Extremism

Extremism is the quality or state of holding extreme views or supporting extreme actions. It is most often used to describe ideas in political or religious contexts that are far outside what most people in society believe. These extreme ideas can come from many places, such as the far-left politics, far-right politics, or even strong religious beliefs known as fundamentalism.

People who support extreme views are called extremists. Their ideas are usually very different from those of moderates, the people who hold more middle-ground opinions. Some extremist groups believe in using violence to achieve their goals, while others support nonviolent extremism and use peaceful but still very strong methods to make change.

One interesting fact is that studies looking at social media have found that groups on opposite sides of the political spectrum, like the far-left and far-right, often have very different ideas from each other. The more different their beliefs are, the more "extreme" they tend to score on measures of extremism. This shows how important it is to understand different viewpoints, even when they seem very far apart.

Definitions

Extremism refers to beliefs or actions that are far from what most people consider normal or mainstream. It often appears in political or religious contexts and can involve very strong views or actions. What people consider "extreme" can depend on their own values and perspectives. For example, one person might see an action as a brave fight for freedom, while another might see it as harmful terrorism.

Countries have their own ways of thinking about extremism. In Germany, extremism is defined as rejecting democratic principles and laws. It's important to remember that not all extreme actions involve violence—some groups prefer nonviolent methods to express their views.

Theories of extremism

Eric Hoffer and Arthur Schlesinger Jr. were political writers who explored what they called "political extremism." Hoffer wrote about the minds of people who join strong, passionate groups. Schlesinger talked about the importance of staying within mainstream politics and the need to know what ideas are too extreme.

Other thinkers have also studied extremism. Seymour Martin Lipset pointed out that there can be extremism from both the left and the right, and even from people who claim to be in the center. Laird Wilcox described traits often linked to extremists, such as seeing opponents as evil or using insults instead of fair discussion.

Researchers have looked at why people become extreme. Some believe it comes from deep feelings of unfairness or anger. Others think it may be a way to gain power. Studies show that people with very extreme views often feel too sure of themselves and have a hard time changing their minds when faced with new information. They also tend to see the world in very simple, black-and-white terms and are less accepting of different opinions.

Criticism of term

After being called an extremist, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the term in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. He said that being called an extremist should make us think about whether we are extremists for love and justice, or for hate and injustice.

In Russia, laws against extremist content have sometimes been used in ways that limit freedom of speech. This has led to many different kinds of peaceful protests and writings being treated as illegal.

Other terms

Since the 1990s, in United States politics, the term Sister Souljah moment has been used to describe when a politician publicly rejects an extreme idea or group linked to their party.

The word "subversive" was sometimes used like "extremist" during the Cold War in the United States, even though the two words mean slightly different things.