The premise of radical centrism is that unless the center applies radical methods to crushing radicals from left/right/top/down – radicals from the extremes will win.
Here’s an interesting post, along these lines:
What do you think?
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Religion can be a positive, civilizing force in a society where the majority of citizens embrace one creed, but they don’t take it too seriously. They’re generally on board with charity, but they aren’t gonna sell all they have and give to the poor. They’ll sing “Onward Christian Soldiers!” but they aren’t actually advocating, and certainly wouldn’t personally get involved in, seizing heretics to be killed.
The majority is secure, so they can afford to be tolerant. They like seeing themselves as tolerant.
Thats why, for awhile, when there’s a threat from “extremists” they’ll try tolerating it. Bu5 when it threatens their seat on top of the hill, from either side, yuh they’ll try suppression.
But it can’t work! Because this is the social dynamic. Racketing from one extreme to another, and for a blessed while in mid-cycle, there is peace.
I really had to laugh reading what this author thinks are the views of people who embrace Islam but not Islamism. There’s a name for people who hold those views:
Christians.
…or rather, “cultural Christians” , that is, the majority of cituzens during the golden age of a society who see the benefit of a civic religion which they never examine too closely.
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- Is an action consistent with a personal belief? Then it’s OK.
What if my personal belief is that Islam is God’s revealed truth, and everyone should accept it (at the point of a sword, if necessary)? Still ok?
No, some personal beliefs are not ok. The author is reminiscent of the good liberal who tried to excuse the guy who raped his sister … because he did use a condom.
The author is avoiding the obvious least-bad approach – when we are in a Muslim country, we should observe Muslim customs; when Muslims are in a Western country, they should observe Western customs.
Cue that famous example from the English occupation of India, back in the days when the English still had civilizational confidence: you throw the widow on the funeral pyre because that is your custom; we will hang the guys who threw her on, because that is our custom.
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Radical centrism is just a dishonest way to make your opponents surrender. Sometimes a radical extreme needs to win. Here’s a little aide-memoire fer ya:
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I think it denies the basic reality that Islam is NOT merely a personal belief system. It is a total (as in totalitarian) political system which includes an intolerant supremacist mandatory personal belief system. Ignoring this fact in the name of comity or “tolerance” is tantamount to slow suicide - until it becomes rapid suicide accompanied by murder, as prescribed in the Koran.
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I think radical centrism is extremist centrism working in defense of pluralism, in contrast to moderate and ineffectual centrism.
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We wouldn’t kill or die for our religion, that is sooooo pre-Enlightenment! So we really can hardly believe other people would. (Even though they tell us they will, and they DO it, repeatedly.) Therefore we’re dodo birds; just waiting to be beaten over the head.
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Maybe not. Things are really kicking off in Belfast after some third-world savage tried to behead some guy in the middle of the street. Of course, there are still moderate voices calling for calm and complaining that the response to this savagery is the real problem. “Stay calm and carry on while the animals kill you.”
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