A Look at Hate

Lately the headlines are dominated by stories revolving around hate: jihad, racism, discrimation based on sexual orientation... It seems to be the topic of the year. But I feel like no one is really looking at this right. I think most everyone agrees that hate is a horrible thing, so how on Earth is it so pervasive? Because when it happens, we turn a blind eye. We don't see it for what it is, because the root of hate has nothing to do with race or religion or sexual orientation. People think that hate should feel like anger or jealousy, a burning desire to harm. In my experience, hate is directed at chosen targets based on an entitlement, or an excuse as to why picking on that person is acceptable, but hate is originally sourced from a desire to be "better" than something else, due to insecurities. Think about the fact that there are lists of people "we love to hate." Hollywood thrives on this. Yes, that's all hate is. Everyone's felt it. Everything else is just a matter of how insecure the hateful person is, how entitled they feel to pick on the other person, how riled up they're feeling at the moment, and what they think they can get away with. It's really no different from bullying, and it's far more widespread, perpetuated by "harmless" jokes among friends, awkward moments that inspire teasing, and the tendency to justify the little stuff that unfairly adds up. We can't solve this issue through pointing fingers at who is hating on who and demanding they stop. There has to be a real transition in our culture toward admitting to ourselves when we aren't treating a person fairly, for whatever reason, and making efforts to treat others the way we want them to treat us.