What causes people to act out from their beliefs?

[PoniesPlease 365]

First things first, I am a passionate Football fan. I support Tottenham Hotspur, so this story has obviously hit me harder than many others.

 

So, you probably may not have heard (a UK story really), but a group of Tottenham fans, visiting Lyon for tonight's game against them, were attacked by another group of people in a bar. The attackers were at first believed to be fans of the opposing team, but upon closer inspection they were identified as French Fascists. Tottenham, (originating from that area, duh!) had a large Jewish following a decade ago, and are persistently targeted by Fascists when we travel to European games. It is clear that, as fascists  these people dislike the Jews, and because of our clubs history, they tend to go after us as soon as we set foot in their country.

 

My question here is "Why do people act out from their beliefs in such a way?"

 

These people can't be reasoned with, and their treatment of others is irrational. The way they act is technically like someone from the USA/UK/France punching every German person they see because their country was once ruled by Hitler.

 

Any thoughts on why this happens? This topic could involve a lot of different views, so talk away!

[Betez 1,734]

I honestly have no idea. I guess they just take their holy book way too seriously. The twist the words in it and believe the only way to change someone they don't like is to eradicate them. I'm a Christian, and this is how I feel about all the Christian extremists.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Blue

[askthetechbrony 30]

 

Taking the Bible the wrong way is where idiotic extremists come from.

 

Pardon my being new here. Any book or Ideology being taking the wrong way will spawn idiotic extremists. It really doesn't matter wherer you are from or what you believe.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Blue

[Mephala 2,633]

I guess they think somehow they're doing the "right" thing in their mind, even if it's very, very "wrong".

Some people think that acts like murder are all right in the name of their deity or deities (like those Mormon brothers all those years back who swear their god told them to do it).

Really, it's just people who take things way too far.

 

In the case of teens and children, it could be pressure from their peers.

[PoniesPlease 365]

I know, I was just using the Bible as a cod example, since Betez brought up Christian extremists but said nothing of other religious extant extremists, such as various Islamic groups, Hindus, and even Atheists (also for example.)

 

Another [somewhat unfair?] ambiguity is that there is no completely accepted definition of what terrorism is, and the fact that extremism can vary widely depending upon what subject matter it is attached to.

This is an interesting comment.

 

They do say, after all that 'One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'.

 

I guess it's hard to see the freedom fighting in beating a bunch of innocent football fans because of their ties to a sports team which has a Jewish background, but hey. I'm no fascist.

Edited February 21, 2013 by PoniesPlease

[Shanks 10,811]

People that act out this way do so because they are a bunch of pathetic cowards who are so afraid of anyone different from them that they feel the need to persecute them. We all have our biases and prejudices but true bigots either don't recognize this or don't care and cannot resist taking out their own baseless fears on others.

[Titan Rising 2,156]

I will say because in their minds they have decided they have a right to treat others a certain way and convinced themselves they shouldn't feel bad about it.  Maybe they have been brought up to believe revenge for an act committed against them years ago [or they think has been committed against them] is justified; or maybe not following through with whatever hate has been passed down to them will shame them and make their family think down on them.

 

It is essentially pride.  Wanting to feel important and strong.  Wanting for others to see you as important and strong.  Its the same reason why so many people aren't able to admit when they've made a mistake - they're embarrassed so they might continue to follow through with it.  Maybe they go along with it for such a long time they convince themselves that they didn't make a mistake at all?  I would disagree with Earthbending Prodigy that they're afraid, it's more likely that they just want to feel superior.  If they're afraid of anything, it is the thought of being inferior, so afraid that they would betray everything that they might believe is righteous.