Recently the C2C Journal posted an article entitled, “Young Offenders: Meet the Angry Socialists Poisoning Our Politics”, which began by stating:
Social media is widely blamed for poisoning the public conversation on a range of topics – especially politics and contentious social questions. But there’s a possibly even more dangerous force growing on the internet: an online community of YouTubers and livestreamers spouting far-left dogma, praising political violence and denigrating their opponents as evil, far-right fascists.
Using fallacious arguments, psychological manipulation and overheated rhetoric, they seek to radicalize young people and convert them to their cause. Millions are tuning in, and mainstream “progressive” politicians are jumping on their bandwagons. Noah Jarvis profiles three of these socialist crusaders and explains why they are such a threat.
While I think I think this topic should be explored, to suggest this is a left-wing thing, or problem, isn't honest. If I said it was just a right-wing thing that would be equally dishonest.
I could probably find a hundred people on the left, and the right, that do this. If I reported just one side being bad, I'd be tossing a gallon of gasoline on a fire. I'd rather throw some water.
The issue is not bad left, or bad right, wing. The issue is hyper-partisanship. We have people that choose not to listen to the other side. We have people that believe compromise is weakness.
Hyper-partisans believe their side is the only side that is viable, moral, and correct.
That's not rational or logical thought. Instead, it’s Jim Jones let's have some Kool-Aid kind of cult thinking. I think when we look at philosophical ideas and broadly declare that some are correct, we're treading on very dangerous ground. When we declare we have the "truth" and hold up two stone tablets we're the problem.
What the country and world needs is for people to stop believing they have found the truth and that the other side is bad or evil or corrupt or whatever. They're human beings. They are just as lost, damaged, broken, struggling, searching, confused, joyous, angry, depressed, and elated as you and me.
I've been around 50 years now. Here's what I've learned: I do not possess the truth or the one true path or any sacred knowledge that makes the world a perfect place. I've learned the answers to some questions and that's changed me because instead of my knowledge being complete, I just found that there were lots more questions I had never considered. And I don't have answers to them yet.
I may never figure those answers out or get them from someone else. So instead of feeding the hyper-partisans and riling up the world let's calm it down, reach out, and figure out how to move on respectfully.
If we don't, our future ain't going to be one any of us want to live in or have the next generation endure.
ABOUT DEVON KRUGGEL:
I'm a 50-year-old Caucasian male and was a right winger of sorts from the age of 16 until I was about 47 or so. I have got a Bachelors degree in History and Political Science and one in Computer Science. I've been in BC since 1990, and have lived on Vancouver Island since 1993.
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