Extremism Extremism and More Extremism

Ever since the Baby Boomers came of age and probably even before that, they have looked at life with grand extremism.  The first great example was the comparison of the Beatles versus the Rolling Stones in the 1960's.  For some reason, Boomers could not like both outstanding musical bands.  You were either a Stones fan or a Beatles fan.  Love relationships became extreme as well.  You either believe in free love or monogamy/marriage. The most intense extremist battle revolved around the Vietnam War. You were either part of the silent majority that supported the Vietnam War or you were adamantly against the war. 

The extremism continued into the 1970s.  Disco sucked or you loved disco.  You either accepted Jesus or you will go to hell.  You became physical fitness nut or a drug addict.  You either accept that American business is destroying the planet or you participate in the capitalist markets.

In the 1980's the extremism started to become more political as the Boomers started to enter leadership positions.  Abortion is murder or woman has a right to choose.  You were either for Reagan or for the nuclear freeze movement.  You were either a Democrat or a Republican.  You were either a born again Christian or not a Christian at all.

As the 1990's came about, the Boomers elected their first President.  At this point, the extremism started to become uglier.  Within days of the election of Democrat Bill Clinton, the right wing Boomer extremist spent every last breath to oust the first Boomer President.  The extremist attitudes came to a head when the Republican congress impeached the President for an extra-marital affair (extremist values hotly contested since the 1960's. Free love vs. monogamy). 

Then came the Presidential election of 2000.  Historians for centuries will use this election to demonstrate the extremist attitudes of the American culture in the later part of the twentieth and early part of the twenty first century.  The country became so intensely split in extremist camps that the Presidential election took over a month to resolve.  The end result had a right leaning Supreme Court pick a Republican candidate which brought out vengeance from the left wing zealots.  From the first day of George W. Bush's Presidency to the last, Democrats denied the validity of the 2000 elections outcome.  As the Republicans tried to destroy the Democratic President in the 1990's, the Democrats did the same in the 2000's.

The extremism continued even after Al Qaeda attacked America on 9/11/2001.  The right declared that we must fight terrorists and supplant civil liberties for safety.  The left vehemently disagreed and fought the right at every turn.  Issues such as gay marriage became a new extremist issue.  You either thought marriage was for a man or a woman or you were a sinner.  You thought people should be tolerant toward gay marriage or you were a bigot.

The environmental debate started to heat up as well.  You either believe in global warming or you do not.  Then when Democrat Barack Obama became President in 2008, the extremism of the Boomers hit a new level.  The right literally flipped out.  While President Obama pretty much continued most of the policies of the last Republican President, the right called him a socialist and a Nazi.  I am not sure how you can be both but it did not stop them from saying it.  Many extremist right wing Boomers then questioned the Presidents citizenship. 

So, here we are in 2010 with a nation split into two extremist camps.  It should be no surprise that the country is crippled by two extremist political parties bickering to the end, but one things is for sure, the Boomers are to blame for extremist attitudes that exist today all across the country.