How To Make a Political Extremist

Today, the word extremist in connection with politics is used frequently to a point where it has lost all of its prior meaning, and it is now a simple insult. However, despite this lack of understanding, political extremism is rampant to the point that most of the American people are extremists. Your family members, your neighbor, and that person sitting next to you at the bar are more likely than not extremists. Extremism is not like a disease that has a somewhat mysterious origin and is spread through proximity, but rather, extremism is manufactured through a procedural system. This system focuses on the degeneration of confidence and the creation of anger within individuals so that they can be brought to a blind, slave-like following to whatever cause may invoke this process.

Let us first begin by defining what a political extremist is. Some define a political extremist as someone with fringe political beliefs that do not fall within the mainstream political sphere. Such a definition is not satisfactory as it is in the business of delegitimizing certain political philosophies without proper reason. Such a definition uses “political extremist” as a petty insult rather than an illness unique to our times. Although it is possible that a political extremist is found of fringe political beliefs, it is also entirely possible that someone who aligns with the Republican or Democratic parties is an extremist. Rather than relying on this poor definition, let’s form a better one.

A political extremist is an individual who is completely absorbed into their ideology or political affiliation to the point of obsession and fanaticism. This obsession will lead the extremist to allow their ideology to affect their personal lives and actions to various degrees. On the lower end, the extremists will refuse to associate with those who are not interested in their ideology; on the other end, the extremists will seek to take direct action, which can be violent, in order to further their political goals.

Political extremists do not just catch the nightly news; they do not just casually read up on their ideology’s theory, nor do they passively discuss their beliefs with their peers. Rather, extremists obsess over their ideology as well as their ideology’s detractors constantly throughout the day. They are always viewing their news sources of choice, reading or watching videos on their ideology’s theory, and incapable of engaging in a casual discussion about politics, especially with those who disagree with them. The extremist lives in a constant state of anxiety and dread, always worrying about the progress of their ideological enemies and the state of the world. Their ideology is the Alpha and the Omega when it comes to everything, and the world’s problems will not cease till the ideology has completed its ends. An extremist will see all the problems he or she faces through the lens of their ideology.

A political extremist will wear their chosen political ideology as a personality trait. They are so intertwined that the distinction between their political views and themselves becomes blurred. Politics, to them, becomes more than an interest, as it transforms into an identity. Since the ideology is so ingrained in who they are, they will dissociate from those who do not share their political views, as they will understand this disagreement as a personal attack on their character.

Extremists are not necessarily born; they are made, and the process of which shall be the subject of this essay. When this process is mastered, extremists can very easily be manufactured at an intensely high rate, which is the case for our contemporary political sphere.

Creating Dread

The dread a political extremist feels towards the future of the world or their country is crucial in creating such an extremist. Without dread, a man or woman will not obsess over a political ideology to the extent required to be considered an extremist. Dread, as well as the fear, anger, and anxiety that comes from it, is the driving factor for a person to seek the change that an ideology promises. The creation of dread is, therefore, necessary manufacturing extremists.

A man or woman who finds their life comfortable in which their needs are met will not look towards politics in an obsessive manner. Sure, he or she might think about current events and their gripes towards them, and they might even be an advocate for a fringe political ideology, but so long as he or she does not steep to a period of despair, there will be no need to look for an outside source that promises to fix every problem in exchange for their total commitment to an ideology. Only the man or woman who fears the utter devastation of the world, their country, their community, their family, and themselves shall seek help from an outside source that promises to protect and fix such problems stemming from these concerns.

Given that feelings of dread are crucial to the development of an extremist, in order to manufacture them, dread must also be created. There are many ways to do so, but the most popular is with propaganda. Through various mediums rhetoric regarding an ideology can be passed down to individuals in easy  , highly consumable ways. Such messages must be repeated, catchy, and to the point so that the values of the ideology, in regards to the state of the world, can seep into the target’s subconscious, lowering their morale about the world or their country’s situation. The overall message of the propaganda must be, of course, tailored to the individuals or groups you wish to convert. For instance, if you want to convert a particular race of people, play to their insecurities and the issues they face. Ethnicity can be, of course, replaced by an economic class, workers of a certain industry, or people living within a certain area. The information presented within this propaganda does not have to be factual; rather it just needs to be presented in a simple persuasive argument that can convince the target group. Propaganda, in this case, should seek to destroy any hope an individual may have for the system they find themselves in and to make the individual put all their trust in their ideology.

