The far left and far right

During and since my years in social work and politics, I’ve been interested in what people believe, but more in why they believe it.  They tend to believe what they want to believe; and they want to believe certain ways because of how their minds work.

The far left and far right go to extremes because they are immature.  It seems the far left (like the hippies of the late 60s) grew up spoiled, irresponsible, unconditionally loved, and learn to get by on charm and rhetoric.  They come of age idealistic and unprepared.  They find reality too harsh and rebel radically.  They tear down the establishment yet expect it to cure all of society’s problems the way an adolescent criticizes his folks yet expects them to solve all their problems.  They don’t hold the poor and others responsible because they, the far left, never learned responsibility.  They don’t understand how basic it is.  They put it aside and look for a world that is secure, loving, socialistic, egalitarian, positive, psychologically oriented, welleducated, and rational.  They don’t find it and become cynical.

The far right are the other extreme and immature in a different way.  They are repressed.  They didn’t develop emotionally, establish their identities, or become fully in touch with their feelings.  They never resolved many issues and are angry and fearful.  They feel under siege and don’t know why.  They resist change until everything is in order, which will never happen.  They make fetishes of guns, the bible, the flag, the past, and the constitution – secure beacons in a threatening world of change.  They plod through life doing their ‘duty.’  Talking about sex is taboo; gay people are abominations; and issues are black and white sometimes the work of God, the devil, or communists.  Security is the biggest military, biggest police force, and biggest gun in the closet.  They over identify with their leaders and want them to do their thinking, fight their battles, be macho (and ride a white horse).  They don’t find these and remain frustrated, threatened, and angry.

Far left                Moderate            Far right

Identity ……….. groping   …………… settled ……………….. stunted

Love is ……….. everything …………. part of life ……..….. to be earned

Social classes …. anti …………………… accepting …………. regimented

Superiors …………. too chummy………. some distance …… obedient

Traditional values … anti ……………….. valued ……………… dogmatic

Discipline ………. permissive …………. firm …………………… repressive

Responsibility ….. pass the buck ……. valued ……………….. burdensome

Sex ………………… permissive …………. prudent ……………… repressed

Change ………….. worship ……………. accept ……………….. fear

Future ……………. revolution …………. evolution …………… turn clock back

Leaders …………. anti ……………………. work with ……………. venerate

Religion …………. anti ……………………. neutral ……………… fundamental

Social problems …. guilt ………………… empathy …………… intolerance

Psychology ……….. worship …………… use ……………………. fear

The far right is uptight and often mixes church and state. The far left is irresponsible, idealistic, patronizing, and too generous. A close look at each would probably show many in these groups are not fulfilled in their personal lives; they seek it in their beliefs, which become their ‘family’ – beliefs which provide all the answers and pervade and control most aspects of life. The far left wants a world that will never be; the far right wants a world that never was.

Both can be arrogant, smug, selfrighteous, and fanatical. One has only to look to other countries to see what happens when either comes to power as ‘temporary’ holders of power – a Fidel Castro of Cuba of the left or an Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran of the right. In an open, democratic society like ours there is room for these extremes to play themselves out. This helps help keep the majority moderate.