As I have stated many times before, the answers to the problems we face in America cannot be found on the right and left fringes of political ideology. The answers that are best for the majority of Americans and for the current and future stability of America can be found in the center, center-right, or center-left.
Having said that, we always look at the Far-Right and Far-Left as two groups of people who are wholly different, with no similarities what-so-ever. Interestingly enough, if you look a bit deeper than the surface, you may just find that there are more similarities between the two groups than everyone thinks.
Let's start with what drives someone to hold beliefs on the fringes of the political spectrum. Often times major events in one's life will drive them to have more extreme views on issues than the average person. This could include personally experienced violent acts, loss of loved ones to violence, the feeling that the healthcare industry failed them or their family because of a lack of support that led to major illness, disability or death, being ostracized because they hold different beliefs or live a different lifestyle, etc. The more major events that affect someone's life, the more likely that person will end up with viewpoints on the extreme fringes. This applies to both the far right and far left ideologies in politics.
Events can not only cause someone to have extreme views, but can change someone's views drastically from what they used to be. A person who is wholly opposed to the death penalty as a means of punishment may find their view of the death penalty changes after they have a home invasion that results in someone murdering their family. A person who has great healthcare through their company may be very happy with the system until they lose their job and find that the support they had for their loved one's major medical condition is no longer there and their loved one dies. A parent may think there are no issues with the gun laws in America until the day they get a call from the police and are told that their child was one of the people killed in a school shooting. A parent may be absolutely for the death penalty as a means of punishment until they find out that their own child murdered people in cold blood and is sentenced to death. Major events drive changes in the viewpoints of people. These events drive people to both the far right and far left of the political spectrum with their views in many cases.
Other similarities exist between the two extreme sides of the political spectrum. You will find that the closer to the center of the spectrum one gets, the less violent acts you find. There are groups on the left and right fringes of the spectrum that have used violence as a means to drive their point. This has happened on scores of occasions on both the left and the right, generally within groups that have formed on the fringes with members who all support the extreme viewpoints of the other members of the groups. There comes a point where words don't seem to do enough for these groups, so actions are taken to drive points. There have been shootings, bombings, violent protests, etc., on both sides of the spectrum for decades. This is something that is very common on both extreme sides of the political spectrum.
Social media and digital media are two things that are very prevalent in today's America. When my generation grew up, you read the news in the paper or watched it at lunch, dinner, or before bed on television. Now, news is at your fingertips 24 hours every day, much of that news is far right and far left, and in many cases aimed at driving people to take on far right or left political viewpoints. Many people don't vet their news for facts, and if a story matches their viewpoint on an issue, or even takes on a bit of a more extreme view on an issue, people take it as fact, share it with their friends and family on social media, and spread it like a virus throughout the masses who gobble up digital news every day. Sure, many of us know that vetting our news is vitally important, but many of us do not. As I have stated in a previous blog, I can spend all but a minute on Facebook when I log in and find a news story someone posted that is completely false and devoid of facts, but someone posted it as fact and is standing behind it as fact because it supports an extreme narrative they approve of.
A group has studied the political spectrum and found that it is less of a linear pattern that travels from the left to the right, and more of a horseshoe, where the two extreme ends of the spectrum end up closer together rather than farther apart, as many of their traits and drivers are so very similar. Their views may be opposite, but what drove them to those views is in many cases the same.
The point of this blog is to really drive home one simple fact, and that is the extreme fringes of the political spectrum are not as different as many would like to think they are. In most cases, some major event or events drove individuals to an extreme viewpoint on something politically. Once that one major viewpoint change occurs, often times individuals end up following groups who are in support of that extreme viewpoint, but who also support many other extreme viewpoints. Over time, it is very easy for someone who made a visit to the fringes with one view to end up taking on extreme views across the board simply because of the people or organizations they let influence them along the way.
My message is simple. If you have a friend or family member who lives on the fringes and who exhibits extreme political views, engage them in conversation. Find out what drove them to those views if you don't know already, and find a way to bring them back. No one should live on the fringes, as nothing beneficial happens there. Thank you so much for supporting my blog. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read these words. Please comment, as I would love to hear what you think, and please share, as I would like to get my blogs out to more people.
