Your Experiences With Extremism

[JustGeorge]

Looking through some of the very interesting discussions that went on while I slept, I noticed mention here and there of extremism(or fundamentalism, radicalism, etc), and perceived threats from these worldviews from others. It perplexed me a bit, because all in all, I can say I have very few experiences in my own personal life with this kind of religious(or anti-religious) reaction. In all honesty, I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt 'threatened', and those were more in a mental, rather than physical sense.

So, now I am curious. We are all from different places, different cultures, etc, and I am wondering what is your experience with extremist people?

I am only asking for personal experiences here, not things you've heard on the news, or things people have posted on social media, or some other platform. Just real, face to face interactions. Are you being, or have you been threatened?

 

[Quintessence]

None. No experience.

Granted, I'm not one to label others as "extremist." It's a snarl word. As a general rule, I do not find snarl words useful.

 

[sun rise]

I was called a "kike" but never physically threatened because of my Jewish background.

 

[Nakosis]

Looking through some of the very interesting discussions that went on while I slept, I noticed mention here and there of extremism(or fundamentalism, radicalism, etc), and perceived threats from these worldviews from others. It perplexed me a bit, because all in all, I can say I have very few experiences in my own personal life with this kind of religious(or anti-religious) reaction. In all honesty, I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt 'threatened', and those were more in a mental, rather than physical sense.

So, now I am curious. We are all from different places, different cultures, etc, and I am wondering what is your experience with extremist people?

I am only asking for personal experiences here, not things you've heard on the news, or things people have posted on social media, or some other platform. Just real, face to face interactions. Are you being, or have you been threatened?

It's never my extremism, it is always someone else's extremism.

I suspect most extremists don't see themselves as extremists.

 

[JustGeorge]

None. No experience.

Granted, I'm not one to label others as "extremist." It's a snarl word. As a general rule, I do not find snarl words useful.

Yeah, I get that. Wasn't sure what word to use here to properly convey what was in my mind.

 

[Piculet]

Fundamentalism in good things is a good thing. It is stupid that people use words like Christian fundamentalism (by a Christian) or fundamentalist muslim (by a Muslim). It means whoever says it, doesn't really care about their religion.

 

[JustGeorge]

Fundamentalism in good things is a good thing. It is stupid that people use words like Christian fundamentalism (by a Christian) or fundamentalist muslim (by a Muslim). It means whoever says it, doesn't really care about their religion.

I'm more asking for your experiences with it, not opinions on it. On the flip side, have you had a positive experience with fundamentalism you'd like to share?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Can't say Ive really dealt with any extremists that I'm aware of. Plenty of bigots and jerks, but no one who is extreme or radical in their views.

 

[Piculet]

I'm more asking for your experiences with it, not opinions on it. On the flip side, have you had a positive experience with fundamentalism you'd like to share?

I try my best to be a fundamentalist.
The issue with your question is that people use those words wrong. They might say something is their "experience with extremism" when it's really just their experience with someone they don't like and who refuses to agree.

 

[JustGeorge]

Yeah, I acknowledged I may have used an incorrect word(or even more) here.

What I mean to convey(will I do it right this time?) is, have you ever felt unsafe or insecure over a behavior another person exhibits based on that person's religious understanding?

For example, one of the few times I can think of I felt threatened was a man I was on a neighborhood association with. He was a devout Christian, and that was fine with me. I listened to him talk about his faith, but never interjected with my own, as it wasn't his business. He seemed to guess my worldview was different than his own, because one day he called me, and very forcefully let me know that he didn't mind any oddities I had, but I had better be a follower of Christ, or not only would he not work with me anymore, he didn't know what he'd do about it. I didn't confirm or deny anything, but quickly ended the phone call, and told my husband about it when he got home. We stopped working with him.

I felt threatened because a) he isolated me with the phone call and b) he made a suggestion he could possibly take action against me.

All in all, i'm not sure if his actions were approved by his religion, but they were motivated by it.

 

[Revoltingest]

It's not really extremism, but in line with Sun Rise's post....
Mrs Revolt & I have endured some racism as a couple.
Usually black folk in NYC, but once by white guys in DC.

If anything, I'm usually the extremist in most gatherings.
And believe it or not, I'm less so than in years past.
But I also know other extremists....fundamentalist
Christians & marxists.

