# 408 – Extremism is the Norm

Extremism is the Norm

I’ve been delaying writing this since what many consider to be the disastrous election here in Israel last month.

So what makes me have the guts to write now?

Note my heading.

One ‘extreme left-winger’ here (one who is wrong/blind enough to call Israel an apartheid state) recently retorted that, here in Israel, ‘there is no centre’!! (Further proof that I am nowhere near extreme – left or right. I swing around the centre). Well, a quick glance at Israel politics today, and she would appear to be right.

I am not sure why – perhaps because of social media and the ease/speed with which words can be spread – extreme views do seem to be becoming ‘mainstream’.

‘Pulp Fiction’ came out in 1994. My daughters were then 18 and 15. I remember clearly the time they came home and told me about this terrific film. I had heard about it, fearing the effect of the blood and violence etc. on our kids’ minds. My shock was not the violence. No, it was their immunity – or, a better word, easy acceptance of the new norm. ‘No big deal’ they said.

There are many other examples, but let’s jump to today. I’m apparently losing the battle to convince people that Israel is not the country often unfairly criticised, because it’s become the norm. If Amnesty, the UN and Al Jazeera say it, then it must be right. Right?

Today’s Jerusalem Post goes even further, with 2 articles focusing on antisemitism.

One surrounds the Kayne West/Kyrie Irving sagas. The fact that they have opinions which I don’t like is not the issue. It’s the passionate blindness of their admirers which frightens me. You see….? Their extremist opinions (and they ARE at least extreme in the sense that they are coming from voices with little experience and qualifications on many of the subjects they grab) automatically become ‘the norm’, if/when 100 million or so accept them.

The other article reminds us of the famous chat between Kayne, Jim Brown and Donald Trump. Not only does social media make sure their conversation is followed, Donald leaves it there. No apologies for some of the mistakes spoken and made that day. He in fact welcomes Kayne and his antisemitism without excuse nor apology. In the eyes of those many millions, that makes it OK – it becomes the norm.

It’s almost 3 hours until the World Cup final begins. The headlines are mainly the ‘battle between Messi and the latest ‘World star’, Mbappé. A reminder that both play for Paris St. Germain, a team owned by Qatar. Check the sponsors of the club: perhaps 1/3 of the 20 or so are Qatari companies. Yes, it’s an interesting combination of skill, luck and marketing that has brought us to this moment.

Qatar can be described as extreme in many senses of the word. My criticism focuses mainly on their open and extreme support for terrorism.

Their extremism appears to be becoming the norm.

Stephen