DUNK
Having said that, we always look at the Far-Right and Far-Left as two groups of people who are wholly different, with no similarities what-so-ever. Interestingly enough, if you look a bit deeper than the surface, you may just find that there are more similarities between the two groups than everyone thinks.
Let's start with what drives someone to hold beliefs on the fringes of the political spectrum. Often times major events in one's life will drive them to have more extreme views on issues than the average person. This could include personally experienced violent acts, loss of loved ones to violence, the feeling that the healthcare industry failed them or their family because of a lack of support that led to major illness, disability or death, being ostracized because they hold different beliefs or live a different lifestyle, etc. The more major events that affect someone's life, the more likely that person will end up with viewpoints on the extreme fringes. This applies to both the far right and far left ideologies in politics.
Events can not only cause someone to have extreme views, but can change someone's views drastically from what they used to be. A person who is wholly opposed to the death penalty as a means of punishment may find their view of the death penalty changes after they have a home invasion that results in someone murdering their family. A person who has great healthcare through their company may be very happy with the system until they lose their job and find that the support they had for their loved one's major medical condition is no longer there and their loved one dies. A parent may think there are no issues with the gun laws in America until the day they get a call from the police and are told that their child was one of the people killed in a school shooting. A parent may be absolutely for the death penalty as a means of punishment until they find out that their own child murdered people in cold blood and is sentenced to death. Major events drive changes in the viewpoints of people. These events drive people to both the far right and far left of the political spectrum with their views in many cases.
Other similarities exist between the two extreme sides of the political spectrum. You will find that the closer to the center of the spectrum one gets, the less violent acts you find. There are groups on the left and right fringes of the spectrum that have used violence as a means to drive their point. This has happened on scores of occasions on both the left and the right, generally within groups that have formed on the fringes with members who all support the extreme viewpoints of the other members of the groups. There comes a point where words don't seem to do enough for these groups, so actions are taken to drive points. There have been shootings, bombings, violent protests, etc., on both sides of the spectrum for decades. This is something that is very common on both extreme sides of the political spectrum.
Social media and digital media are two things that are very prevalent in today's America. When my generation grew up, you read the news in the paper or watched it at lunch, dinner, or before bed on television. Now, news is at your fingertips 24 hours every day, much of that news is far right and far left, and in many cases aimed at driving people to take on far right or left political viewpoints. Many people don't vet their news for facts, and if a story matches their viewpoint on an issue, or even takes on a bit of a more extreme view on an issue, people take it as fact, share it with their friends and family on social media, and spread it like a virus throughout the masses who gobble up digital news every day. Sure, many of us know that vetting our news is vitally important, but many of us do not. As I have stated in a previous blog, I can spend all but a minute on Facebook when I log in and find a news story someone posted that is completely false and devoid of facts, but someone posted it as fact and is standing behind it as fact because it supports an extreme narrative they approve of.
A group has studied the political spectrum and found that it is less of a linear pattern that travels from the left to the right, and more of a horseshoe, where the two extreme ends of the spectrum end up closer together rather than farther apart, as many of their traits and drivers are so very similar. Their views may be opposite, but what drove them to those views is in many cases the same.
The point of this blog is to really drive home one simple fact, and that is the extreme fringes of the political spectrum are not as different as many would like to think they are. In most cases, some major event or events drove individuals to an extreme viewpoint on something politically. Once that one major viewpoint change occurs, often times individuals end up following groups who are in support of that extreme viewpoint, but who also support many other extreme viewpoints. Over time, it is very easy for someone who made a visit to the fringes with one view to end up taking on extreme views across the board simply because of the people or organizations they let influence them along the way.
My message is simple. If you have a friend or family member who lives on the fringes and who exhibits extreme political views, engage them in conversation. Find out what drove them to those views if you don't know already, and find a way to bring them back. No one should live on the fringes, as nothing beneficial happens there. Thank you so much for supporting my blog. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read these words. Please comment, as I would love to hear what you think, and please share, as I would like to get my blogs out to more people.
DUNK
Comments