Throughout history, one pattern appears repeatedly in the evolution of societal norms: the journey from one extreme, through radical opposition, to the establishment of balance. This phenomenon can be called the ‘2nd Extreme Paradox’.
Extremes, whether ideological, political, or cultural, do rarely provide a sustainable or just foundation for society. They often lead to long-standing injustices and systemic problems. We’ve seen the adversities of extremes in multiple instances — from patriarchy and caste discrimination, to the biased, untrue glorification of specific historic periods like the Delhi Sultanates, and the global supremacy asserted by specific autonomous nations during varying periods.
However, societies, especially the oppressed classes do not remain blind to the harm these extremes borne. Over time, awareness grows, resistance forms, and collective decisions are made to challenge and replace these imbalances. Ideally, the goal is to establish a middle ground — a space of fairness, equality, and rationality. But humans resist sudden shifts. Instead of moving directly to equilibrium, we often swing to the opposite extreme.
This can be shrewdly observed in the pattern of films that in recent years are being produced, promoted and consumed. Since films are the cheapest, most widely consumed form of art, they become the frontier of any propaganda, and thus in the last few years, most popular films come from the motive of establishing specific sectarian supremacy. Such films, though practically mediocre, bag huge profits, not because they are brilliant pieces of cinema but because they are released in the age of the second extreme. The former extreme being appeasement of the Islamic population through academic curriculum and written text, and the consequentially the latter extreme becoming such films.
Another clear example can be found in India’s complex relationship with caste. Centuries of discrimination led to corrective measures such as reservations, which were meant to uplift and represent marginalized communities. However, this has also sparked debates over fairness and meritocracy, culminating in policies like the 50% cap on reservations — a modern attempt at recalibrating the social balance.
This can also be visibly seen in the resurgence of the debates on Marxist-Leninist communism after experiencing the adverse effects of un-supervised capitalism on the lower and middle income strata or better still just the working class.
Another paradigm could be the utterly unethical measures being taken to remove the fossil fuel monopoly from certain specific countries in Western Asia.If we observe this under a critical lens, this phenomena can be seen in the evolution of all art forms. Paintings from the modern, and contemporary era are strikingly different from the renaissance, and enlightenment eras, and while the intention remains the same — revolution and expression, the deliverance of art shifted drastically. The earlier periods charecterised with precision and clarity, the modern form relies more on metaphors and symbolism. This is most visibly seen in the contrast between Leanardo DaVinci’s ‘Last Supper’ and Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace at night’, both were painted with the same idea and intent, but the staunch difference is more than the artist’s personal artisanship, as artisanship does not exist in vacuum, the contrast is because of the extreme opposing sided evolution of art
This phenomenon — the often unintended, unconscious creation of an opposing extreme in the process of rejecting the original one —is what can be defined as the 2ND EXTREME PARADOX. It’s a necessary, albeit turbulent, part of societal change.
In essence, the 2ND EXTREME Theorem suggests that it is only after experiencing both extremes — the original injustice and the reactionary counter-extreme — that societies can begin to collectively appreciate and stabilize at a genuine, rational middle ground. This cyclical swing is not a flaw in society, but rather a reflection of the human mind’s struggle to adapt and evolve in the short span of life allotted to us by nature.