It made me more aware more quickly of the flaws in what I used to believe (or assumed I believed because everyone around me back at uni did) and provided a ready supply of people I could test new ideas against.

I think I'd probably still be a syncretic snowflake, but I'd have retained more radical left and right stances if it weren't for some of the edges being rounded off here through relatively informed discussion.

[Nakena]

Yes it improved a lot my writing style, and gave me some very sobering realizations about various ideologies.

It also got me, indirectly, to some way worse places. I don't know if this was a good idea.

[Topoliani]

Politically: Yes

I used to be A /pol/, practical neo-nazi, Zionist who believes the white race was going extinct.

Now I am a filthy libertarian who believes that capitalism > Starving to death in gulag

---

Personally: Yes

Along with my new addiction to heavy metal, it has helped me escape a deep pit of depression and allowed me to finally choose my own path instead of letting my emotions drag me along to wherever they wanted to go.

[-The Galactic Federation-]

There's some good people on here who've helped me through some rough patches. Most of 'em don't even know it, in fact, but people with a good morality and positive attitudes have made things a lot better for me personally.

The North Pacific's good for that.

EDIT: Oh, and it hasn't changed me Politically. I could give a damn about other people's way of life.

[Pax Nerdvana]

NS has helped shape my political views and I think made me more politically aware. Before I started playing, I don't think I really knew what I identified as politically. I now know I'm a right leaning centrist. NS is also where like half my phone battery goes. I feel NS has made me more tolerant of people.

[Nakena]

Politically: Yes

I used to be A /pol/, practical neo-nazi, Zionist who believes the white race was going extinct.

Now I am a filthy libertarian who believes that capitalism > Starving to death in gulag

How did NS help with this change?

[Telconi]

I used to believe people were generally good.

[Big Jim P]

Personally, yes, I'd say it did.

[Dumb Ideologies]

Personally, yes, I'd say it did.

Not big enough to suck everyone else into your orbit and then shoot them down?

[Topoliani]

Politically: Yes

I used to be A /pol/, practical neo-nazi, Zionist who believes the white race was going extinct.

Now I am a filthy libertarian who believes that capitalism > Starving to death in gulag

How did NS help with this change?

I got introduced to new ideas for one. These ideas were told in detail by the community and I also did my own research.

[MC United]

NS has changed neither my policy views nor my political identification. If anything, the preponderance of leftist blather has only reinforced my rightist outlook.

It has, however, changed me personally, to the extent that mod rules, in many instances, keep me from saying what I really think or talking about who I really am.

[Ethel mermania]

That isn't what your flag is showing though.

I assure you I am not chibi Avengers.

I don't think NS has changed me politically, except to hone my arguments.

This.

I was an adult when I came here so my belief system is fairly well set.

But now I don't lose on line arguements, except here. FolKS are not use to using sources of facebook.

[Pax Nerdvana]

I assure you I am not chibi Avengers.

I don't think NS has changed me politically, except to hone my arguments.

This.

I was an adult when I came here so my belief system is fairly well set.

But now I don't lose on line arguements, except here. FolKS are not use to using sources of facebook.

So you win arguments on Facebook?