Global Issues Can Lead to Extreme Politics



	Global Issues Can Lead to Extreme Politics Brandon Sun “Small World” Column, Monday, July 24 / 23 Zack Gross I’m part of a group that emails around most days to discuss the latest news stories, whether about the US, Canada or globally. People share articles they find interesting and offer opinions, not always agreeing with one another. That’s a good thing – we have enough “group think” in this world! I guess what we do is a version of the coffee shop discussions that have gone on daily over the years, in fact over the millennia! We live in an age where everyone is offended by something, where the loudest voices are often cynical, where conspiracy theories are rife, and people feel hard done by. This might indicate how much the post-World War II and post-Cold War generations were expected to make our world a kinder and safer place, and how that has not happened. There was a theory after the fall of the Berlin Wall that we had come to “the end of history”, that now we would have only peace, prosperity and progress. As it stands, we have war, environmental catastrophe, disease, democracy giving way to authoritarianism, and social upheaval caused by historical iniquities. It is no wonder that many people are questioning both the past and the future of our planet. The poor often support conspiratorial and right wing solutions because they have not seen improvement in their lot in life. As they say, the rich are getting richer and, at best, the poor are stuck in a holding pattern. From my point of view, at least, the extreme positions emerging from this situation are part of the problem, not part of the solution. A recent article in the US reported that an estimated 12 million Americans believe that Donald Trump should be returned to the White House, even if it takes violence to make this happen. Meanwhile, state legislators around that country, and their Supreme Court, are turning back the clock on many social reforms and will hurt women’s and minority’s rights. Some of this will impact on Canadian politics as well. In speaking with a British friend about this, he said that sometimes we find ourselves leading reform, but sometimes – like now – we are called upon to just defend what we’ve gained in the past. I heard a radio program this morning where a black commentator blamed Barack Obama, the first black US President, for not accomplishing what was expected of him during his eight years in office. My reading of Obama’s first volume of his autobiography, “A Promised Land” outlined how his Republican opponents in Congress blocked every move he tried to make. Their attitude was that by focusing on keeping him from accomplishing anything, even if it was of benefit to the American people, they could ultimately get themselves back into power. In Canada, by my analysis, the Conservative Party has moved sharply to the Right, influenced by American politics. The party of Robert Stanfield, Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark, etc., that stood for fiscal responsibility coupled with social progress has disappeared. It now leads, melds into or follows the loud, negative side of political “engagement”. In my career in poverty alleviation over many years, I found that I could feel comfortable in dialogue with any of our major parties – not so easy now. The political setbacks that we face today are in part caused by some real and recent factors. The pandemic and resulting restrictions caused a backlash of conspiracy theories and anti-government rhetoric. Likely this has happened in the past! I wonder how these “opposition” forces manifested themselves during the Spanish flu of 100 years ago and, indeed the Black Plague of the Middle Ages? Going back to the 2008 financial collapse, certainly there again people sought out scapegoats for the investment boondoggles that caused so many to lose their homes and lifelong investments. Moving forward in time, with the world economy dealing with high inflation post-pandemic and due to the war in Ukraine, people are hurting and sometimes looking for unlikely conspiracies and simple solutions to cope with their dilemma. Historically, when society faces tough times, many people take on extremist ideas. Blameless people are blamed. Innocent people face insults and even violence. Sexism, ageism, racism and all those other “isms” raise their ugly heads. For me, the antidote is to read history (not surf the internet) and understand where our current experience fits over the long term. We need to take positive steps and embrace the challenge of overcoming adversity while not leaving anyone behind. Zack Gross is Board Chair of The Marquis Project, a Brandon-based international development organization, and co-author of the new book The Fair Trade Handbook: Building a Better World, Together. * * * * * Return to Articles page