Book recommendation on how disappointed idealists become terrorists:
The Dark Side of the Left: Illiberal Egalitarianism in America, by Richard J. Ellis.
Idealists start movements assuming everyone will naturally agree with them and help them use the political process to make the changes they want. Once they realize that people won't automatically fall in line to join their cause, they increasingly turn to "direct action," which leads to violence and terrorism. Along the way, their movements become ideologically rigid and totalitarian.
I believe this is related to the mental illness and coddling that we've ignored for too long. They're incapable of dealing with adversity in a healthy manner and turn to violence.
It's often a mental illness that develops in response to the frustration that the world doesn't work exactly the way they think it should, even though what they want is so obviously right and good. Often that frustration is manipulated by people with a specific political agenda for violent revolution.
Luck
Hard to be funny right now. I was never an idealist and always a cynic, but sometimes it is even worse than I expect.
Charlie said, "Prove Me Wrong."
The assassin's bullet proved him right.
As much as it pains me to say this, Cenk Uygur had a great sentiment about this today.
https://x.com/cenkuygur/status/1966005802084479210
Book recommendation on how disappointed idealists become terrorists:
The Dark Side of the Left: Illiberal Egalitarianism in America, by Richard J. Ellis.
Idealists start movements assuming everyone will naturally agree with them and help them use the political process to make the changes they want. Once they realize that people won't automatically fall in line to join their cause, they increasingly turn to "direct action," which leads to violence and terrorism. Along the way, their movements become ideologically rigid and totalitarian.
I believe this is related to the mental illness and coddling that we've ignored for too long. They're incapable of dealing with adversity in a healthy manner and turn to violence.
It's often a mental illness that develops in response to the frustration that the world doesn't work exactly the way they think it should, even though what they want is so obviously right and good. Often that frustration is manipulated by people with a specific political agenda for violent revolution.