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The one key, underlying common factor with most hardcore extremists, racists, white supremacists, etc. is bitter personal unhappiness and lack of belonging. And at some point, but not always, all that energy spent being so angry and projecting becomes exhausting and puts you into an even darker place where introspection finally kicks in. Or someone who was formerly a KKK member or political zealot and is reformed gets ahold of you and changes how you think. I watched a documentary a few years ago where a young black college woman went and interviewed white supremacists. She was nice, tolerant and listened to their vitriol for awhile....but eventually they couldn't help themselves and they started to like her. Started saying things like, 'You're one the few good ones'. etc......then they started considering her a friend. THEN the breakthroughs came and they started to question why they thought the way they did. The key was getting to know someone of color and they just couldn't hate her then. They desperately wanted her to like them at the end and some quit the organization outright. They were damaged men and boys that had a realization. It was quite something to see.
Quote: @StickyBun said:
The one key, underlying common factor with most hardcore extremists, racists, white supremacists, etc. is bitter personal unhappiness and lack of belonging. And at some point, but not always, all that energy spent being so angry and projecting becomes exhausting and puts you into an even darker place where introspection finally kicks in. Or someone who was formerly a KKK member or political zealot and is reformed gets ahold of you and changes how you think. I watched a documentary a few years ago where a young black college woman went and interviewed white supremacists. She was nice, tolerant and listened to their vitriol for awhile....but eventually they couldn't help themselves and they started to like her. Started saying things like, 'You're one the few good ones'. etc......then they started considering her a friend. THEN the breakthroughs came and they started to question why they thought the way they did. The key was getting to know someone of color and they just couldn't hate her then. They desperately wanted her to like them at the end and some quit the organization outright. They were damaged men and boys that had a realization. It was quite something to see.
Pretty sure I saw that same documentary. Seeing someone face to face is a powerful thing. And that's exactly why we're so divided right now. We don't see each other. We communicate via social media through bits and bytes. We argue with caricatures of our opponents...and not real people.
And your first sentence is spot on. Marginalization leads to radicalization. And it doesn't matter whether you're in Alabama or Afghanistan.
When Biden is president and you guys dont have a bogeyman to blame all your problems on...what are you going to do?
Quote: @AGRforever said:
When Biden is president and you guys dont have a bogeyman to blame all your problems on...what are you going to do?
I don't like Biden nor many Democratic policies. Did you see my post talking about all politicians in another thread?? They all suck.
Not sure why some Trumpers can't get past this very simple thing: because I think Trump is a buffoon and an unparalleled idiot doesn't make me a Biden-lover or a Democrat. I'm a moderate Republican, which in today's insane social media political world somehow makes me a liberal Democrat. I also dislike the Cult of Trump, which is exactly what it is to some people.
There’s always a boogieman.
They have to manufacture the illusion that there’s a huge threat. This huge threat draws everyone’s attention
and lets the politicians do whatever they want without scrutiny and also gives
them the excuse to implement policies they want.
If you don’t have a real person you just declare war on an
idea that is impossible to measure accurately, impossible to 100% eradicate,
impossible to know when you’re done or when’s good enough, and thus a perpetual
fear. In the 80’s and 00’s, we went
through the phase of the “War on Crime/Drugs/Terror/etc. Now we’re fighting against Climate
Change/Racism/Sexism. Is there a leader of
a country that you don’t like? Just say
he’s brutal to his own people and then invade.
Trumps blaming everything on China.
The Democrats blame everything on Russia. The list is endless.
That said, I think this strategy is losing its effectiveness. They have gone to the well too many times, especially
now when we’re doing wars on our own wrongthink.
Quote: @AGRforever said:
When Biden is president and you guys dont have a bogeyman to blame all your problems on...what are you going to do?
Live happily ever after? :-)
I tell ya, if Biden brags about grabbing women by the pussy, or ignores Russian bounties on American soldiers, or doesn't release his tax returns, or tweets from his toilet seat about teen Hollywood, or lies to the American people on average of every 56 seconds about the silliest of things like ratings or crowd size, or fires everyone in his administration who dares to disagree with him, or withholds federal money from states that didn't vote for him, or pays off a porn star while cheating on his wife and then lies about it, or gasses a crowd of peaceful protesters so he can pose for a photo op in front of a church using the Holy Bible as a prop, or uses an immigration policy that permanently takes children away from parents as a deterrent, or refers to women as horseface or fat or nasty, or refers to 3rd world nations as "shithole" countries, or tells black and brown members of congress to "go back" to their countries, or calls white supremacists "very fine people," or helps the Saudis cover up a murder, or says "I take no responsibility" for anything, or threatens to strip security clearances from his critics, or calls an American war hero a "fucking loser," or his administration tallies 215 criminal indictments, 415 dismissals, to the point where 44 former members of his own administration support his opponent, or threatens to not leave the White House if he loses the election....then, yeah, Biden will be my bogeyman, too.
