Did college make you more liberal?

Nope, Conservative through and through. Always defended my perspective in every humanities class I took and was never really concerned with how my views affected other people's perspective of me.

why do you think academia is generally associated with the left side of the political spectrum?

A mix of things. People on the left are more bleeding heart, so they feel a strong need to accomplish their "mission" and they are naturally drawn to education. They think that enlightenment saves the world, so they like being a part of education. I don't think that this is a bad thing though, I respect our teachers and mentors. I had an internship as an assistant teacher once and I had an amazing time working with kids.

The other side, which is a bit less respectable, is the whole "from each according to his ability to each according to his need" attitude. Conservatives are more "you are what you make of yourself", so we tend to go into business more often (corporate america is very republican, but not necessarily the religious type) because we want to work to make money and provide for ourselves and families. Leftists, who aren't necessarily known for their fiscal policy, will become very specialized in what they are doing and dedicate themselves to their research and mental masturbation, which is why Graduate school is overwhelmingly left-wing. They don't hesitate to dump thousands of dollars and years of their life in something that isn't personal growth, like a right-wing objectivist would, they dedicate themselves to their ideology. I can respect their passion, but I would never go that route.

/r/askaconservative Thread