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The question was spurred by an opinion column I read this morning
The opinion writer is not completely negative and he does express hope that Americans will come together in these tumultuous times.
From another thread, the words of one of those who can only accept a rather limited vision of the future, a belief that only total compliance with their views can save America - no debate - Their way or the highway.
How the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests could give rise to terrorism
Armed conflicts fuel plagues: Until very recently in history,*disease killed more*people in wars than battle. But plagues can also fuel conflict, and*COVID-19*may be no exception. The conditions facing the United States today are reminiscent of those that gave rise to the radicalism of the 1970s and could once again lead to political violence, including terrorism.
It’s not that the pandemic gives extremists or terrorists new capabilities or points them to a path they hadn’t thought of before. Instead, the pandemic creates a psychologically upsetting environment that encourages fanatics to do crazy and possibly violent things, and those actions will have greater impact on an already frightened public.
The pandemic has put the U.S. into a recession, and it’s likely to worsen.
[. . .]
Today, the pandemic could spur apocalyptic and nihilistic thinking. Deprived of their daily routines and personal relationships, people are disoriented, disillusioned and isolated — creating a receptive audience for fringe ideas. . . . Those already at the extremist edge see opportunities in the pandemic.
[. . .]
Adding to the radicalizing ferment of this pandemic are the widespread anguish and anger over systemic racism and police brutality unleashed by the*killing of George Floyd.
[. . .]
But it’s not just extremist groups. The pandemic and the mass protests have spawned public defiance of political authority. Health officials have been*physically threatened. Armed protesters have*stormed state legislatures*to protest shutdowns. Businesses have been*destroyed.Protesters have been*attacked. Police have been injured in riots and*killed in ambushes.*Barricades*have gone up on both sides. This is a dark place where, historically, political fanaticism and violence thrive.
The opinion writer is not completely negative and he does express hope that Americans will come together in these tumultuous times.
There are no vaccines for viral venom or collective madness. Deliverance, it seems, must come from our own common sense and sense of community. Sadly, like personal protective equipment, these often seem to be in short supply.
From another thread, the words of one of those who can only accept a rather limited vision of the future, a belief that only total compliance with their views can save America - no debate - Their way or the highway.
you know it sure does seem like some of these leftists are going to go off the deep end if it turns out we are correct about a lot of these things... that is something they are just not mentally prepared for. NOTHING outweighs their belief that the deplorables MUST be wrong, not a moral argument and not a hypocritical argument.