“Fall inline soldier, the world doesn’t want you”, Reading my title you are probably wondering what I am on about… There are people who live around us in society who hold their allegiance not to the democratic governments elected by the majority of people in society, but to ‘mainly’ minority groups or organizations who share a similar narrow ideology in by which many people see as extreme. I am referring to extremism and its globalization/infiltration within today’s social order.
Thanks/No Thanks to the internet we have seen a new phenomenon in the midst of extremisms diversion to eExtremism.
To interpret what extremism means in the western society we ought to ask ourselves a few questions. What comes to mind when you first hear this term ‘Extremism’? You are most likely thinking it has nothing to do with you and people who are extremists are people who we perceive to be the rebellious/troublemakers in society.
What is an extremist? Who are the extremists? Why are they so extreme? Where do they come from? Gardner (1997) tells us that “Extremism is characterized by dogmatic intolerance, expressed mildly or violently, and inclines toward an inflexible obedience to an accepted authority, shaped by a common ideology or sense of group unity”.
This definition tells us these extremists are individuals or groups whose ideologies or actions circulate outside the mainstream politics of society. They are usually considered unethical and unmoral violating common standards upheld in society.
People in society classify groups or individuals whose actions or ideas don’t fit in with the norms as extremists / extremism, but the people who are taking part in these groups don’t actually think of themselves as such. They usually have a belief what they are doing is the right thing and would strongly disagree with the term as misapprehension of their intentions and goals.
“What drives extremist groups?
The following points are most common driving forces behind extremists;
• Racial Purity
• Anti-Semitism
• Political Hegemony
• Anti-Liberal
• Anti Government (Conspiracy Theorists)”
So what are the extremist groups that are out there?
We can commonly identify with two types of extremists, hate groups and terrorists/ terrorist organizations. What is the big difference between them? They both hate and terrorize….
Hate groups are organized groups, movements or organizations, campaigning hate, aggression, or violence against people who would belong to a particular selected segment of society for example; ethnicity, race, gender or sexual orientation. They believe the people who they are targeting are harmful to society, hateful, don’t deserve to be a part of society or believe are operating a hidden faction. They usually have inaccurate, unsatisfactory evidence to support their claims that are generally rejected by society. They aim to target groups and individuals rousing other people in their motives by continually to circulating declarations, myths, stories, and rumours in order to construct fear, blame, jealousy, or racial intolerance.
Some of the type of hate groups which exist are; Anti-gay groups, Black supremacist groups, Holocaust 
denial groups, Militia groups, Latin American Supremacy groups, Neo-confederate groups, Neo-Nazi groups, Racist skinheads, White supremacist groups, Immigration reform groups, Jewish armed groups and others.
I recommend the following links if you like to find out more information on the activities of Hate Groups;
Terrorism is seen by most society as another form of extremism. According to terrorism-research.com “Terrorism has been described
variously as both a tactic and strategy; a crime and a holy duty; a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination. Obviously, a lot depends on whose point of view is being represented.”
| Personal Note: | Terrorism is a large Topic and I will not be going to in-depth detail in defining terrorism as according to strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil, there have been more then one hundred definitions of the word “Terrorism” that have been used and exist. Depending on which perspective and the terrorist group you are focusing on, Terrorism can be seen as tool to engage
in hate crimes or as an organisation to fight for a belief, political liberty, national sovereignty, wealth or freedom & aspersion. Either way terrorism is seen as an extreme action, association or assemblage. For more information on terrorism visit, http://www.terrorism-research.com/
The internets popularity as brought with it new revelation giving Extremists organisations and groups a global territory to communicate their beliefs. The internet has allowed for extremists to communicate their messages using various mediums such as News groups, chat rooms, bulletin boards, Blogs, websites and many other forms. Using the internet they have been able to manifest the use of other media technologies to broadcast messages and information to followers and potential new comers. The internet has allowed extremists to attract new members and followers to their ideologies. Members have the ability to actively contribute via the internet where ever they are in the world. The evolvement of eExtremists has occurred.
Extremists are able to manipulate information and Media, delivering via various modes through the Internet. This includes the broadcasting of Video and Audio, manipulation of images, sharing of ideas & contribution between members, virtual meetings and initially what see forming is Virtual communities for these extremist groups. Using Security technologies available, such as secure login systems and encryption technologies, extremists are able to setup secure environments for members to collaborate without the intrusion of the unknown.
[We can only wonder what evil is being manufacturing behind closed doors]
This information that has been gathered has been taken from personal accounts from visiting the various groups that are currently active online; Take a look at the following URL and see for your self http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?sid=354
Extremists have also utilised the internet in order to attack their perceived enemies. One common way of doing is known as Cyberstalking. Searchsecurity.com tells us that “Cyberstalking is a crime in which the attacker harasses a victim using electronic communication, such as e-mail or instant messaging (IM), or messages posted to a Web site or a discussion group. A cyberstalker relies upon the anonymity afforded by the Internet to allow them to stalk their victim without being detected. Cyberstalking messages differ from ordinary spam in that a cyberstalker targets a specific victim with often threatening messages, while the spammer targets a multitude of recipients with simply annoying messages.” Extremists ganging up on internet against their enemies are just another way they able to cause harm and instability.
I would like to point out a particular group and political party within Australia who I believe their ideologies can
be classified as extremism is the Australian 1st party. To briefly describe; Australia is a multicultural society with a mixture of people ethnicities, cultures, religions and beliefs from across globe living together harmoniously under an elected democratic government. Australia was originally settled by the English settlers and since opened it door wide open its doors to migrants from around the world who have contributed greatly to the evolvement into what Australia is today. Australian First Party is a small political party that policies are generally nationalist, anti-multiculturalism and anti-immigration.
If we take a look at two of “The eight core policies of the Australian First Party” listed on http://www.australiafirstparty.com.au/;
4. Reduce and Limit Immigration.
Immigration mistakes can be big long term mistakes. Immigration policy must take into account social cohesion, employment opportunities, urbanisation and environmental issues.
5. Abolish Multiculturalism. End the divisive, government funded and institutionalised policy of multiculturalism.
Just by reading these two points we can sense a bit of “white supremacies”. Just like extremists groups a lot of
there actions (Example: Cronulla Race Riots which has occurred in NSW during 2005 was largely supported by Australian 1st Party; the evidence can be seen on their website.) ideologies and movements fall inline to what was previously mentioned with extremis and hate groups. They have effectively utilised the internet to form Bias propaganda information in order to generate support and spread their campaign message. What has to be asked as who are they to say who is Australian and who isn’t? Are not all people living in Australia immigrants to the country? Oh no wait the aboriginals are the natives? The country is a classified as western country and did not develop by it self over the past 200 years by it self. Australian First Party in any way you want to look at is an extreme organisation and its values do not have the support of majority Australians.
|Personal Opinion| A lot of what I have mentioned in my discussion can be debated on a number of grounds in
which I am more than happy for this to occur and I have only provided a brief over view from my personal perspective. Extremism is an issue that has fluctuated across the internet but should it be stopped? I believe that everyone has the right for free speech and especially when it comes to the internet, we should have the ability to express ourselves as we see pleased. It all reaches a point; Extremists however I believe take it too far and are crossing the line in many areas. I don’t believe people should have the right to discredit and cause harm to people because of their ethnicity, race, gender or sexual orientation. Only problem we in society
face is how do we control extremists and where do we draw the line? In the end of the day its majority rules! If people in society are observing these sorts of crimes against humanity, then we as society should speak up against it as one and do something about it…
Fall inline soldier, who are you following? The world doesn’t want Extremists!
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