Speak of the Devil presents Third Side Perspectives. Reverend Campbell is joined by Witch Cimminnee Holt and Witch Doctor Troj to discuss Radicalization. They will cover all aspects of radicalization: What it means to be radicalized, pathways to radicalization, how to determine if you have been radicalized and steps one can take to come back from it.

Opening Monologue

Welcome to another Speak of the Devil presents Third Side Perspectives! I have to tell you, I haven't been this concerned about politics since the 2004 election between George W Bush and John Kerry. You see at that time we had just been lied into a war that we’re still fighting today by George W Bush which justified terrorism for the next century against the US. We gave up our individual freedoms with his patriot act because we were scared. Fear. Fear makes us do some crazy things. Fear gave Trump his first term in office, and it very well may give him a second term. That is, if you believe this election and your votes actually matter, because the Trump administration is actively seeking ways to overturn a negative election where he loses on a number of different fronts. 

First he tries to convince the public the election is rigged before it starts. Then the voter ballots are fake. They reduce sorting machined in the postal service. Then they close polling locations. They restrict who can actually vote. They make voting difficult by requiring more documentation. They plan to throw out the votes and use state representatives in battleground states that are on team Trump to decide the election. They contest it to the supreme court that Trump has stacked in his first term. And even if all that fails, he has stated over and over again, he will simply not accept it, and he will not leave office.

Every Trump cult member who claims they love freedom and democracy is obviously not listening to their dear leader, or watching what he is actually doing. He removes environmental protections, renege on nuclear deals, praises dictators, strips away your already limited healthcare protections, he lied about COVID-19 leading to the over 200k american deaths, he uses the presidency to enrich himself, gives tax breaks to those who don’t need it while leaving everyone else, primarily his base, to fend for themselves. He is an admitted sexual predator, he demonizes american citizens and immigrants of different skin colors, his border policy locked up and killed children, he has created a more divided America than ever in my lifetime. There are continuous protests in the streets he meets with violence, he believes in extra judicial killing, he has destroyed our reputation in the world, repaired by the last administration from George W Bush’s ‘reign of terror’, caused a recession with his failed economic policies and now is telling everyone that he doesn’t care about the constitution, democracy or justice and that he will try to become the first american dictator…. From his own actual lips!

I am fucking tired of winning!

But, I won’t spend any time trying to convince a cult member of their insanity. How they are actively destroying the very thing they claim to love and cutting off their own nose to spite their face. They are already radicalized. I will not spend any time arguing with those who see all things as equal, and don’t recognize the urgency of now. You see radical ideas are only bad when they restrict progress. Radical policies are only negative when they hold a population down. But radicals don’t see reality, they only see the propaganda carefully laid out before them. And truth, well, truth becomes fake news in their twisted minds.

So let's talk about this. Let's talk about radicalization and extremism. It seems to be more prevalent now than ever before and as Satanists we are no more protected from it than anyone. But we should be willing to examine our own thoughts and motivations. We may even discover that we have become radicalized in thought if not in action. 

Our first guest is currently a PHD candidate in Religion. Her areas of research are: western esotericism, ritual, new religions, and religion & popular culture. She has received multiple scholarships and awards of excellence, and is published in peer-reviewed academic journals and books. She is a frequent guest and friend of the show. Allow me to introduce Witch Cimminnee Holt.

Our next guest has a PHD in Clinical Psychology. Her clinical practice focuses primarily on autistic adolescents and adults, LGBTQ clients, clients with disabilities, and clinical issues like anxiety, depression, grief & bereavement, and life transitions. Her research focuses on health outcomes for people with disabilities, and she also assists the Furscience/IARP research team in studying fandoms and the use of fantasy in positive coping. It’s my pleasure to introduce a friend of the show, Witch Doctor Troj.

Show Notes

Radicalism vs. Extremism vs. similar concepts/terms

Definition of Radicalism: the action or process of causing someone to adopt radical positions on political or social issues.

