What can ordinary people do about extremism?

[AndHarry]

Other than not leaning towards extremism themselves and discussing concerns about radicalization of family, friends and communities with the police?

Educating women is a key part of having sensible politics. Educating everyone is better still.

That's true, although there's education and education. Educating yourself, including taking time to listen to viewpoints that you don't necessarily agree with, is, I think, a pretty good way of guarding yourself from extremism.

Educating yourself, including taking time to listen to viewpoints that you don't necessarily agree with, is, I think, a pretty good way of guarding yourself from extremism

Oh how true - very well said

Short list of my musings:

• calling people on it when they start flinging racist/anti-Semitic/xenophobic etc. rhetoric around, including as casual insults.

• voting and being educated about who you're voting for. If you vote for an extremist party that's your call but at least know what you're voting for. If you don't vote for any other reason, at least do it to keep the extremists out. Or don't complain when the major parties start tweaking their policies to try to grab back voters who are being swayed towards the extremists.

• write to your MP, MSP, MWA or local councillor if you have a strong opinion on something, don't just stew about it. The more viewpoints they get and the more often they hear them, the more the political landscape will reflect what most people think.

• be brave (:o) and get to know other people in your community, especially those from other cultures and backgrounds than yours. Go to a community event - autumn fete, fundraiser, 5k race... - join a hobby or sports club, visit a local faith building on an open day, volunteer for a local charity/youth organisation, exchange a friendly word with people at the bus stop.

• as a tag-on to the point above, much as with books and news articles, try not to only associate with people who look like you, sound like you and share your views.

Absolutely agree with trying to understand the other side of any situation you feel strongly about - reading viewpoints you don't agree with, talking with people with different perspectives to yours.

The trouble is that if you're an extremist you don't normally do these things since you're so convinced that you're right!

Most of all communicate - talk to your teenagers, know their views, listen to them. Talk to people you meet. Engage on line with people who have views which repel you even.

Change the law where necessary to ensure liberal Western values are not stopped.

Show a good example. As women, out-earn men. Take charge. Be leaders. Negotiate hard for high pay. Ensure your men at home clean the toilets etc. Don't be a mug.

I think history shows that people are more likely to be attracted by extremist/criminal solutions when they feel that they are hard done by personally. Could be that they don't earn enough money, don't have a job, don't fit in, don't command respect or that they think others are generally getting a much better deal than they are. Low self-esteem, too much spare time and a massive chip on the shoulder means that anyone promising simplistic short-cut answers that offer easy fame and fortune - however outrageous - are going to get listened to. Applies to pseudo-religious organisation, racist political groups, drug dealers, gangs. They all offer basically the same thing. 'Do what we say and other people will have to look up to you'..... instant ego-stroking for the inadequate.

Answers are the usual things that mark out a good society. Education, opportunities, fairness, work, inclusion, social mobility on the one side..... vigilance, investigation and good intelligence on the other. Crime is already falling

Your usual sheer common sense I see, Cog

Thank you. I worry that the conversation gets sidetracked a lot of the time down pseudo-religious & cultural alleyways. We end up doing daft things like telling imams to preach a tolerant message in mosques when the bigger problem is a bunch of bored, inadequate teenagers getting all their jollies hunched round a computer screen, obsessing about death cults and AK47s and thinking 'ooh... it'll be just like Call of Duty'.

Extremism goes beyond a few deluded thugs, of course, and I worry that we have our eye off the ball in other areas. The current wave of nationalistic fervour sweeping Scotland matched by the rise of UKIP south of the border - again offering simplistic 'join our gang and get more clout' solutions - makes me very uncomfortable as it seems like the perfect petri dish conditions for the very division, racism and intolerance that excuses extremism.

Talking to your children and discussing current affairs with them is a good point. I was listening to the Today program a couple of months ago when they were interviewing a group of young men about their thoughts on joining the fighters in Iraq and Syria. They had absolutely no idea of the context, who IS are, what the different sides were doing or anything else but were all up for it. Their ignorance and naïveté were absolutely shocking and very scary.

If you're already an extremist then Shakshuka's right, you're unlikely to be interested in finding out about others' viewpoints as you're totally convinced that you're right. Anything you do hear is likely to reinforce your beliefs rather than challenge them, either because they 'prove' that everyone else is wrong or because you can rationalize them into supporting your point of view.

I think it's important though that everyone consciously guards themselves from extremist views through introspection: do you listen to others' viewpoints? Do you take viewpoints you agree with at face value while ripping opposing or different views to shreds? Do you always associate with people whose life experiences are similar to your own? It doesn't take much for extreme populist policies to get support, especially in times of economic hardship when people feel hard-done by. Hitler anyone?

Another one who's worried about insular nationalism in this country right now.

An interesting article about extremism in ordinary people from The Spectator.