# Have you ever changed your mind about an issue as a result of something you read here on the SDMB? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2020, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978 "2020-08-01T11:53:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/41 "2020-08-04T19:40:28Z")
I believe it was on the SD that I encountered the argument, “you can release a person from prison, but you can’t un-execute them.” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/42 "2020-08-04T22:10:57Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > I was raised fundamentalist Pentecostal and accepted all that I was taught. I would have been a Trumper now and, probably, a fairly extreme one. I was a young-earth creationist filled with righteous hate of gays, women’s rights, bleeding heart Liberals… I told my wife the other day that 20 years ago, I think I was brainwashed enough that I would have supported and voted for Trump. It is hard to believe when I think about it, but I was out their cheering on and getting emotionally invested in GWB winning the election. I did not care about the popular vote, did not care if he legit won Florida, did not care about any of it. If you had told me in 2000 that I would have voted for Hilary Clinton, I never would have believed it. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/43 "2020-08-05T02:40:24Z")
Racist = short hand for “bigoted against people from a particular place”. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/44 "2020-08-05T14:49:16Z")
“Racist”, at least in the U.S., isn’t used that way. “Prejudiced” perhaps. Maybe “bigoted.” If I don’t like people from Florida, that wouldn’t make me racist. But, to your original point, thank you for understanding that some Americans are practically normal. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/45 "2020-08-05T22:34:39Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > “Racist”, at least in the U.S., isn’t used that way. “Prejudiced” perhaps. Maybe “bigoted.” If I don’t like people from Florida, that wouldn’t make me racist. Yeah I know. I was exaggerating for comedic affect (poorly). It’s probably not a good time in American history to do that, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/46 "2020-08-05T23:19:20Z")
Yes. When I began posting 19 years and a few months ago, I was still using yahoo’s search engine. The good people of the straight dope forced me to see the error of my ways and I’ve adopted google as is right and proper. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/47 "2020-08-06T00:26:40Z")
I still use Google quite a bit, but DuckDuckGo gets a fair amount of my searching now. Have you used it? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/48 "2020-08-07T00:34:23Z")
I think I have become more accepting of gun rights since reading the board (although I’m still pretty liberal on this issue), and have a much greater understanding of transgenderism. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/49 "2020-08-07T19:17:11Z")
I’ve gone entirely the other way. I would have supported 2nd amendment rights 20 years ago, but I would repeal that amendment now and implement very strict gun control. Again, partly from here, but also from other things on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/50 "2020-08-11T02:24:41Z")
I’ve learned a lot about non-binary identifying people by participating in the SDMB for 20+ years. Has changed how I see everyone I meet and how I respond to the information when a non-binary person shares that information with me. It simply wasn’t in my world-view very much until I read a lot of personal experiences here. Very grateful for this. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/51 "2020-08-11T13:04:24Z")
There are non-binary people on the dope? I must’ve missed that. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/52 "2020-08-11T13:30:52Z")
The closest I’d come to changing my mind on an issue is moving from a Climate Change skeptic to a believer. It was a slow change, though, and came from many sources of information, but there has definitely been a lot of talk here about it that contributed. I was never an outright denier, just quietly had my doubts, waiting for more facts to be confirmed before I’d choose a definitive side. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978/53 "2020-08-14T00:29:30Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Do note that my personal opinion has softened a bit more, to the level of “it’s between the woman, her doctor, and her God, if any.” But Cecil argues the minimum point where personhood could accrue on a fetus: when brainwaves arrive. And I agree with that. I have a follow up question about this. Do we have data on what percent of abortions in the US occur after brain-waves arrive? Even an approximation? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-changed-your-mind-about-an-issue-as-a-result-of-something-you-read-here-on-the-sdmb/916978.md?page=2)