Treat them unfairly, but be prepared to watch them come back with reactions and revolutions. Give them equality, and they will never resist you again…

The left is reacting to Trump’s policy: ”Too harsh on immigration and minorities”; ”Dismissive of environmental/climate concerns!”; ”Absolutely favoring the wealthy at the expense of the majority.”

In the current political climate, it is easy to find scapegoats for everything bad happening in the country. Usually, these scapegoats are Democrats or the so-called left wing. Before harsh polarization harms us further, let me introduce my case.

People become left-wing for a variety of psychological, social, economic, and moral reasons. But all in all, did you know that Democrats become left-wing as a result of adversity levels in their lives? According to social science, having left-wing political views is positively associated with having been treated unfairly—by the system, by those they trust the most.

Basically, if you are on a mission to aggregate all Americans’ political views into a more productive and more uniform way of doing things, then you will likely have to end social injustice first! It utterly seems impossible so far for states to suppress the creation of these left-wing individuals.

Read on to find out more about the story…

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What even is the LEFT?

Is it only demonizing the renowned left that can define it, or can we add clarifications for left distinctions and, eventually, acceptance?

Left-wing individuals’ value systems will likely emphasize equality and social justice. These Democrats value fairness and demand the protection of vulnerable groups against exploitation. Their same progressive ideas on civil rights, ‘new world’ cultural norms, and driving social change capture a different way of shaping hierarchies and orders of humankind: Leftists hold the collective responsibility according to which the society should work together, equally and collaboratively, to find solutions to problems. We see that the opposite of this is rather called individualism, or individual responsibility.

At the end of the day, the left wing might be at least right about one thing: the government’s involvement in filling in the gaps and providing state-compensated social services, such as social housing and community centers for those in need. And no, I am not left. Before you think anything else, remember that free markets and private companies might very well cater to downtown residents of Los Angeles but will neglect remote groups and other vulnerable communities with special needs. That is where the American government steps in. Or should, anyway!

Personal experience. Your commie uncle Rich can teach you Marx even if you do not attend college

The following social argument is on personal experience and is going to go against all types of discrimination in the society. No person that has faced severe poverty or prolonged job insecurity will likely become a Republican. Economic hardship, unequal opportunities growing up, limited access to quality education and resources, and other types of discrimination or implicit marginalization can all contribute to the phenomenon.

Does it sound like we are all ready to abolish slight inequalities for the left to evaporate in the air? If you think so, you would have to make sure that no racial minority, LGBTQ+ individual, or vulnerable woman gets offended. It is absolutely no easy job.

But there is more on personal experience, unfortunately. Research has found that the same personal experience sensitivity with discrimination is exhibited in observers to injustices, too. To simply rewind then, the left wing will vanish if we grab all disadvantaged social categories and their observers, just to protect them from experiencing or witnessing social oppression.

And as if we have not done enough so far, here also comes the personal exposure to liberal views and critical views of mainstream power structures. Say you went to a very liberal college where students get exposed to socially revolutionizing schools of thought, your childhood living room had tons of (outdated) books on the philosophy of Marx and others, or your early upbringing included hours of smarty-pants debate talks with your uncle Rich, who visited liberal Europe this one single time but will not stop talking about it.

Personal traits. Or how to have the emotional intelligence to reject Kim Jong Un

Not all personalities were made equal. Some exhibit more openness to experience, so that makes them more curious, creative, and open to ideas that often lean left. And then on a secondary level, micro personality traits refer to empathy and compassion—but I would personally argue that they sort of belong to the emotional intelligence system. It should be incredibly important to differentiate between emotionally competent Americans’ personalities and those of the right-wing.

Did you know that because of this big-personality concern for others’ well-being, people may score more left and offer more empathy?

Some other things that are known for playing a role in personal traits are one’s family and close community. Growing up in a liberal household can do wonders without transforming you into the next up anarchist activist. Similarly, keeping up with left-leaning media and progressive educational institutions can shape a macro worldview. Can you then stop tight-knit communities and the leftist media? That can be a distant possibility, especially if you are related to Kim Jong Un.

But surely you could not stop all peer networks: precious groupings where people tend to lean left, get endorsed by others who adopt the left views, and come into effect during people’s most essential formative years.

RADICALIZATION and EXTREMISM?

Now, we have not been talking about revolutionaries this whole time. But rather centrist individuals who would still fully embrace capitalism but with a strong social net from the state. The case sits at a different magnitude if we look specifically at those part of the left wing who go through radicalization and extreme ideologies.

Radicalization is a mental process in which an individual or group slowly comes to adopt some extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations. They can range from popular terrorism to communism or anarchy and perfectly go against democratic order and norms. Radicalization does not have to result in violence or overt manifestation. It is enough to merely believe and behave according to the extremes.

But sometimes, extremism does give form to aggression. In theory, they say that the destruction acts against persons, property, or the fabric of the society underlie the immediate need and desperation to drive mandatory social change.

Radicalization has been here for many years, even throughout Nazi Germany in the 1930s. We now know that the government leaders must intervene to prevent radicalization.

Wanting to learn on the destruction of Carthage by the Romans—often called “the first genocide”; the apocalyptic jihadism of Al Qaeda; America’s new “alt-right”; or the anti-Semitic conspiracy tract The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? .Find the MIT-published (super liberal) knowledge series Extremism by J. M. Berger.

Takeaway

If we are willing to give voice to those underrepresented categories of the society, America will finally have a chance to lean to the aggregated ideal of whole (and hence MAGA). It is no bad thing that liberal colleges and the media are promoting critical thinking among young Americans. With Trump to stay for a while, these kids need the skill more than ever.

We get that there is a considerable gap of psychological distance between left and right individuals. Whatever you do, do not forget about the Great Constitution and the same America that hosts both yourself and thy neighbor.

What do you think about becoming left-wing? Let us know what you think down below in the comments.

If you found this useful, continue reading The Impact of Social Media on Political Campaigns.