We’re right, you’re wrong. Black and white. Good versus evil.
From diehard conservatives like Bill O’Reilly and loudmouth liberals like Rep. Alan Grayson, to the Christian extremists like the Westboro Baptist Church and Islamic terrorists like al-Qaida, extreme opinions and beliefs appear to be gaining momentum these days.
You would think the rise of global communication and connectivity would allow everyone to see different sides of each issue, and pick and choose what they believe in. However, people tend to ignore opinions different from their own. Instead of bringing people together, the Internet helps separate them.
But why are people drawn to extreme ideas, philosophies or politics in the first place? Part of the reason is because it’s easy to believe in absolutes, and it makes the follower feel better about themselves. When an individual starts to believe in an idea or group so strongly it becomes infallible to him, he becomes a shining white knight for said cause, a hero in his own mind, and nothing can convince him otherwise.
Everything the extreme belief system stands for becomes righteous and justified, mirroring another ideology that becomes a symbol for chaos and evil. By turning an opposing group into an “other,” radicals create an enemy responsible for the horrible world we live in. Zealots need “infidels,” “Arabs,” “liberal socialists” or “bigoted republicans,” to wage a moral war against in order to put their own values in a positive light. Why would Bill O’Reilly have a constructive conversation when he can bellow and criticize anyone who doesn’t swear allegiance to his cause, whatever that may be? The number of single-minded and fanatical ideologies seems to be growing every year, feeding off humans’ urges to feel like the good guy all the time.
When a person searches on the Internet, reads a blog or looks at a news site, they are probably more likely to look for and subscribe to Web sites that reflect their own opinions. Why? Because it feels good to be right and to be agreed with. After all, who likes being told they’re in the wrong? After being immersed in similar sources and ideas for a long time, a person’s belief system gets increasingly narrowed and reinforced instead of broadened and expanded.
Without hearing a variety of balanced ideas and arguments, people easily accept skewed and radical ideologies, and begin to believe in the absolute infallibility of their position. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned after 21-odd years on this planet, it’s that one should never deal in absolutes, because they are rarely – if ever – true.
So the next time you read The Huffington Post, check out Drudge Report as well. And the next time you put down a Bible, pick up a Koran. Whatever you do, keep an open mind. It’s the best (while maybe not the easiest) type of mind to keep.
Weinberg senior Kenny Levin can be reached at [email protected].
