Standing Up to Poor Behavior and Extremism is a "Whole" Nation Affair

Extremism is a dangerous thing and seems to lean toward a growing trend in society. The first images we conjure up is foreign, dark skinned, and of course radical religious beliefs. That definition has changed somewhat over the past few years and an image of extremism is slowly shifting based on necessity to something more universal that includes lighter skinned ultra nationalists that want a society made up of people similar to themselves (At least until they have it and then other differences will be highlighted because its a way of thinking of chronic comparisons and feelings of powerlessness. That is also why giving people the skills and abilities to compete in the global market helps lower extremism through positive prospects). 

I should note that supporting a particular party or a particular vision for the nation is not extremism. We may agree or disagree with the values being promoted but inherently there is nothing wrong people working within a political process (Once they go outside that process or use threats and intimidation we have a different kind of problem.). Where it becomes an issues is when groups distort certain beliefs to target and intimidate "others" (...usually meaning of different races and religions but without those easily exploited differences to create a scapegoat it could be be others within one's same social networks. This is also an indication there were prior victims.) in an attempt to gain power over them.

(....notice now that extremism is action that can be engaged in by any race, religion, ideology in a modern society. Global societies that are upward moving won't have as much extremism as societies that are struggling with change. See Our Two Biggest National Threats Post Afghanistan? (Decision Making and Human Capital Management))

Certainly people have the right to like or dislike others as they see fit even if those beliefs are based primarily on superficial differences (...meaning not on the quality of character of people). Under such circumstances we can accept that we are not dealing with fully mature minds and sophisticated individuals that see the value in all human life. Instead we are often discussing those that are heuristic in their thinking, black white outlooks of "all this" or "all that", and have difficulty seeing themselves and their behaviors with an accurate feedback loop (...bullies and bigots have a hard time managing their thinking and/or emotions when frustrated.). 

Training law enforcement to see the signs of extremism can go a long way in ensuring that they understand the behaviors and can actively thwart or prosecute such behaviors when they become criminalized. Having a proper backstop is helpful and the good men and women serving our communities should be given more tools to be even more successful in their work (The ultimate goal is to help them be successful by enhancing their abilities and giving them the support they need. That in turn can lower extremism, create community engagement, and result in a more accurate and just Justice System. See Judges and Society  )

(Zhang, Zhou, and Mao, 2018)

It isn't fair to put all of societies ills on our officers as the disease of extremism is a social affair that has been in the brewing in certain circles of society for some time. We just didn't think of it as such until a number of national events occurred that highlighted how big that problem is and our lack of tools for dealing with it. The problem lies in part on our legislative process, value systems, and the promoting of extremism in politics (Called social prompting. You can see in this study how ethical leadership prompts follower behaviors. Take that on a national scale and the information people receive via communication/marketing channels such as television, Internet, etc... and you can sort of create a mental connection how this a bigger social issue. This is also why I encourage our leadership to think before they talk. ...a problem most of us suffer from....even me. 😔 Ethical Leadership and Follower Moral Actions: Investigating an Emotional Linkage ).  

I wish I knew all the answers. My family was targeted by extremists (at the very least extremely self consumed individuals that exploited existing bigotries.) and it was told that they were coming after my family because "You are Muslim!" (..which they don't really know anything about our values. Sad actually...that they feel is ok to act on such beliefs without understanding the targets they are acting on. More to come on a project I set out on a long time ago and have sort of wrapped up over the past few years. Lots of it is good and some of its bad but its a solid feedback loop for government stakeholders....assuming there are any. Who cares right?🤷). There was much more to this such as mental health, reputation, and financial gain but it was narrowed down to a single statement that prompted coordinated group aggression. I can only say that I have responsibilities to my family and to my country (and community) so I'm not willing to look the other way until their is a level of accountability (Right is right and wrong is wrong. If we don't have basic values the rest of the foundation becomes shaky through root assumptions and miscued social logic. Hegel and Social Spirit). 

Things like this happen because we have not challenged these behaviors prior and have not given good reason for participants to think before they act (That doesn't even mean punishment in all cases. Sometimes education, exposure, and values makes a difference. Distorted Mirrors). Automatic "immunity" from such behaviors is dangerous for everyone involved and can create a societal crack that can't be mended by fluffy words and fast talking spokespersons. It is an essential truth of who and what we want to be as a nation. While I can't speak for our political elite, I'm an advocate of learning, training, developing and promoting of pro-social values that create win-win situations across the board. 

The question then becomes from a functional level...."How does that happen?" ....and that is where most of us go blank. The one thing I can think of at the moment is to get mental help to those who first show signs of aggression mixed with hate based behaviors (...it is about power, feelings of powerlessness, and lack of respect for others.). In this case, such behaviors were seen as "cool" and not addressed appropriately thus far in their lives (They are isolated and coolness is defined primarily the same way since they were in grade school in the 70's. Its like Caddy Shack mixed with Animal House 😳). It also became emulated within their dysfunctional social networks (meaning they have a hard time self correcting because they don't see themselves as a problem.). See Michigan Extremism Reform. Others may have different arguments that may be just as valid.

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Side note. The group is no longer acting in a direct aggressive manner but most have shown very little remorse for their behaviors. There is a level of arrogance of some of the members (chuckling and spreading rumors) and a few have bridged the gap in social gestures to indicate they no longer desire to be aggressive (...likely more based in fear of being held to account. There may be a few genuine souls in the bunch.). Some have continued to ostracize at the direction of their ex-sports group leadership (i.e. the ones who started the problem. Its also interesting to see how they view others as wanting their validation...without considering alternative explanations. 🤔🤷). Thus it is a mixed bag of positive and negative. I don't want to say what I hope for in this case because I want people to sort of choose the path they want without any prompting from me (Even if what I say is the most logical thing in the room if I say one thing they are the type that go one way and if I say another they will run in the opposite direction. For many it is about looking good, winning, and saving face without realizing how that highlights latent variables of distorted self and group image.). Its important sometimes to not say too much.....so that events can unfold on their own. Thus I'm only understanding and explaining what seems to make sense to me. Perhaps others have explanations as well but what I have seen so far it seems like we are lacking in this regard to good theory.