Identifying the Enemy

To the extremists, the enemy of their ideology is the most nefarious force in the world. Such a force has traveled throughout history, continuously committing felonious acts against humanity as a whole. History can be understood as the battle between the ideology, even in a primitive form, and the enemy of the ideology. Without understanding who their enemy is, extremist prospects will not reach a mind-numbing hatred that can be directed in any way. It is more important in developing an extremist for them to understand their enemy and hate them than for them to have a deep understanding of the philosophy they support.

In creating the perfect political warrior for your ideology, such an individual must be aware of who they are up against so that they may identify and combat against them. Without an enemy, potential extremists will not have anything to place their wrath on, making their anger directionless and uncontrollable. By having a group (whether this group is genetically determined or based on some other ideology does not matter) who can act as the scapegoat for whatever sort of problems you wish to highlight, people will not need to have a strong understanding of the ideology. They will just need to understand that the political landscape was, and currently is, an us versus them battle. This knowledge can be the baseline of understanding the ideology, and it can also be the only thing each individual has to know to be indoctrinated in the ideology. This will allow people from all sorts of educational backgrounds to participate in such extremism.

The seething rage shall drive people to extreme lengths. As if under a spell of mirage, an individual will lose all sense of rationality, shall jump to ridiculous conclusions, and commit bizarre acts. However, when this rage is directed toward multiple sources, this anger cannot be easily directed as it can be with one scapegoat. Suppose someone is angry about their political situation but blames various sources; in that case, they are less likely to act extremely and to fall towards deception and irrationality. Now, if someone were to take these same gripes but instead place blame on a singular group of people, they will be much more willing to act irrationally to end this group. Furthermore, without consolidating the wrath of the people onto a singular target, your power as the propagator of the ideology will be weakened. This weakness will come from the fact that your people will choose to act against forces that are most important to them. For instance, let us say there are two extremists interested in the end goal of your ideology. However, coming from their history and circumstances, one favors the housing plan your ideology promises, and the other the education opportunities; if there is no central enemy to unite these desires in a fight to change the current system, these two extremists are going to venture off to fight for what they find important. Thus, splintering your potential power.

Given that hatred towards the enemy shall not only unify but also drive the people towards irrationality, efforts must be made to make the enemy known and identifiable. Known, and deeply known, so that the extremist is not confused about who or what is behind the issues. In your propaganda pieces, you must name the enemy, show the enemy and do this often in order to drive home that this group is a menace that must be stopped. It is identifiable in regard to the extremists being able to spot the enemy by looks and what they say alone. You must communicate to your extremists what the enemy looks like, including how they dress, and their talking points, so that when they see or hear their enemy as they go about their day, they will take the necessary measures. Although there certainly are times when you want your extremist to physically attack their enemies, during everyday civilian life you mostly want your extremists to avoid the enemy at all costs. If an extremist were to meet the enemy and have a conversation with them, the possibility of deradicalization is high. Deradicalization from a conversation can happen in several ways: 1) the enemy can argue their beliefs better than your extremist, which turns your extremist away from your ideology. 2) The two individuals do not talk about politics and instead discuss something else, while your extremist gathers from this conversation that this supposed enemy is not a menace and instead they are a good person with a different set of political beliefs. 3) This is the rarest one that might only be reserved for budding extremists; they witness the enemy, who also happens to be an extremist, act ignorant and irrational which serves as a mirror to highlight your extremist’s ignorance causing them to change their ways. In the action of identifying and making the enemy known, the purpose should be for the extremists to defend themselves from the enemy rather than to attack. Extremists should leave the room, and they should cut off ties when they spot the enemy. Attacks should be reserved for vigilante groups and during times of mass psychosis that occur during riots.

