Who Is an ‘Extremist’?
1st February 2021
The Other McCain is not afraid to ask the hard questions.
A few recent headlines:
Republican extremists could doom party
to endless defeats
— CNN, Jan. 26Rachel Maddow: GOP has become party of a
‘fringe, violent, extremist criminal movement’
— The Hill, Jan. 27“This Is War”: Inside the Secret Chat
Where Far-Right Extremists Devised
Their Post-Capitol Plans
— Pro Publica, Jan. 28Extremists Emboldened by Capitol Attack
Pose Growing Threat, Homeland Security Says
— New York Times, Jan. 29Republican Ties to Extremist Groups
Are Under Scrutiny
— New York Times, Jan. 29Domestic violent extremists will be harder
to combat than homegrown jihadists
— The Hill, Jan. 31‘It’s endemic’: state-level Republican groups
lead party’s drift to extremism
— The Guardian, Jan. 31Perhaps you notice the similar theme and you might wonder if all these journalists are operating in collusion to promote the idea of a dangerous “extremist” GOP threat. However, if you don’t trust the media, that’s a “conspiracy theory,” which means you’re an “extremist.”