Recently the British media and government seem to be obsessed with extremism and radicalization, I am getting sick of hearing the subject on the news. I believe extremism and radicalization is being used as an accuse to censor the web of information and even ideas. The government seem to be completely missing the point of freedom of speech, too much information does not create extremism and radicalization, it is a lack of information that real extremism and radicalization feeds on. The idea of freedom of speech is everybody gets listened to and given a chance to explain their ideas or information, people then decide who they agree with and what they believe considering all the information in front of them. It is a fact that some ideas and some information could be racist, biased, lies or even all three but I believe that if people are given the full story before deciding, from genuinely different angles (instead of newspapers that are all owned by a tiny group of rich people) most of the time people would come to the morally right decision.
In other words a fully educated and informed society are much less lightly to fall for the rants of simple minded racists! When we start hiding Ku Klux Klan opinions and comments we hide how stupid and idiotic those comments and opinions are. I know these opinions are sometimes offensive but they do not come with much logic. Take slavery and the slave trade, not all white people that used black people as slaves were evil, even if their actions were. The people were ill informed and told from birth that they are superior and sometimes even told that black people are not even people, information and knowledge is what stopped the evilness and cruelty of the slave trade and information and knowledge is what threatens to stop the evil gangsters that call themselves “the government” “the Royals” or “the elite”.
What is extremism and radicalization? Prince Charles said he was also concerned with the youth of Britain being radicalized, does he mean radicalized or does he mean awoken? How can a man that has never even come close to stepping foot in the real world be so judgmental on peoples beliefs?
Talking of radicalization in children Prince George is currently being told he was chosen by God to rule over us, if that is not radicalization what is?
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thank you for sharing with us all.