Bringing Them to Action

Without action, the existence of extremists serves little to no purpose. If they are not doing your bidding, the creation of extremists is a mere waste of time. You must motivate them to act and to fight to further your political desires.

As mentioned before, a well-conditioned political extremist will turn the majority of everyday conversations into politicized ones. This is, of course, great behavior, but the discussion of political violence should also appear in these conversations. The threat of violence against the enemy will serve as a form of surveillance against those not necessarily politically motivated and those who are extremists of opposing ideologies. The goal, of course, is to have these types of people fear the consequences of disagreeing with the extremist’s ideology, effectively stopping them from joining another ideology or acting in favor of the opposition.

However, threats of violence will be meaningless without any history to back these threats up. Your extremists must be motivated to act violently in public settings through protests that may turn into riots. You should aim your extremist to protect key political moments for your ideology and to act against what motivates the opposing ideologies. For instance, if Congress is passing a bill that your ideology opposes, you need a group of extremists to scream and shout to let everyone know it is not right. If a business refuses to act or to adopt policies in a way your ideology demands, you need a group of extremists to boycott and picket that business. If your enemies are protesting something, you need to counter-protest them harder. Attacks, in the sense of the beating of individuals, should also occur at protests, especially at large-scale protests where mass arrest would be too difficult.

It should be known that political violence is not just restricted to protests and attacks. Extremists can act violently while sitting at home or their jobs. If an extremist identifies an enemy and finds out their employer, they can contact their boss and try to get them fired. If your extremist works within the human resources branch of their employer, they can fire or even refuse to hire enemies.

To instill the necessity, you must focus on the dire consequences that inaction shall bring. Tell your extremists that if the enemy is not beaten, catastrophic events shall begin reigning down upon their country and the world as a whole. Tell them whatever ridiculous effect you wish to say. Tell them the world will end, say their children will be cursed, that their country shall transform into an unrecognizable state. However, no matter what you tell them, you say that action needs to be taken immediately. Communicate to your extremists that if they do not act, they are a part of the problem. And when you tell them to act, you show them where. Give them an outlet, and point them toward your political ends.

Now that they are created, your extremists shall stand by your side so long as they are necessary. A properly trained extremist will follow your direction even if you betray them. An extremist is blind to all the ills the kings of their ideology can possibly do. So, send them off and use them at your disposal, they are for your benefit and to further your goals.

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The process outlined above is not necessarily original. It is merely the popular process that political organizations and parties utilize to grow their supporter base and to move their supporters to action. As stated previously, an extremist is not necessarily one who follows a fringe or bizarre political ideology; an extremist is instead one that obsesses over any ideology. The implication of such a distinction is that anyone, not just the anti-social, can be the victim of such a process and brought to the level of depravity of an extremist. In fact, the main inspiration for this process was the widely viewed nightly news channels broadcast live on television. Despite not being viewed as fringe or extreme, these organizations are the primary manufacturers of extremism in our current age. New channels such as CNN, Fox, and NBC utilize this process with such a level of expertise that even intelligent and highly rational individuals will fall victim to extremism. The fear that an anti-social individual would stumble upon the Communist Manifesto and then turn into a communist is no longer how the majority of extremists are manufactured. Instead, it is when a normal person tunes into the nightly news, and whatever optimism they might have for their country or their neighbor is squeezed out of them and replaced with dread and fanaticism.

Given the vast access people have to mainstream media along with its power, America is essentially a nation of extremists. People without extreme tendencies are outliers, while most Americans hold the aggression, paranoia, and lack of optimism of an extremist. Moreover, for what purpose does this hold, if not to serve the political agendas of very few individuals? Our population is in a constant state of anxiety and a bizarre rage over an often invisible enemy. Such a state is one of misery and pain. How can a state, if it aims to protect and uplift its people, allow such a horrendous process to take hold of the minds of its people? How our media presents information must be re-evaluated to protect our people. Hiding their weaponized propaganda under the guise of freedom of speech is a mockery to both our nation and our people.

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