4 ms·

For the past few years, I've seen a dozen of friends or acquaintances turn "ideologically crazy", and they can be roughly grouped into: A) Onset of schizophren

For the past few years, I've seen a dozen of friends or acquaintances turn "ideologically crazy", and they can be roughly grouped into: A) Onset of schizophrenia or other serious mental illness, followed by psychosis. This is actually the most common I've seen. But it is also the easiest to spot. B) Some crisis event in life, followed by finding / joining a community. Some were hit hard by this during COVID. I've yet to personally see people that have their, well, shit together and live busy lives turn into ideological crazies or extremists - where there is no mental illness. Of course, it could be that they just hide it better. Don't use their public accounts, etc. I also think it is much easier to become radicalized today. Once you search for any extremist views on say social media, you'll be bombarded with it. Just belonging to a certain demographic could trigger a non-stop barrage of extreme wing influencer content in your feed.

121789 2mo ago
Don’t agree actually. Have seen many busy working professionals fall into “extremism” and it’s pretty much always the same. They have a few issues they are firm on and align with one party, they don’t like the other side because of this, then they only hang out with people aligned with their views and only consume media aligned with their views. Quickly turns into lunatic talking points, and I’ve seen it happen to both the left and right.
- inigyou 2mo ago
  I've only seen this with the right. Can you describe what it's like when it's left?
  - aftbit 2mo ago
    In my experience, it looks almost identical, just mirror imaged. Lots of anger and fear, a strong certainty that they know the full story about every issue and that the other side is evil or idiotic. No grace or space in their hearts to consider that many of today's contentious issues are actually complicated, with overlapping and conflicting ethical arguments.
    - inigyou 2mo ago
      I'm noticing a lack of any concrete examples of left wing extremism in this comment. Right wing extremism is like, that lady from the UK who made a tweet asking everyone to burn down a hotel full of migrants.
      - jdubs1984 2mo ago
        uni bomber.
        reverius42 2mo ago
        The Unabomber was anti-tech but not left wing in any coherent way.
      - tekla 2mo ago
        https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/former-youth-organizer-aoc-busted-143033534.html https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/former-youth-organizer-a...
      - jayGlow 2mo ago
        the various assassination attempts against the president or the multiple attacks against ICE agents and facilities? https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-antifa-cell-members-north-texas-sentenced-100-years-prison-terrorist-attack-ice https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-antifa-cell-members-no...
        graceful6800 2mo ago
        Dunno, I'd mostly frame that as self defence from an increasingly hostile and authoritarian government and the actual, literal secret police. Fighting back against people who straight up murder civilians in broad daylight is not something you can classify as extremism with any good faith.
      - tanseydavid 2mo ago
        "Defund the police/abolish prisons" is a good example IMHO.
  - zappb 2mo ago
    Their hysterical obsession with Israel.
    - doom2 2mo ago
      Can you expand more on what makes it hysterical or an obsession, compared to any other issue one might have interest in?
- mock-possum 2mo ago
  > They have a few issues they are firm on and align with one party What kind of issues though.
harimau777 2mo ago
It seems like you are overlooking a possibility: Perhaps the people who have gone through some crisis or otherwise "don't have their shit together" are politically radical precisely because of how society has failed them.
m463 2mo ago
> it could be that they just hide it better. "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation" I think we need decent third places back, because the post-internet replacements are sub-par.

121789 2mo ago

Don’t agree actually. Have seen many busy working professionals fall into “extremism” and it’s pretty much always the same. They have a few issues they are firm on and align with one party, they don’t like the other side because of this, then they only hang out with people aligned with their views and only consume media aligned with their views. Quickly turns into lunatic talking points, and I’ve seen it happen to both the left and right.

inigyou 2mo ago
I've only seen this with the right. Can you describe what it's like when it's left?
- aftbit 2mo ago
  In my experience, it looks almost identical, just mirror imaged. Lots of anger and fear, a strong certainty that they know the full story about every issue and that the other side is evil or idiotic. No grace or space in their hearts to consider that many of today's contentious issues are actually complicated, with overlapping and conflicting ethical arguments.
  - inigyou 2mo ago
    I'm noticing a lack of any concrete examples of left wing extremism in this comment. Right wing extremism is like, that lady from the UK who made a tweet asking everyone to burn down a hotel full of migrants.
    - jdubs1984 2mo ago
      uni bomber.
      - reverius42 2mo ago
        The Unabomber was anti-tech but not left wing in any coherent way.
    - tekla 2mo ago
      https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/former-youth-organizer-aoc-busted-143033534.html https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/former-youth-organizer-a...
    - jayGlow 2mo ago
      the various assassination attempts against the president or the multiple attacks against ICE agents and facilities? https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-antifa-cell-members-north-texas-sentenced-100-years-prison-terrorist-attack-ice https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-antifa-cell-members-no...
      - graceful6800 2mo ago
        Dunno, I'd mostly frame that as self defence from an increasingly hostile and authoritarian government and the actual, literal secret police. Fighting back against people who straight up murder civilians in broad daylight is not something you can classify as extremism with any good faith.
    - tanseydavid 2mo ago
      "Defund the police/abolish prisons" is a good example IMHO.
- zappb 2mo ago
  Their hysterical obsession with Israel.
  - doom2 2mo ago
    Can you expand more on what makes it hysterical or an obsession, compared to any other issue one might have interest in?
mock-possum 2mo ago
> They have a few issues they are firm on and align with one party What kind of issues though.

harimau777 2mo ago

It seems like you are overlooking a possibility: Perhaps the people who have gone through some crisis or otherwise "don't have their shit together" are politically radical precisely because of how society has failed them.

m463 2mo ago

> it could be that they just hide it better. "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation" I think we need decent third places back, because the post-internet replacements are sub-par.