 

[bobhikes]

Looking through some of the very interesting discussions that went on while I slept, I noticed mention here and there of extremism(or fundamentalism, radicalism, etc), and perceived threats from these worldviews from others. It perplexed me a bit, because all in all, I can say I have very few experiences in my own personal life with this kind of religious(or anti-religious) reaction. In all honesty, I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt 'threatened', and those were more in a mental, rather than physical sense.

So, now I am curious. We are all from different places, different cultures, etc, and I am wondering what is your experience with extremist people?

I am only asking for personal experiences here, not things you've heard on the news, or things people have posted on social media, or some other platform. Just real, face to face interactions. Are you being, or have you been threatened?

I'm always surprised and it usually happens at a bar.

Drinking with my boss once he started talking about how he was getting pressured to hire woman. He said he would never do it or let his managers hire a women. Not only can they not do the job but if they are pretty enough they'll stop the guys from working. I Kept my mouth shut

Another time in a training class at a bar with 2 Texans. They started bashing Mexicans and Indians I let this go on for 10 minutes then I showed them a picture of my wife (El Salvadorian) and ask them to stop. They never approached me again during the week long class.

 

[metis]

How about having a swastika painted on the wall just outside my classroom door? It turned out to be one of our security guards who identified with white-supremacist militia groups. He got fired and moved to Idaho.

 

[exchemist]

Looking through some of the very interesting discussions that went on while I slept, I noticed mention here and there of extremism(or fundamentalism, radicalism, etc), and perceived threats from these worldviews from others. It perplexed me a bit, because all in all, I can say I have very few experiences in my own personal life with this kind of religious(or anti-religious) reaction. In all honesty, I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt 'threatened', and those were more in a mental, rather than physical sense.

So, now I am curious. We are all from different places, different cultures, etc, and I am wondering what is your experience with extremist people?

I am only asking for personal experiences here, not things you've heard on the news, or things people have posted on social media, or some other platform. Just real, face to face interactions. Are you being, or have you been threatened?

Why should it perplex you that people can feel threatened by people or groups they have not personally met?

 

[ChristineM]

Considering how few extremists/fundimentalists there are in the world i have had more than my fair share of interaction with them.

I was forced from my church (i am awaiting the usual outcry from Christians here) as a teenager.

The IRA are a Catholic terror group fighting to remove protestant Britain from NI. I was walking with my aunt into Manchester when the 1996 Manchester bomb exploded. I received minor but painful damage to an eye and hand. My aunt was more seriously injured

Whether christian extremists or idiotic racist teens i don't know. While out with the twins in their pushchair i was beaten to the ground and the pushchair launched onto the main road. The quick reaction of a passer by saved the kids. The attackers ran into a church to escape barging the priest aside. The priest denied even seeing the laughing teens when questioned by the police.

There is another incident instigated by a staunch christian but also a bad person. Although Christian, his criminal activities were responsible for my pain. More than that I'd rather not discuss.

While in southern USA i felt threatened wherever i went. I wasn't speaking the right language, church speak. I am told this was my own guilt because i was atheist. What? I have to convert to Christianity to visit a free country.

 

[Onoma]

My experience with extremism is that there are often different underlying etiologies, some of which are physiological, ( Dain bramage ) and then also some psychological ( Upbringing, environment )

Personally, I came to the realization in life that if I always took the view I was always right about things, ( I view as a type of extremism ) I'd never learn anything more than what I thought at the time to be true, so I'd essentially be my own biggest stumbling block ( Via Dunning-Kruger )

In such, I developed a worldview that I am more likely to be wrong about things than I am right

I prefer to undermine what I think is true, first, before going after others, but when it comes down to it, while I may see others' beliefs as irrational and untenable, they are negligible in respect to my personal life ( They have no impact on me )

 

[JustGeorge]

Why should it perplex you that people can feel threatened by people or groups they have not personally met?

I'm not perplexed at this; its not unusual to be troubled by something that hasn't happened(but could). I am just wondering at other's experiences, as I have had relatively few. I wanted to know what the experiences of others were on this forum.

Considering how few extremists/fundimentalists there are in the world i have had more than my fair share of interaction with them.

I was forced from my church (i am awaiting the usual outcry from Christians here) as a teenager.

