Every day seems to bring forth a new story of irrational hatred toward others, however, I am beginning to question whether the actual basis of said racism and misogyny isn't simply an irrational hatred, but rather, retaliation against a loss of control.
Consciously, or subconsciously, people view certain issues with an overwhelming sense of fear. The question is, "why?"
Women, minorities, gays, foreigners, other religions, are, at any given time, judged on the basis of prior instructions of how those other people "should" be perceived in relation to your own life. In short, you are taught, or led to believe, that they are beneath you.
Think of it this way ~ there are millions (I am rounding down) of seemingly rational people who have seemingly irrational hatred for particular sports teams. That hate could stem from geography, long-time rivalries, one nasty player back in the 80's who did something really dirty...a host of reasons. That hate seldom ever diminishes, and is often times passed along to your children.
Why is this irrational? Because you no longer despise a specific player or group of players, you dislike a "team". A team with a revolving door of employees. That guy from the 80's is long gone, and ironically, a player who you once rooted for from your team has been traded to this "hated" team, yet, you still hate them with every fiber of your being. Strange, huh?
Not really, because you ARE the Chicago Bears. You ARE the Boston Red Sox. They are a part of your identity. What you have grown to hate is a symbol of all that which stands in direct opposition to you: the personification of defeat. When those losses occur, it becomes personal. YOU were beaten and humiliated, so now you feel inconsequential. A voice from deep in your brain begins to privately question your choices. And now, rather than let it go, or even take the time to logically sit back and make sense of it, your rage has pushed to the front of the line. Every episode of unconnected hate you have been suppressing begins to reveal itself. Each minor setback, every insult, offense, and discourtesy that has been directed at you is now focused in one spot ~ on that damn team!
You can't force your boss to give you a raise. You can't make your children love you. You are unable to eliminate every bad driver on the road. You are unable to snap your fingers and magically become rich, healthy, and carefree. All of that is impossible. None of that is within your control.
But this is.
You can build a shrine of hate dedicated to that other team, which also serves to momentarily quell all the other ancillary demons, too.
That makes you feel good.
The same principle can be applied to those other asocial behaviors, as well.
People are brought up believing that there are others in this world that are naturally below them. Not because of the team they play on, but due to the way they were born. They seldom question that fallacy, and therefore become comfortable living with it. But then when they begin to see those "other people" with power, particularly more power than they themselves now have, their latent anger boils over and they lash out. They feel submissive. Unnecessary. Powerless. So they react in a way that allows them to believe they can reclaim that control.
They build their shrines of hate in an effort to neuter their enemy. To, as the saying goes, shrink it small enough so you can drown in in a bathtub of disgust.
By this theory, they don't necessarily hate any particular group, but rather view them as convenient scapegoats for their own personal insecurities.
Men, (specifically but not not exclusively, white men), are feeling powerless as they watch a black man become President. Women being their bosses and earning more money than them. Gays being married. The list goes on.
Rather than accept the change, they try to regain that lost sense of control and shame and harass their targets.
It's juvenile and pathetic, but I think that's what's happening.
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For further reading, my self-published novel GET HAPPY is available in paperback or digital download at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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