5 reasons people hate others and advice on 4 ways you can fight it
Understanding why people hate
According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, psychologists are trying to understand the psychological factors that drive people to hate. Hate comes from a number of our social dynamics. However, the core of it all is identity and fear.
Each of us, to fight these factors, need to learn to love ourselves first. Then we need to understand that we can control our lives and our responses to hate. You are important because you are unique. Your societal group doesn’t make you who you are, and only you make that decision.
Those who participate in acts of hate against others try to get society to recognize they are significant because they don’t feel ok within themselves.
The second major factor is fear. If our worldview doesn’t allow for the value of everyone, then it will result in the growth of fear of those who may be different.
When I moved to Arkansas, after having lived in Michigan, it was clear to me that those in power, “the old boy's network,” feared those who were black and considered inferior. I lived there during the first integration of Little Rock High School. I watched the expressions of anger and rage coming from the whites in power because they knew that their reign would be coming to an end. It has taken almost 50 years to get to where we are, but the fear still live-in, although more beneath the surface rather than a part of everyday life.
Another contributor is a feeling of social distress, where you can lay the cause or blame at another group's feet. You then, in your mind, identify them as the enemy. You claim the moral high ground.
Geographers of the University of Utah, in their study, show that hate can come about as a region is trying to preserve its identity. As people from other country areas move in, they disrupt the area with their ethnicity, religions, and rituals. This reflects in a regional loss of its identity as the new people become a part of the region. This is not a new problem, and it was a part of the history of New York City as people came over in waves from different. It is still a concern today as we see different ethnicities arriving in waves on the west coast. Then, of course, President Trump’s attempt to paint the refugees coming into our southern borders as criminals and drug addicts. We want to preserve our own, but we seem to be forgetting the history of the US as a melting pot.
How can we overcome hate?
We can only overcome hate by not tolerating it. Those in power have to realize that every time they allow hate to happen without punishment, then they are endorsing it. In the US, our most recent hate event was the January 6th attack on the capital. Those in power in the Senate and elsewhere are now trying to play this down as a simple misunderstanding, not an insurrection. Unfortunately, we open the door to future events like this when we tolerate and do not handle them quickly.
As individuals, we can speak out when we see bullying and hate in action. We can hold ourselves and our elected officials accountable for allowing hate to happen.
We must begin engaging in dialogue with others who don’t think like we do to strengthen understanding because it is more difficult for you to hate someone you understand.
Don’t let your associates or groups define your point of view. Your point of view should grow out of the inspection of your values and purpose. It is harder to hate if you hold to your values and purpose grounded in love and respect for all others.
