It sounds like it comes out of the Broadway musical Hair.
Is hate the answer? Well, that depends on the question.
Are we to wage war based on love? Do we love people so much we must kill some of them? How do you lovingly blow someone away with an M-1?
Does it bring people together? Sure! Hate is a very effective, though dangerous, bonding tool. Effective because everyone in the group can hate any designated object or person outside the group. Dangerous because, if you are kicked out of the group, then of course you can become a focus of the group's hate.
Weren't you on about how drill sargeants are mean but necessary a couple of days ago? Do you have any idea why they do that? It's to bring the unit under their command together through a common hatred of the sargeant. So there you go: hate as tool.
And yes, it does solve some things. It focuses people like nothing else, and helps them forget their other differences. Look at the religious right. They have a whole list of things to hate, and they have achieved numerous objectives by using that marvelous focus.
No, what you mean is, isn't it nasty for people to hate things that you like? Hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles. Some people love and hate different things than others. I hate brussel sprouts. And I do really really hate them. Some people hate spiders and will go out of their way to kill them. Some people hate specific ideas. Some people hate other people. Robert is right: whether the impulse to hate is bad depends not on its existence but on what you do about it.
I propose something else: if there were no hate, if we lived in the world of vanilla lollipops of lovelovelove all the time, would we really have the depth of emotion necessary for real love? Without its opposite to put it in relief, would love even exist? Or would we live in a nice, safe, beige world that saves us from our own emotional cores? There is no yang without its yin.
To have love, real love, we must also have hate. Hate is for us to master. This is one of God's jokes.
I think it's a stupid question.
The whole thread (96 posts)
- Notice to newcomers [Originally Posted to Off-topic by R.L. on 9/4/2005 5:35:26 AM]
- Scream obscenities at the messenger all you want.
- I'm not moderator here.
- Well coming from someone who told him to bring down with both feet on me.
- I encouraged him to come down with both feet on *racism*.
- Very good Mary Anne * Humanity 101 * now in session
- "quintessential embodiment"
- You now regret you clicked "post" on that one... ;-)
- Not really
- "Hate doesn't kill people, people kill people"
- Are you really helpless before your emotions?
- a tutorial for an informed life. IE, the point Robert is trying to make and you are blindly dancing around without noticing is there
- For me, this grates like hearing people say newk-you-ler: it is "massage"
- Your reference to
- "Hate doesn't kill people, people kill people"
- Not really
- You now regret you clicked "post" on that one... ;-)
- Lee appears to hate people based on their race.
- I don't hate them, just apathetic.
- re: I don't hate them, just apathetic.
- re: I don't hate them, just apathetic.
- If they merit it, then yes. (n/t)
- Catch-22
- It is an EVIL way to look at the world.
- No, it's simply an ignorant way to look at the world
- The majority of Humanity
- You might not notice...
- So 3.3 billion people vanish....
- Hey, Frank ...
- Up until 70 years ago, my view was the majority view amongst the cream of society.
- I hope you're playing Devil's Advocate, Lee...
- No, he is not... (n/t)
- Walked right into that one, didn't you? (n/t)
- Thanks for reminding me, then, that we have made some progress in the last 70 years! Looks like you are good for something after-all (n/t)
- I hope you're playing Devil's Advocate, Lee...
- Up until 70 years ago, my view was the majority view amongst the cream of society.
- Hey, Frank ...
- The majority of Humanity
- No, it's simply an ignorant way to look at the world
- It is an EVIL way to look at the world.
- Catch-22
- If they merit it, then yes. (n/t)
- Is it really?
- I don't hate them, just apathetic.
- "quintessential embodiment"
- Don't worry about his words, I can handle Shaka Lafon.
- Very good Mary Anne * Humanity 101 * now in session
- I encouraged him to come down with both feet on *racism*.
- Well coming from someone who told him to bring down with both feet on me.
- I'm not moderator here.
- Meanwhile, the stench from New Orleans continues to rise. [Originally posted to Off-Topic by Lee on 9/4/2005 2:40:55 PM]
- Heh, heh. [Originally Posted to Off-Topic by Bowser on 9/4/2005 11:48:49 AM]
- re: Notice to newcomers - RL Sometimes Has Reading Problems [Originally Posted to Off-Topic by Mark Eby on 9/4/2005 10:24:49 AM]
- hey - go easy on the throwback [Originally Posted to Off-Topic by Daniel on 9/4/2005 8:17:48 AM]
- I meant that in a GOOD way.... [Originally Posted to Off-Topic by R.L. on 9/4/2005 6:53:15 AM] (n/t)
- Scream obscenities at the messenger all you want.