The Future Of: Political Extremism [FULL PODCAST EPISODE]

Was the storming of the US Capitol an act of political terrorism? How has democracy become so polarised between the left and right?

Despite living in a global age, the rise of political extremism reflects a world that has never been more divided – we only need to look at the storming of the US Capitol to see the great rift that exists between the ‘left’ and ‘right’. How did we get here, and where to next?

In this episode, Amelia is joined by Dr Ben Rich and Michael Wieteska from the Curtin School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry. They unpack what makes someone a political extremist and explore the rising appeal of political extremist groups. They also discuss some of the defining characteristics of the left and right, and the problems that occur when we solely label ourselves as one or the other.

• Political extremism and violence [01:24]
• Determinists vs free agents [03:40]
• The role of education in extremism [11:05]
• Terrorism in the US [14:15]
• Treating social problems as terrorism [17:24]
• The extreme right and the ‘nostalgic past’ [25:44]
• Political extremism after Trump? [30:44]

To discover more episodes: http://curtin.edu/t9hfy2

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This episode was released on 18 January 2021