The question isn't why are we opposed to Trump. The question is why isn't everyone?
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ AGRforever said:
When Biden is president and you guys dont have a bogeyman to blame all your problems on...what are you going to do?
Live happily ever after? :-)
I tell ya, if Biden brags about grabbing women by the pussy, or ignores Russian bounties on American soldiers, or doesn't release his tax returns, or tweets from his toilet seat about teen Hollywood, or lies to the American people on average of every 56 seconds about the silliest of things like ratings or crowd size, or fires everyone in his administration who dares to disagree with him, or withholds federal money from states that didn't vote for him, or pays off a porn star while cheating on his wife and then lies about it, or gasses a crowd of peaceful protesters so he can pose for a photo op in front of a church using the Holy Bible as a prop, or uses an immigration policy that permanently takes children away from parents as a deterrent, or refers to women as horseface or fat or nasty, or refers to 3rd world nations as "shithole" countries, or tells black and brown members of congress to "go back" to their countries, or calls white supremacists "very fine people," or helps the Saudis cover up a murder, or says "I take no responsibility" for anything, or threatens to strip security clearances from his critics, or calls an American war hero a "fucking loser," or his administration tallies 215 criminal indictments, 415 dismissals, to the point where 44 former members of his own administration support his opponent, or threatens to not leave the White House if he loses the election....then, yeah, Biden will be my bogeyman, too.
The question isn't why are we opposed to Trump. The question is why isn't everyone?
No wonder Trump doesn't pay taxes. The amount of free rent you're giving him in your head doesn't generate a 1099.
Quote: @StickyBun said:
@ AGRforever said:
When Biden is president and you guys dont have a bogeyman to blame all your problems on...what are you going to do?
I don't like Biden nor many Democratic policies. Did you see my post talking about all politicians in another thread?? They all suck.
Not sure why some Trumpers can't get past this very simple thing: because I think Trump is a buffoon and an unparalleled idiot doesn't make me a Biden-lover or a Democrat. I'm a moderate Republican, which in today's insane social media political world somehow makes me a liberal Democrat. I also dislike the Cult of Trump, which is exactly what it is to some people.
Not a Trumper. Not a Republican. Not a Democrat. I'm a fiscal conservative and the only party that has room for those anymore seems to be the Libertarian party. If you think today's social media makes you a Liberal what do you suppose it does to those that actually did vote for Trump when you label them all white supremacists/kkk/sexists and on and on and on. No wonder we're all pissed at each other all the time.
From my very unscientific study there's about 2% of shitheads in this country. 1/2 of them burned down targets and other small businesses this summer and 1/2 of them attended these so called racist/sexist/homophobic rallies.
The other 98% are normal working class Americans just trying to live their lives. Roughly 60% are going to vote for their "nominee" even if Satan has it. 30% are voting against "the other guy/gal" and there's about 8% left that are actually independent.
Quote: @AGRforever said:
@ StickyBun said:
@ AGRforever said:
When Biden is president and you guys dont have a bogeyman to blame all your problems on...what are you going to do?
I don't like Biden nor many Democratic policies. Did you see my post talking about all politicians in another thread?? They all suck.
Not sure why some Trumpers can't get past this very simple thing: because I think Trump is a buffoon and an unparalleled idiot doesn't make me a Biden-lover or a Democrat. I'm a moderate Republican, which in today's insane social media political world somehow makes me a liberal Democrat. I also dislike the Cult of Trump, which is exactly what it is to some people.
Not a Trumper. Not a Republican. Not a Democrat. I'm a fiscal conservative and the only party that has room for those anymore seems to be the Libertarian party. If you think today's social media makes you a Liberal what do you suppose it does to those that actually did vote for Trump when you label them all white supremacists/kkk/sexists and on and on and on. No wonder we're all pissed at each other all the time.
From my very unscientific study there's about 2% of shitheads in this country. 1/2 of them burned down targets and other small businesses this summer and 1/2 of them attended these so called racist/sexist/homophobic rallies.
The other 98% are normal working class Americans just trying to live their lives. Roughly 60% are going to vote for their "nominee" even if Satan has it. 30% are voting against "the other guy/gal" and there's about 8% left that are actually independent.
I didn't label them all that, but some are. And then I added the documentary I saw. I mentioned 'hardcore racists, extremists (could be on either side), etc.' I didn't say Trump supporters were that, but if you think some aren't, you're very wrong. Agree however that your study is very unscientific.
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