Releasing the Kraken--Extremism's Destruction

Mired in the midst of the Christian season of Lent, we are harshly reminded of our mortality by yet another senseless mass taking of life based in the sin of white nationalism. This was, purely and simply, mass murder predicated on the assumption held by one group considering itself to be so far superior to other groups--and one in particular--that they took it upon themselves to end the lives of the victims, to devastate family and friends of those victims and to shake the very foundations of the Christchurch community and the world at-large.

One must really wonder at the motivation of such a heinous act by this person and those of his reprehensible ilk. What was the objective? Triggering a modern crusade, as alluded to in the written rantings of the apprehended suspect? Martyrdom? Did he want to be killed before being caught? Hoping for retribution by Muslim extremists? Or was it simply the release of pent up white rage against what were viewed as interlopers?

Don’t fall for the narrative that I’m sure has already been pedaled by media outlets of a certain slant that this was either a lone, deranged perpetrator or a small coterie of misguided miscreants, for this is a pervasive and malignant strain mushrooming throughout what was once the liberal democratic world. Europe is currently a hotbed of nationalism with Marine Le Pen in France, Viktor Orbán in Hungary and The League in Italy. And who can forget Anders Breivik in Norway in 2011 and the horror of his nationalist-inspired shooting spree? Australia has had a growing rightwing radical movement over the past several years as well.

In the U.S., lurking just beneath the surface, has always been the sharply-horned and toothed monster of white nationalism, ready to break the surface when its hegemony has been threatened, to rend and shred until its will has been imposed again only to once again sink below the deceptively placid surface awaiting its next summoning. The current socio-political climate in the U.S. has once again hailed this Kraken, called and emboldened by national leaders and media moguls who unrepentantly fail to honestly denounce those who work to push those deemed as unworthy back into their place when they threaten to vacate their imposed status and also unapologetically impose blatantly nationalistic policies. Mr. Trump, himself, has smugly crowed that he is a nationalist. His words have been backed up by his deeds and the tweeted offering of his “warmest sympathy and best wishes” to the people of New Zealand rings fantastically, ludicrously hollow.

The malevolent tendrils of the current vintage of nationalism are spreading quickly, nourished and nurtured and fertilized by the anonymity of social media and an unchecked, unprofessional pseudo-journalism the likes of Fox News, Breitbart, InfoWars, 8chan, reddit and others. These all offer safe places and comfy bubbles for people of despicable views to reinforce and support each other. Their dangerous drivel is then slung onto the message boards and comment sections of competing media, offering an air of legitimacy to their far-right, used-to-be-fringe delusions of victimhood and revenge porn. This feedback cycle amps up the messages of hate, spurring action by those uninhibited by human empathy.

With today’s Christchurch massacre, and in many instances in the recent past, our attention has been drawn to the words and actions of those professing white nationalist allegiance. Each time we are aghast at what has happened and we ask ourselves how it could possibly have ever happened and hope and pray that it will never again. And, yet, it does.

But it isn’t just far rightwing extremism that poses a clear and present danger to the communities inhabited by those who view themselves as being victimized by a system that no longer accedes to their suzerainty. Extremism in any form is a strategy to cement power and control to one group and exclude others from having a vote, a voice, and, in some cases, an existence. Extremism is wrong—be it white nationalism, Muslim, Christian, neo-liberal, communist, corporatist. It dehumanizes. Dehumanized targets are easier to perpetrate violence against, to strip resources from, to eradicate.

To combat extremism, we must recognize the humanity of all. We must work to shed our arrogance, our solipsism, our grand designs on imposing our will on those to whom we misguidedly feel superior. If we continue to band together in our insular tribes, attempting to suppress “the other,” then we are walking on a razor’s edge of survival. As we face a world reeling from over-consumption and exploitation and shrinking resources and the rapid acceleration of climate catastrophe, we must learn that there isn’t an “other” but there is simply a “we.” We must see the divine in each other, regardless of how we define the divine. We must seek ways to live out one of the basic precepts of all of the major belief systems and traditions of the world—to treat others how we would like to be treated. So simple, yet so elusive. Extremism in any and all of its forms is the antithesis to this basic rule of humanity.