This board does a better job of being rational, much of the time, than the general population.
Would you seriously attempt to argue that European political decisions are always about rationality and never about emotion or knee-jerk reactionism? That would be a… unique view.
Do you mean GD or the SDMB in general. I’ve certainly had some factual misconceptions cleared up in GQ and CS. I can’t think of any major philosophical changes I’ve made from GD threads, but I’ve learned to be more careful with my assumptions.
Are there a lot of complete and instantaneous reversals of opinion? No.
But I do think that more gradual changes happen relatively frequently. My opinions have certainly changed since I’ve joined the SDMB, and while I can’t point to a time when I’ve completely thrown in the towel in a debate, I do think that the contemplation that accompanies honest debate nurtures change (although not always dramatic change).
I can’t think of any opinions I’ve totally reversed, but I’ve come to understand a lot of other viewpoints.
Huh… Sevastapol, allow me to introduce you to John Howard. Howard, Sevastapol. You two enjoy yourselves.
I find European rationality very enlightened and instructive to us aggressively ignorant Yanks. Why, who can forget the example of the Germans, who, after being somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome of the 1914-1918 rational discussions, gathered all the nations of Europe together to calmly air their grievances during the long talks of 1939-1945. Although discussions grew somewhat heated. That was a fine example of public policy being debated using evidence and rational criticism.
That’s probably the single issue I’ve learned the most about.
I know I’m more of a libertarian and probably more moderate in general than I was before I started posting here. That’s not just because of this board, but I’ve come to understand and appreciate limited government ideas in many ways through discussion with posters like Bricker.
I can’t say I’ve completely changed an opinion about something I was (reasonably) informed about, but this board has definitely helped me form opinions about things I was unsure about. And helped me learn about things I never even condsidered before. It has also taught me that individuals can find like minds, and even friends, on a message board. Which I had never believed before - I thought it was all a con game.
OK, who do I mail the check to, again?
I’d have to say that the personal testimonies of
a) pro-life dopers and
b) dopers who’ve had strongly positive experiences with the mental health system
…have made me respect these (to me) alternative viewpoints, and in both cases I think I’ve become less two-dimensional (or, Og help me, one-dimensional) on these issues. I do hope some of that has been mutual (even if I personally had little to do with provoking further thought on their part)
I would also say that I’ve gone from being uninterested in 2nd Amendment / gun control as an issue to taking a side (pro-2nd-Amendment-rights).
I’ve also been taken down a baker’s dozen worth of pegs. Participating in the Straight Dope has put me in my place! I had become way too pompous, having been exposed to too high a percentage of people who didn’t hold well-formed opinions or thoughts about much of anything, and it had definitely led me to think I probably knew more than other people on hundreds of subjects. I’ve found that dilettante-ism may get you through scholastic exams w/o much sweat but when you shoot your mouth (or keyboard) off in a roomful of people who actually know the stuff coming and going, you can have your ass politely handed to you quite often and with a minimum of ceremony.
That’s gotta count for something.
Just so I’m clear, are you answering “Yes” to the OP, or “As if”?
Yes; I’ve changed my mind about several major issues largely as a result of discussions on this board, or lines of thought provoked by them.
Of course that only goes to prove what a weak-minded fop I am, rather than demonstrating any inherent quality of the board.
I learned the character portrayed by Cuba Gooding jr. in Pearl Harbor was a real guy, which changed my mind about that movie, shifting it from “total crap” to “total crap with one good element”.
I’ve changed my views on religion based on threads on this board.
I have also gained a lot of insight into and understanding of the fiscally conservative point of view. Some of Sam Stone’s recent posts in the “war on poverty” thread have brought me very close to swinging over. This may not sound like a big deal, but consider this: in my youth, I marched under a hammer-and-sickle banner on more than one occasion.
I also know of several posters who have changed their minds thanks to SDMB threads, mainly on the subjects of same-sex marriage (like John Mace) and abortion.
So yeah, SDMB threads change views. But many of us are already fairly well-read and mature when we come here, especially the ones who partake in the more vigorous threads, so we’re unlikely to be easily swayed, simply because we’ve already thought things through. I think we’re affecting the lurkers more than the posters, actually.
Not much post-count here, but FWIW I’m in camp 1 for the short time I’ve been around. Mellowed my anti-religion stance somewhat - still reckon the world would be a far better place if we had much more scepticism and much less faith, but also heard from many rational religious people, the existence of which group I had seriously doubted until now.
Also the recent pit thread re Singapore, drugs and death made me realise that for many people in favour of prohibition, their hearts are in the right place. They are motivated by a genuine desire to reduce harm, not stamp their jackboots on people who want to alter their consciousness. (still doesn’t stop me thinking prohibition is a bizarre aberration and non-solution though!)
And then there’s guns… I still wonder about the US’s obsession with them, but I can see some sense in the second amendment.
Agree with your second para but not at all your first. Public discourse in the US is mostly driven by fear, dogma, anti-intellectualism, paranoia and ‘aggressive ignorance’ in the same manner as it is everywhere else. The struggle of the reasonable minority against the wilfully closed-minded is a worldwide feature.
Drop along to the Daily Mail website if you want a UK example!
(actually just read jsgoddess’s last post)
And clairobscur, I agree with you that it would be nice if the board was more international and less US-centric, but… isn’t the ball rather in our court for that 
? Get some of your friends to sign up!
As another one whose views have changed, I’m curious about this. Are we just weak-minded? Could be. I’d like to think that I’m open-minded, but maybe the two are interchangeable.
Oh dear. I think perhaps I’ve just been pointed to an example of ignorance in the UK. I must defend myself. I’m from Ohio!
And nothing you say will convince me otherwise.
Regards,
Shodan
Buh? 
Tsk. :smack: By which I meant, ‘for a more economical statement of the point I was trying to make’, not ‘for an example of wilful ignorance’. :o
Changes in my thinking due to GD:
Gay Marriage: I always thought it was silly for Gays to want to marry… now I think its important.
Religious Conservatives: I thought they were loonies with no rational thinking, but due to Sam Stone’s thread about how they think… I know a bit more about their inner mental workings. They are still a bit loony… but they have a mindset with a logic and reality of their own. Which brings me to the sad conclusion that many issues won’t have a middle ground, ever.
Some typical USA issues like Gun Rights are clearer to me now… even if I don’t agree. I certainly do understand their position better.
As for other countries... every country has various groups with different views on how to do things just like in the USA...