With the increasing media coverage of political extremists, ranging from organized militia to single crackpots working alone, there has needed to be a book that examines this disturbing phenomenon. It turns out, there already was one.
John George, an Oklahoma college professor, and Laird Wilcox, founder of the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements, published their exhaustive history of American extremist movements in 1992. Now updated and retitled as American Extremists: Militias, Supremacists, Klansmen, Communists, and Others (Prometheus Books), it's a valuable reference for anyone interested in the topic.
In their introduction, the authors note that extremists "tend to believe things supported by little or no evidence," adding that many of them "have a strong proclivity toward 'conspiracy theories,' that is, the belief that events are controlled by a small group of insiders who, with the assistance of their allies throughout society, are working for their advantage and our doom."
There are a frightening number of people who subscribe to such theories, as you'll discover by spending time listening to various right-wing radio talk shows anywhere around the country. The conspiracy nuts are quite vocal in expounding their theories, and judging by the huge numbers of listeners, those theories have gained acceptance by many who should know better.
George and Wilcox assert that political extremists "prefer to believe what they prefer to be true." Readers in the Columbus area need only to listen to Fred Andrle on WOSU-AM weekday afternoons to find a host of conspiracy advocates grabbing time for their unsubstantiated paranoia.
American Extremists is fascinating reading and serves as an excellent introduction to a topic that should continue to grab headlines and concern for a long time.
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