Ep 56: Leaving Behind Extremism Pt. 1 | How "us vs. them" creates the very thing you hope to avoid, with Jesse Morton

What happens when an ultimatum doesn’t work, and instead of bringing people into alignment with your cause, it pushes them into the very thing you’re trying to prevent or discourage?

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, President George W. Bush famously stated “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,” effectively launching the 20-year War on Terror.

For Jesse Morton, who had recently come to find Islam as a potential landing spot to find community, connection, and belonging, President Bush’s words laid out a duality of choice, and Jesse took the path that President Bush and nearly all other Americans wanted to avoid, and over time, Jesse became one of the most prominent radicalizers in the West.

Jesse and I discuss the ramifications of reciprocal dehumanization — where opposing sides see each other as less than — we talk about the immense difference between simply airing grievances and creating a vision that supersedes the allure of extremist ideas and behaviors, and ultimately, we dive into what the end game might look like if we don’t seek ways to unearth common ground with each other.

Connect with Jesse's work at https://www.lightuponlight.online, and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/_JesseMorton.