"Why am I a __________?"

Why am I a Democrat?

My parents. Surprisingly, my parents are very liberal. My mom's side of the family is very conservative. It's actually quite funny to watch my grandparents argue with my parents over politics. I don't understand how my grandpa can be such a strong supporter of the Republican Party while my mom isn't. This question, "Why am I a _____?" is more complex than I thought.

Now that I am 18, I am eligible to vote. I have registered Democrat, but honestly, I have no idea what it means to be a Democrat. I feel so ignorant about political culture and ideology. It's like I just jumped on the party bus because that is what I am supposed to do. Isn't it?

To make any sense as to why I registered as Democrat, I had to look up what it means to be a Democrat. I found that liberals favor universal health care, decreased military spending, higher minimum wages, stem cell research, the legalization of same-sex marriage, abortion rights, stricter gun control, environmental protection laws, and cultural diversity. Although I disagree with a few of these things such as making abortion legal, I feel like I agree with the majority of them. Is this enough to classify me as Democrat? I really don't think so.

Anyways, I am hoping that by taking this course I will be able to uncover the reasoning behind my ideology. I am hoping to find a balance between community and individual based rights. In the end, I don't think my ideology will be classified as Democrat or Republican. Instead, I think it will be a happy compromise in-between.