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In Defense of Hate

JamesSavik

Entry posted by JamesSavik

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Hate has a bad rap. For generations the Christian church have sought to discourage it. Lately it has become politically incorrect.

 

Hate is one of the most basic and powerful emotions. It's also one of the most honest if you understand where it comes from.

 

In studying apes, our closest biological relatives, they have two basic emotions: yikes and goody. All the rest of their emotional states are somewhere in between. Goody we can all understand. It's the reaction to spending time with our mate, sex, our favorite food, physical comfort, etc.

 

Yikes is a response to a threat- either real or perceived. It is how apes respond to something that is unfamiliar or not understood. It evokes in apes a fight or flight reaction. Apes will either run from or confront something that frightens them. So we have Yikes changing into Anger. Does this sound at all familiar?

 

Human emotion is a lot more complex than apes. Apes don't know how to lie. Humans are adept at dishonesty- so much so that they often end up lying to themselves. What has happening in society is that social pressure is discouraging people from showing or voicing hate. On the surface this sounds like a good thing and I suppose that it is. Those that openly preach hate are viewed with suspicion and disgust.

 

The problem is that that hate doesn't really go away. It is internalized and carried around, political correctness be damned. It comes out in small doses while looking at employment applications, performance reviews, and a thousand other little ways where internalized hate can replace judgment.

 

Is this really better? I don't know. When we hear a hate preacher like Phelps, Hucklebee or Dobson carrying on like a baboon, at least its honest and we know where we stand-- even if we won't turn our back on them. Where things get really dangerous is when that internalized hate is concealed behind a smile and a warm handshake.

 

To me it is easier when the haters rave. You can protect yourself from the danger that you see. I takes a politically correct bigot that professes to love everybody to really hurt you.

 

IMHO: let the haters hate. I'll buy them t-shirts. It's never the snake that you see that bites you. It's always the snake in the grass.

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Raro

"Hate's not functional; why are we taught it?" Ursula K. LeGuin, The Dispossessed

 

"As every actor knows, rage is the easiest emotion to fake; and as every politician knows, hate is the easiest emotion to arouse in others." -Orson Scott Card

 

Hate is contagious; it spreads from mouth to ear. The taboo on expressing hate in public is not a taboo on admitting sickness, but rather an admonishment to cover your mouth when you sneeze.

 

-- Raro

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NickolasJames8

James,

 

I wish I could explain my thoughts on issues the way you can, because that was brilliant. I've been trying to say that exact thing to people for god knows how long, but when I say it, it always comes out the wrong way. Thank You.

 

I don't know if this is the place for this or not, but reading your entry made my mind race about the Democrats and the Republicans. On one side, you have a party (the Democrats) who are saying, in essence, Gays are seperate but equal. On the other hand, you have a party saying, in essence, Gays suck, and we're not going to give them the same rights as straights have.

 

So which one is worse?

 

At least we have the clarity with the republicans to know that we have to fight against them. They've been completely open and honest with us about our chances of acceptance with them. With the democrats, the water seems cloudy, but it's really not. They'll skake our hand, but there had better be some hand sanitizer in close proximity. They're like the stuck up aunt that presses her cheek to your's instead of giving you a kiss because she's afraid of your germs.

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JamesSavik

Here's the key to this piece. No, I don't like HATE per see but I believe it is honest. Understanding that its emotional roots come from fear is the key to understanding and gives us important clues in how to deal with it.

 

When we hear a hate preacher like Phelps, Hucklebee or Dobson carrying on like a baboon, at least its honest and we know where we stand-- even if we won't turn our back on them.

 

I suggest an experiment:

 

Watch a politician who is really wound up about something: doesn't matter what-- gays, immigration, terrorism, take your pick.

 

Watch their body language and their hand gestures. Then go to the zoo and watch baboons pay particular attention to the angry and/or frightened ones. The answer reveals itself.

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