In our society, we live in
a world full of hate. So many people have become polarized in so
many ways, it is sickening. Hate takes on many forms and it is
growing fast. How we let hate come in and rule over our lives speaks
volumes for us as individuals and as a group.
Hate is not a universal
wrong. While it would be a wonderful world to have no hate. That
is one utopia we can't afford to have. Hate is a primal emotion, it
is required to survive and thrive in this world. We become hateful
when we feel endangered. Most animals have a fight or flight
mentality. Both men and women are equally capable of becoming
enraged.
We have a concept that
hate is negative and should be shunned. Why people are hateful must
be learned. People are generally good, and so there needs to be a
reason why. Anger is considered to be the same as hate, but there
is a difference. Being angry is when you are disgusted with a
situation or person. This feeling is generally short lived. Anger is
a temporary event. Hatred is different, hate is a grudge that you
feel. It is a long lasting and has its roots into each individual's
backstory. Think about some of the simple hates you have, such as a
type of food. Maybe you hate Zucchini because your mom made you eat
it as a child. Events and influences in our backstory cause these
hates. Ignorance and ms-information are the main sources of hated.
Children are not born racist, they are taught to be racist.
Prejudices are taught
through biases about the roles of different groups. Every single
Political, racial, civic, and sexual piece of discrimination is a
form of hatred. People tell how we shouldn't trust blacks, because
of some stupid reason. Strictly religious people tell the masses how
homosexuality is an abomination. Those that are devout with those
religions are taught to hate those that are different from their
standards. Political viewpoints have become extreme in current times.
Party lines and hot topics create hate by dividing people against
each other.
How do we combat this
hate? Compassion and understanding are the first two keys we need to
get past this hate. We need to understand their perception.
Understanding a perception doesn't mean that you agree with it.
Finding their perception tell us why they feel and act the way
they do. This can lead to opening up communication. That is
part of the other two keys we need in resolving hate.
Communication and
education are very necessary in ridding the world of hate. Blurting
facts won't make a bit of difference. You can lead a horse to
water, but you can't make him drink. If someone believes that
Hispanics are crossing the border and smuggling in drugs, just
posting crime statistics for the last 50 years is going to do
nothing. An open dialog with people where they can also give their
opinions and information is needed. This interaction lowers defenses
and allows information to be processed. We have to be patient and
show understanding to stop the hate.
“No Platform” is a
form of hate as well. It is an extreme view of absolutism. You must
agree with me or you will be silent. This is one form of unethical
hate that I see coming from both sides of every battle. We may
not agree with another person's views, we might even call them
hateful. But each person has the right to think for themselves as
they wish. It becomes unethical when you broadcast your views, but
deny a;ll other perspectives. It is believing that you have the
right to say whatever you wish, but if anyone says anything
opposing you are offended and you have the right to silence them.
On social media the demand
of absolute loyalty is tested with every post. People will remove
you from groups for the wrong use of words. Standards are enforced to
fit into any group. Are you faithful enough? They will scan every
post to test and police you. You could openly support the LGBT
community, but one wrong word or statement could turn that LGBT
group against you. This mistrust breeds hate as well. They refuse to
use compassion and understanding.
Most social media types
are thin skinned as well. Any opposing view or view that doesn't
fully support a post is viewed as an attack or “trolling”.
Posting a moderate well worded viewpoint on an extreme viewpoint post
is usually viewed in this manner. These extremists are so hateful
they view all differing views as attacks and build a 'cult of
personality' around them and opposing them. These cults fester in
hate and distrust. Feminist Anita Sarkeesian is a prime example of
this cult of personality and hate. Her one sided videos incite
fellow feminists to hate and mistrust men. This creates the counter
culture of men arguing back. Some men use reason and compassion and
others use Anita's level of spite. Anita does “No Platforming”,
which doesn't allow dialog and promotes hate.
Ethics are important ,
they are the rules that we live by. Ethics are the core of knowing
what is wrong and right. Each person has their own unique code of
ethics. These ethics are built just like our hatred and prejudices.
