[scotty79]

I'm not sure if anybody is framing them as victims here. It's not wise to frame the rain as the oppressor because it falls on your head, either. They just exist because of reasons. I don't think anybody here thinks it's good that they exist. The GP just pointed out that "why?" is important question. Maybe the most important and it should be answered with research and intelectual honesty, instead of just "because evil exists".

[Veraticus]

If violent extremists have no choice about how they act, then you should accept that society too has no choice but to reject them. It's just the rain falling, right?

If violent extremists do have a choice, then we can also choose our response to them. And pretty clearly that response should be to ignore their demands and treat them as having abdicated any say in our political system. Otherwise, you validate violent extremism, which creates more violent extremism. Which is bad, right?

There were other choices here. They chose not to make them. It's no one's responsibility to decide other people's bad choices are noble or worthy.

[scotty79]

> If violent extremists have no choice about how they act, then you should accept that society too has no choice but to reject them.

Of course, but wouldn't it be nice to have a comprehensive answer to "why?" so we can be free of them completely? Or at least find out why it's impossible if it really is.

The choice should be creating environment in which they don't spawn.

[Veraticus]

Being free of violent extremism completely is impossible. Someone will always choose violent extremism as their method of political action. Considering their demands based on real, articulable, resolvable concerns validates their methods and encourages their activities.

If they want to be taken seriously, they should abandon their methods. Listening to them will not resolve their concerns and contains no teachings. It instead spreads violent extremism throughout society.

[scotty79]

> Being free of violent extremism completely is impossible. Someone will always choose violent extremism as their method of political action.

That's an assumption. Might be false. Especially given how rare violent political action is in modern societies and how common it used to be.

> Considering their demands

Nobody wants that. But we should consider causes that gave rise to the demands.

> Listening to them will not resolve their concerns and contains no teachings.

Nobody advocates for that. We should listen to them only in a way we listen to vocalisations of wolves to figure out how to keep them harmless.