An ‘Extremist’ in the United States
An ‘Extremist’ in the United States
By Robert Jensen on 26/12/2015 •
I am a mild-mannered (a polite term for “boring”) white Christian man, born and raised in North Dakota, a state of the United States known for being mild-mannered. I teach university courses on freedom of expression and the role of journalism in a democratic society, concepts I take seriously. I also take seriously my obligation as a citizen to participate in conversations about public policy, but I avoid shouting. And I don’t own any weapons.
But beware – I am an extremist.
I am not extreme in the way that US politicians and pundits typically throw the term around these days. I don’t advocate violence to establish a theocracy (whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or other), and I’m not much of a threat to anyone (except to students on days I drone on too long in lecture).
But I hold what are considered extreme political beliefs in today’s mainstream US political dialogue, even though the conclusions I’ve reached are not only sensible but strike me as essentially cautious – maybe even conservative – though not in the way that label gets used today.
I believe that the United States should be held accountable for its past and current violations of international law and basic moral principles. So, I oppose national fundamentalism, the belief in the inherent righteousness of my country.
More:
http://thewire.in/2015/12/26/an-extremist-in-the-united-states-18005/
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