Stop Grouping me in with the Crazies!

So here is what I’m tired of:  People using the lunatic fringe to attack the middle.  I’m talking specifically about using the actions of extremists to denounce an entire religion, belief, value, or movement as if they are representative of the whole.

I’m not sure what to call this other than just plain old discrimination… humm, maybe type casting?  Basically by using the outlandish behavior of a small group of people to denounce everyone that shares a similar point of view you are typecasting the rest of us into the same role as the crazies.  This really isn’t fair, and is pretty dishonest as well.

By way of example, Westboro Baptist Church’s highly controversial demonstrations invariably draw comments along the lines of “this is why Christianity is bullshit” like every Christian believes the hate these guys spew.  

Another recent example, Open Carry Texas, the organization that has people carrying long rifles out to restaurants in Texas and pretty much unnerving everyone around them. People will say “this is why gun owners are stupid” or “this is why we need more restrictive gun laws” As if it is impossible to support the right to openly carry a weapon but still think it is unsafe and ill advised to carry around long weapons where they aren’t needed. 

Here is another popular one, every men’s rights activist is a potential Elliot Rodger or at least guilty of misogony. 

And here is one that has been around for a while, every Muslim is a terrorist.

An entire ideology or belief system isn’t wrong just because there are some misguided souls out there that take too far a belief that millions of perfectly sane people adhere to.   And you shouldn't use the lunatic fringe as evidence against the sane people.  It is unfair, incorrect and frankly lazy.

I feel that people – on facebook especially - do this often.  Many folks do it without realizing they are doing it.  I’m writing this to call attention to the behavior so we can all stop type casting people into the role of a crazy when chances are they really are a pretty level headed person with reasonable beliefs that just so happen to also be shared by some crazies.