Before any commentary, there needs to be an understanding that ignorance is the basis of hate. We fear what we don't understand. Fear makes us uncomfortable. In fact, we really hate what makes us fearful and that's the problem. So what makes us afraid? That's easy -- things we believe might do us harm. Categorizing helps make sense of a problem and brings me back to the subject ...
What are the labels of hate and what do they really mean? More importantly what's the progression from a difference of opinion to hate. I'll start with categories, names, labels ...
A good beginning is with stereotypes or a generalization about a person or group of persons. Then there's a bias developed when individuals are unwilling to obtain all of the information they would need to make fair judgments about people or situations.
Stereotyping creates the framework for a bias. Bias referring to a type of selective thinking whereby individuals tend to favorably view what confirms their stereotypical beliefs, and ignore or undervalue the relevance of what contradicts those beliefs. Actively seeking out individuals who share a bias is sometimes called bias confirmation.
Next is prejudice, often derived from stereotyping and bias confirmation, that is just the prejudgment of a person or situation that fits a negative stereotype or bias; and when left unchecked can result in bigotry. A bigot being an extremely biased, narrow-minded, individual who's very intolerant of persons to whom conform to their prejudice or oppose a bias.
A racist believes that a person's race dictates their human traits. Racist beliefs are almost exclusively opined as a negative thereby allowing the racist a feeling of superiority.
While a racist always has a prejudice and is often bigoted, a bigot or prejudicial person is not always racist. Example: Joe's a misogynist, a woman hater. Joe hates all women regardless of their race. So although Joe's bigoted toward women, he's not a racist -- well, not unless he hates Asian women more than other women. To keep the word game going we can also bet that Joe's a chauvinist; or persons convinced of the superiority of their own gender.
Another important word to define is race. In 'today speak' the concept of race is often confused with ethnicity, and this is especially true when considering racism. Technically speaking race is genetic and ethnicity is learned.
However racism today seems to include both. Obviously, a white supremacist is a racist. And so is a black man that hates white men. But why is a Jew hater called a racist -- isn't anti-Semitic enough? And then why is it that a Muslim basher can also be called a racist -- since when is a Religion genetic and not learned?
Why? Because hyperbole rules hate. When someone says or believes something stupid, why stop at calling them ignorant when you can label them prejudice or a bigot or even better -- a racist? And isn't it easier to hate (or love depending on your bias) a racist, than it is to hate (or defend) someone who's just stupid?
If there's any solution for this hate proliferation, it will come from understanding, resisting fear, breaking the cycle of confirmation bias. We need to start listening to people who sincerely want to ratchet back the hyperbole. I'm not going to look to politicians or news reporters or anyone else that has something to sell me to reduce the hate. Their job security is fear -- pick me! I'll protect you.
Nope the solution is yours. Listen to yourself. If that (politician/TV talking head/cleric/retail salesman) says my only possibility of (security/happiness/redemption/rests) is in accepting their message -- then it's probably bullshit! Don't let that message be your belief foundation.
Final note: Oh and has anybody noticed that one of the few truly large groups you can hate anymore without being called a racist are homosexuals. Is it because they're everywhere? In your race, your gender, your ethnicity, even your own family. Oh well, I guess bigotry, prejudice, and stereotyping will have to suffice.