Every decision and action molds our ethics. Our education and civil
interactions also shape our ethics. In every religion and culture
there is a set of ethics and they are placed on us. One of these
universal rules is Doing onto others as you would have done to
yourself.
We get angry at undefined
events and make rash unethical demands of vengeance. When Collin
Kaepernik refused to stand during the National anthem, the outrage
was instant and the outrage was unfounded. People demanded that
Kaepernik be fired, they claimed that he was being unpatriotic.
Doesn't Mr Kaepernik have the right to protest and have freedom of
expression? Well According to the constitution, he has that right
to protest exactly the way he did. All that hate is from people
that refused to respect the constitution. And ironically, mandatory
patriotism like what all these demanded, is what they do in
Fascist/communist nations like North Korea. Their ignorance on other
people's rights created a hate that should not have happened. These
people lacked the compassion and understanding needed for the events
that occurred.
Civil rights protests and
the counter protests are growing more and more violent. This hate
grows on both sides of aspect. But the violence could be stopped with
some understanding and patience. People have the right to assemble
and protest if they want. When we act to block, we only incite the
hatred more, because they are feeling oppressed. Tempers will flare
and hatred will lead to violence. Counter protesting is an action
of hate as well. This action is a physical form of “No
Platforming” . The other side is offended that an opposing group
is voicing their views. So they form a protesting body in direct
opposition. It doesn't matter what the cause is, the counter protest
group is guilty of creating an atmosphere that promotes violence.
They could have protested elsewhere or at a different time, but
elected to go against another group of people. And just like the
social media, a verbal barrage of opposing views escalates and
creates more rifts and more hate.
This escalation is
dangerous, in every group there is a zealot, a radical. This person
is overwhelmed by emotions and will do something horrific. As I
write this statement , yesterday a young man drove a car into a
crowd of people that he was in opposition with. He killed one lady
and injured several others. He tried to drive away, but he was
apprehended. It was his lack of compassion and understanding that
lead him to ignore his ethics and take a life. When the cause is
more important that the people, you are dangerous.
This is one of the reasons
for this statement. We as a society have lost our ability to reason
and moderate with others. Hate has been able to grow unchecked in
so many areas. Conservatives attack liberals. Feminists belittle
Male aspect of society, The religions seek to silence that that
believe differently. So many take the radical approach and close
dialog with anyone that thinks differently.
Unethical hate has one
more foul twist. People attack others without regard to any
limitations. They feel so passionate about a topic that any
means to achieve victory is allowed. Actions that you would
protest if they were done to yourself, you do without concern.
When you forget that you are dealing with another person, and just
view them as the enemy, you have become an instrument of hate. All
things that you have worked for and virtues that you claim are
worthless.
The neo-nazi/white
supremacy protests are something I disagree with. Their ideals are in
opposition with what I believe in. But today I found myself
defending the individuals attending that protest, but not their
ideals. Like Mr. Kaepernik, they have the right to protest even
when I disagree with the reason why. And people have the right to
disagree with the protest as well. What I saw were memes of the
protesters asking if you recognize them, and if you were their
employer. I see this as an unethical hateful move. If the person was
part of the march but committed no acts of violence, why should he
be fired? This is a personal attack, and the people that are
supporting this action would be upset if someone did the same thing
to them. Yes, they have different views, but people have the right
to express those views. They are ignoring their own ethics to
attack a person they don't even know. They are lacking the
compassion, understanding, and decent morals.
Hate has overran our
society. It has blinded and divided people. We go by labels and
groupings , seeking to find our space to be safe and accepted in.
Ignorance and fear has turned people against communication and
diplomacy. I find it so hard to communicate with others because
they can't or won't understand my viewpoint. I give you this
statement to inspire you to encourage compassion, understanding,
patience, communication, and education. To stop hate, we must
overcome the ignorance that created the hate. We must fill that
void with knowledge and kindness. The journey will be long and hard
worked, but in the end, it will be worth it.