The IRA are a Catholic terror group fighting to remove protestant Britain from NI. I was walking with my aunt into Manchester when the 1996 Manchester bomb exploded. I received minor but painful damage to an eye and hand. My aunt was more seriously injured

Whether christian extremists or idiotic racist teens i don't know. While out with the twins in their pushchair i was beaten to the ground and the pushchair launched onto the main road. The quick reaction of a passer by saved the kids. The attackers ran into a church to escape barging the priest aside. The priest denied even seeing the laughing teens when questioned by the police.

There is another incident instigated by a staunch christian but also a bad person. Although Christian, his criminal activities were responsible for my pain. More than that I'd rather not discuss.

While in southern USA i felt threatened wherever i went. I wasn't speaking the right language, church speak. I am told this was my own guilt because i was atheist. What? I have to convert to Christianity to visit a free country.

I'm really sorry you had to go through all that. It does sound like you've had more than your fair share...

My husband is from southern USA, and was really fearful of Christians when he moved here(Iowa). He said people in the south would get violent with him sometimes over any religious belief that wasn't Christian.

How about having a swastika painted on the wall just outside my classroom door? It turned out to be one of our security guards who identified with white-supremacist militia groups. He got fired and moved to Idaho.

That's awful. I'm glad he's gone, but I feel sorry for anyone in Idaho he's harassing now.

 

[Revoltingest]

My helper & friend, just left to go buy a retaining ring for
my new (to me) band saw. We had a discussion about
how some nefarious group (could be government...could
be private) has been following & surveilling him for decades.
It all started back in the 70s when he became political, eg,
attending city council meetings, calling in to talk radio.
He made powerful enemies. He recently stopped carrying
his cel phone because they're using it to track him. The
proof is suspicious characters lurking around him wherever
he goes, & often saying strange things, as though in a
secret code.
We've discussed his possibly having paranoia. He's always
getting fearfully worked up over conspiracies. One was that
Obama would refuse to leave office, & would become the
country's dictator, like Stalin. It's oddly similar to the fears
of Trump refusing to leave when losing to Biden.

Btw, I hope he never becomes able to carry a concealed
weapon. There's some history behind that, & he won't
discuss it.

 

[Windwalker]

Looking through some of the very interesting discussions that went on while I slept, I noticed mention here and there of extremism(or fundamentalism, radicalism, etc), and perceived threats from these worldviews from others. It perplexed me a bit, because all in all, I can say I have very few experiences in my own personal life with this kind of religious(or anti-religious) reaction. In all honesty, I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt 'threatened', and those were more in a mental, rather than physical sense.

So, now I am curious. We are all from different places, different cultures, etc, and I am wondering what is your experience with extremist people?

I am only asking for personal experiences here, not things you've heard on the news, or things people have posted on social media, or some other platform. Just real, face to face interactions. Are you being, or have you been threatened?

I was playing at fundamentalism when I was younger, some right-wing Christian fundamentalist sec who had all the right answers and the rest of the world was lost and in sin. Now while none of them ever impressed me as having violent or hostile motivations, threatening others in that way, the core of their belief system was fear-based.

So in that sense, God standing as a threat to you, sending you to hell if you fell away from the flock, is in a very real way psychologically traumatizing. Being told your parents and other friend who didn't follow the truth of the Bible, as they read it, weren't saved, and they would burn in hell. So you could say they did poison me, and others of the fold with that.

Fundamentalism has a hard time comprehending unconditional love. You're loved, only when you are following them. It's great when you are in agreement with them. But you're banished if you don't. And that of course is a form of violence. Everyone understands those terms.

 

[ChristineM]

My helper & friend, just left to go buy a retaining ring for
my new (to me) band saw. We had a discussion about
how some nefarious group (could be government...could
be private) has been following & surveilling him for decades.
It all started back in the 70s when he became political, eg,
attending city council meetings, calling in to talk radio.
He made powerful enemies. He recently stopped carrying
his cel phone because they're using it to track him. The
proof is suspicious characters lurking around him wherever
he goes, & often saying strange things, as though in a
secret code.
We've discussed his possibly having paranoia. He's always
getting fearfully worked up over conspiracies. One was that
Obama would refuse to leave office, & would become the
country's dictator, like Stalin. It's oddly similar to the fears
of Trump refusing to leave when losing to Biden.

Btw, I hope he never becomes able to carry a concealed
weapon. There's some history behind that, & he won't
discuss it.

My brother in law has similar symptoms, schizophrenia. Luckily your helper/friend seems to be able to cope with his daily tribulations.