The ADL’s definition of Extremism: “A concept used to describe religious, social or political belief systems that exist substantially outside of belief systems more broadly accepted in society (i.e., “mainstream” beliefs). Extreme ideologies often seek radical changes in the nature of government, religion or society. Extremism can also be used to refer to the radical wings of broader movements, such as the anti-abortion movement or the environmental movement. Not every extremist movement is “bad”—the abolitionist movement is one example of an extreme movement that had admirable goals—but most extremist movements exist outside of the mainstream because many of their views or tactics are objectionable.”

From Addressing Extremismhttps://www.tc.columbia.edu/i/a/document/9386_WhitePaper_2_Extremism_030809.pdf: “Extremism is a complex phenomenon, although its complexity is often hard to see. Most simply, it can be defined as activities (beliefs, attitudes, feelings, actions, strategies) of a character far removed from the ordinary. In conflict settings it manifests as a severe form of conflict engagement. However, the labeling of activities, people, and groups as “extremist”, and the defining of what is “ordinary” in any setting is always a subjective and political matter. Thus, we suggest that any discussion of extremism be mindful of the following:”

Typically, the same extremist act will be viewed by some as just and moral (such as pro-social “freedom fighting”), and by others as unjust and immoral (antisocial “terrorism”) depending on the observer’s values, politics, moral scope, and the nature of their relationship with the actor.

In addition, one’s sense of the moral or immoral nature of a given act of extremism (such as Nelson Mandela’s use of guerilla war tactics against the South African Government) may change as conditions (leadership, world opinion, crises, historical accounts, etc.) change. Thus, the current and historical context of extremist acts shapes our view of them. 

Power differences also matter when defining extremism. When in conflict, the activities of members of low power groups tend to be viewed as more extreme than similar activities committed by members of groups advocating the status quo. In addition, extreme acts are more likely to be employed by marginalized people and groups who view more normative forms of conflict engagement as blocked for them or biased. However, dominant groups also commonly employ extreme activities (such as governmental sanctioning of violent paramilitary groups or the attack in Waco by the FBI in the U.S.). 

Extremist acts often employ violent means, although extremist groups will differ in their preference for violent vs. non-violent tactics, in the level of violence they employ, and in the preferred targets of their violence (from infrastructure to military personnel to civilians to children). Again, low power groups are more likely to employ direct, episodic forms of violence (such as suicide bombings), whereas dominant groups tend to be associated with more structural or institutionalized forms (like the covert use of torture or the informal sanctioning of police brutality).

Although extremist individuals and groups (such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad) are often viewed as cohesive and consistently evil, it is important to recognize that they may be conflicted or ambivalent psychologically as individuals, and/or contain a great deal of difference and conflict within their groups. For instance, individual members of Hamas may differ considerably in their willingness to negotiate their differences with the Palestinian Authority and, ultimately, with certain factions in Israel. 

Ultimately, the core problem that extremism presents in situations of protracted conflict is less the severity of the activities (although violence, trauma, and escalation are obvious concerns) but more so the closed, fixed, and intolerant nature of extremist attitudes, and their subsequent imperviousness to change.”

Radical ideas that challenged commonly held beliefs

Individual rights

Universal human rights

Empiricism

Heliocentrism

Atheism/Humanism

Democracy

Opposition to slavery

Evolution

Racial equality

Equal rights for women

LGBT rights

Gay marriage

Trans rights

Deconstruction of gender roles, categories, and expectations

Disability rights

The neurodiversity movement

Satanism

Healthcare for All (in the United States, at least---considered common sense in the rest of the developed world)

Outside The Overton Window: Ideas Beyond the Pale

Novel Ideas vs. Old/Rejected Ideas Made New

What does it mean to be/become Radicalized, and/or to be an “Extremist?”

What Does It Mean to Be Radical?

https://medium.com/s/story/what-does-it-mean-to-be-radical-5b97200a1d78