I don't think it's "groups of like minded people" so much as "groups of people who think they belong together for an agreed upon reason". That's where the "salient shared identity" comes in.
Also, the statement doesn't say the shifts are necessarily to more extreme stances; it just says the shifts are larger. The shifts could be to a more extreme position, or they could be to a more moderate position. An example of the latter is the IRA and Sinn Fein shifting fairly rapidly from "violent low level insurgency" to "negotiated resolution", for example.
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2008-05-16 06:30 pm (UTC)Also, the statement doesn't say the shifts are necessarily to more extreme stances; it just says the shifts are larger. The shifts could be to a more extreme position, or they could be to a more moderate position. An example of the latter is the IRA and Sinn Fein shifting fairly rapidly from "violent low level insurgency" to "negotiated resolution", for example.
What is it that you're struggling with?