Some people view me as racist; however, my real prejudice is against extremism. It doesn't matter if the person is White, NDN, or from another race. And, it doesn't matter what topic it is, religion, politics, race, extremism in any shape, form, or fashion, just pisses me off and I often take the opposite stand just to.... well...just to argue with the person who I view is taking an extreme position.
In my view, most extreme positions are just other forms of con jobs and I hate it when people try to con me. Cause, I'm an old con artist from way back and I know the deviousness, the deception, and the outright lies that make up a con. There is a lot of truth in the old saying that it takes one to know one.
And a con is just another form of lying. Just yesterday I gave my 15-year granddaughter heck for lying to me. I know she thought I was too hard on her for a "simple" lie. But if I know she lies how can I trust her? Most people know just how hard it is to live with a person you can't trust. Therefore, I really gave her heck for one little lie.
No matter what label you give it, extremism or conning, they are both a form of lying. And lying is evil. Therefore, extremism is evil in my book. My favorite quote, which I often use in my writings, and is on my website's home page, describes exactly why I think lying is evil:
"Among the Dakotas lying and stealing from other tribal members was a capital offense. A person who was capable of lying was believed to be capable of committing other cowardly crimes against the tribe and was put to death to prevent the evil from doing more harm." - Charles Eastman, Dakota 1858 - 1939
Extremists and their extreme positions are nothing more than lies and cause nothing but pain and trouble for the rest of us. There are many obvious examples of extremists and their positions; the Tea Party, some forms of Christianity and/or religions, the White Supremacy groups, Capitalism, to name a few. The amount of pain and suffering caused by these groups or belief systems are too numerous to quantify.
However, extremism lies in each and every one of us. This is why I am often called a racist, atheist, troublemaker, etc., because, to be honest, I have a little all those qualities in me. I to, all too often, go to extremes in promoting or defending my beliefs; social and spiritual. However, as a minority, I need to be extra careful not to go there. Otherwise, my extremism/cons/lies will no nothing more than hurt the very causes I fight so hard for.
