Are you being radicalized?

🚩 Here are some red flags

Photo by Dekler Ph on Unsplash

Before my social media hiatus, I wrote this post expressing my discontent toward political radicalists online who were pushing violent rhetoric and extremist ideologies. I cannot overstate how disturbing it was to witness people getting walked out of their conscience and critical thinking with the same techniques of mind control that are dangerously similar to cult indoctrination. I don’t know about you, but being expected to blindly absorb political propaganda, no questions asked is a MAJOR RED FLAG to me.

Much of this is a product of social media, of course. Social media platforms are literally optimized to stoke the flames of controversy and conflict. Underpinning an already divisive algorithm are extremist ideologies that seem appealing and credible because they appear to make sense out of chaos and confusion. But all they do is undermine democracy and lead to more division, more hate, more social upheaval.

That’s where radicalists come in.

Radicalizing = indoctrinating people into believing in extremist claims.

Just like cult leaders, radicalizers can be very persuasive and have a dominating effect on a person. Just like cult leaders, their objective is to exert pressure and control over you by exploiting your emotions. One way they do this is by offering a simple or reductionistic solution to a complex problem or issue. For example, they often pigeonhole a morally complex situation into an "if/then” clause that is typically followed by a black-and-white, us v.s. them, narrative that relies on scapegoating our feelings of frustration and anger onto “the other.”

Radicalists are not genuinely interested in seeking answers or solving problems. Someone who is genuinely concerned with your feelings of anger or upset will not need to resort to shame tactics and psychological manipulation to be persuasive. This is exploitation and in some cases can be a considered emotional abuse.

Radicalists will use words like “community” and “unity” but they’ll be the first to turn on you as soon as you challenge them. They offer words of comfort and encouragement but swiftly change their tone at any hint of dissent; suddenly you’re no longer an ally if you disagree with them—you’re a traitor or enemy of the cause. They seemingly speak from a place of empathy and compassion, but their humanity only extends to those who toe the ideological line.

Here’s an example:

I once followed a prominent creator on social media who identified as an abolitionist. I frequently shared their posts on social justice topics, adding my own thoughts. To my surprise, they started following me back, engaging with my content, and even exchanging DMs to acknowledge each other's work. I became a paid subscriber to their newsletter and actively participated in discussions on their posts.

However, my perception of this creator shifted when they made a post advocating for the abolition of modern mental health care systems, suggesting that psychiatric meds perpetuate colonialist control and profit off illness. While I recognize the flaws within our medical institutions (something I’ve addressed extensively in my own work), I couldn't agree with this extreme stance. In my experience as a clinical researcher and mental health advocate, psychiatric medications can be instrumental in saving a life. Some people in the comments section expressed feeling stigmatized by this post and I simply validated their sentiments. I literally said, “I’m confused by this post.”

This creator proceeded to shame me in the comments section, essentially saying that I “should know better” and to go and inform myself on decolonization. Honestly, I would have been okay with that response (I’m not decolonization expert), but what startled me the most was their subsequent decision to unfollow me and remove me as a follower. Suddenly I was no longer welcome in their space simply for disagreeing on one aspect of their viewpoint.

This incident highlighted a glaring inconsistency in their advocacy for community-based care. Despite promoting inclusivity and dialogue, their actions exposed their shallow understanding of genuine community-building, which only extends to those who unequivocally agree with their approach to social change.

There are many avenues to social change and I don’t have the perfect answer to the most effective and sustainable one. But I’m pretty sure that we can’t achieve long-term success and real, meaningful change by alienating dissenting voices. All that does is shut down discourse and promote intolerance, dogmatic thinking, and divisiveness—the very things that we claim to stand against. Not to mention, it’s terrible for our mental health because it leads to loneliness, isolation, and despair.

Red flags of radicalization

Extremist influencers are dangerous because they are more interested in defending their ideological stance than solving a problem. They do this by triggering feelings of anger, injustice, or shame—feelings that are heightened if a person is feeling stigmatized, trapped between two conflicting forces, or excluded from the mainstream.

Here are just a few signs to watch out for as red flags that you’re being radicalized into extremist ideology.

Disclaimer: These are not hard and fast rules, please use your own discernment and critical thinking in assessing whether they apply to you and your unique circumstances.

• You find yourself justifying things you normally would not or that go against your values. 

• Becoming increasingly argumentative and combative. 

• Becoming intolerant to anyone who is not sharing your views.

• Refusing to listen to different perspectives or points of view. 

• Unwilling to engage with people who disagree. 

• Becoming emotionally or verbally abusive towards those who are different or disagree. 

• Embracing conspiratorial thinking. 

• Distancing yourself from friends or family who don’t share your ideas.

• You become sympathetic toward extremist ideologies and groups 

• Changing your online identity 

• You find yourself talking from someone else’s script instead of expressing your own views and beliefs. 

• You’re blindly sharing slogans or phrases without an in-depth understanding of what they mean.

• You find yourself having to apologize before disagreeing with your leader.

• You find it challenging to make your point without demonizing a group of people.

Feel free to let me know if there’s anything you’d add to this list, how it resonates with you, or any other thoughts that come to mind. I genuinely value your input and perspective. And hey, I promise I won’t un-subscribe you for disagreeing! In the digital age, it’s really important to keep conversations like this going.

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