Extremism is becoming more and more common and mainstream, and largely a bipartisan issue. And largely, as one side starts to push further and further towards their ideals, it pushes the other side as a direct response. Seemingly like some form of snake mixed with tug of war, the rope is being pulled, but it’s also growing…
This truly hurts everyone, on every level, and there are many versions of it. Liberal vs Conservative, Republican vs Democrat, Communist vs Capitalist, Rich vs Poor, and even just on racial, gender, or sexual orientation lines. Oftentimes being used to inaccurately extrapolate traits which have no relevance at all to the parameters being applied.
The issue itself, at its root, isn’t something we can easily fix. It’s something that has been ingrained in American culture, Russian culture, Chinese culture, North Korean culture, for years now, as a result of never-ending wars, feuds, and hatreds between these countries. Despite the fact that there aren’t that many “Troll Bots” on Twitter, both sides will accuse random people of being “Troll Bots”, because it’s easier to label, to dehumanize, than to argue, or try to bridge the gap. And that’s the true crux of it all, actually dealing with it would require a level of resolve, fortitude, and confidence that not enough people in our society have.
Now, I’ve been blocked by a LOT of people I’ve argued with, not because I troll, but because I will continue demanding they answer obvious questions, and I will continue pointing out how far down “the rabbit hole” we’re going, as the thread gets deeper, longer, and more spatial in general. I will refuse to back down, and deal with each point as they come, even if their replies are large jumbles of multiple points (Shotgunning Arguments). I dislike that rather than deal with it, they block me, but all it shows is a lack of confidence and understanding behind their own arguments, which I believe is fitting given how nonsensical some of them can be.
We are heading towards a point in time, where this divide is already causing large fractures in the psyche of a lot of individuals, as well as observable issues in society itself. And it would take all of us, working towards fixing it, to move past any of this. But I fear that’s not what we’ll see.