The world is always in need of courageous activists and humanitarians. There will probably always be a need for individuals and organizations committed to animal welfare, human rights, participatory democracy, secularism, the protection of civil liberties, environmentalism, etc.
However, some activists are truly over-the-top. The animal rights movement is a great place to start this discussion. The Animal Liberation Front (ALF), the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), are three of the leading extremist animal rights groups. Members of ELF have burned down restaurants and research labs. ALF and ELF have caused tens of millions of dollars in damage as a result of vandalism.
Animal rights activist Daniel Andreas San Diego is on the FBI’s most wanted list, with a $250,000 award for information leading to his arrest. He is wanted for the bombings of two buildings. He has been featured on America’s Most Wanted, and the FBI has deemed him armed and dangerous. The FBI has labeled ALF and ELF terrorist organizations.
PETA engages in harassment by contacting people that simply know the targets of their ire. For example, they will contact scientists’ religious leaders or protest at their churches. What is worse, PETA representative Bruce Friedrich, at an animal rights conference on July 2, 2001, said that he advocates “blowing things up and smashing windows” in defense of animal liberation.
PETA has compared the killings of chickens to genocide in Nazi Germany. PETA members have defended the “rights” of rats, cockroaches, flies and mosquitoes, bemoaning the use of pesticides and insecticides.
Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, has been quoted in Vogue and USA TODAY as saying, “Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we’d be against it.” (Animal research has led to cures of numerous diseases, such as polio, even though animal rights activists claim that such research is unnecessary. Most scientists, however, say that it is impossible to simulate the cell, and that such research is absolutely necessary.)
Not long ago, President Obama appeared in an interview on CNBC, at which he swatted a fly. This prompted PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich to proclaim that we should have compassion for all species. (For more information on animal rights extremists, visit here and here.
If people get this worked up over the supposed rights of fleas and other animals, it should not be surprising that people can also go off the deep end where human rights and interests are concerned. The Nation of Islam (NOI) has complained about White racism since the group’s inception in the 1930s. However, they had concluded that White people were “a filthy race of devils” created by an evil “big-headed scientist.” They have demonized Jews, railed against homosexuality, subjugated women, advocated complete separation of the races, embraced the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard of the Church of Scientology, forged loose alliances with White supremacists, such as the American Nazi Party and the White Aryan Resistance, defended Holocaust deniers, served as apologists for slave owners in Sudan, etc.
In the latter part of the 20th Century, NOI leader Minister Louis Farrakhan rambled about “a wheel that you call a UFO” which houses the spirit of former NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad. The Mother Plane also houses smaller “baby planes.” (All of this is in the name of Black liberation!)
However, extremist religion is not the only problem. American Atheists has long been associated with extreme messages. For example, their magazine once featured a cartoon in which a God figure was sodomizing Uncle Sam.
The Black Atheists of Atlanta is another extremist atheist organization. They rarely discuss atheism. However, they constantly denounce homosexuality, demonize White people, denigrate all things European, etc.
The Arab Spring has caught the imagination of millions of people throughout the world. Arab liberation is certainly a worthy goal. However, religious extremists often hijack good causes. For example, the Muslim Brotherhood is becoming a major player in Egypt’s politics. Arab religious extremists advocate Sharia law, the subjugation of women, complete government control of the population, vice squads, chastity investigators, etc. The Taliban is a classic example of what Muslim extremism looks like.
There are certainly times when extreme actions are necessary and justified. For example, the America Revolution and the Civil War were extreme actions. However, violent revolution is not always necessary or realistic. More often than not, what is called for is a rational, ethical approach to solving problems.
Another source of extremism is the inability to identify allies and enemies. For example, the NOI does not realize that White people are not the enemy. The system of White supremacy is the enemy. Likewise, many radical feminists do not realize that men are not the enemy.
Rather, sexism and sexist institutions are the enemies. Just as Black people can serve the interests of White supremacy, women can serve the interests of sexism. Conversely, truly progressive Whites can work to end White supremacy and truly progressive men can work to end sexism.
The world can always use more committed activists. However, extremists often make problems much worse. Someone once said, “A fanatical belief in democracy makes democratic institutions impossible.” This idea must be kept in mind whenever people are considering becoming seriously involved in any project directed toward improving life in the here and now.