Influences To The Development Of My Political Identity

Undeniably, the biggest influence to the development of my political identity would have to be my parents, and for a magnitude of reasons including their personal upbringings, emphasis on privilege, and importance of having values. My parents’ contrasting upbringing, mainly economic status, demonstrated the importance of utilizing my own life’s privileges and opportunities. My dad, having lost his mother at a young age, spent almost all of his childhood living in poverty being raised by his father. While my mother, much like myself, was able to grow up in a comfortable middle-class family. In sharing their separate yet intertwined stories with me, I learned the value of maintaining a perspective that empathizes with individuals’ differing experiences. …show more content…
I was better able to understand the reality of not being economically privileged. I learned that my father would have to work harder to overcome challenges and create opportunities in order to get ahead. From my dad’s experience, I was able to sympathize the fact that social mobility rarely occurs, especially in the United States. Fortunately, my dad was able to catch some good breaks and was able to move up the social ladder. It was because of my dad’s mobility shift that made me want to help others in working their way up as well. My dad’s struggles definitely made me more aware and conscious of the privileges that I was given. My parent’s emphasis on making sure I recognized my privileges had and continues to have the biggest impact on my life. The most noted lesson and line they say is, “With privilege comes responsibility.” This saying holds true to almost every opportunity I have received throughout my life. It is because of my privilege that I have the obligation to commit my time and resources into improving opportunities to those who are not as