Is Hatred a Basic Human Need?

Having spoken with many of my own friends from India, I believe the “caste” system is still a serious problem. The U.S. has also has to struggle with bigotry being ingrained in tradition, ignorance, everyday life, and even religion. We still struggle with it, but I hope we’re learning. It takes time, and the movement must build support one person at a time until it is so overwhelming that society will just not put up with it anymore.

I have spoken with children who come home from school heartbroken — agonizing! — because their cruel classmates attacked them because of their clothing.  We’re passing it on to our children, for crying out loud.

I don’t have a problem with judging people and their actions according to a rational system of values.  If somebody attacks your mother, you are allowed to dislike that person — and if you don’t, something is wrong with your survival instinct.  But without personal knowledge of an individual’s actions, words or character, there is no rational basis for hatred.

Are you listening?  No rational basis!  If you refuse to abandon irrational ideas, then you are refusing to embrace the only thing that makes you human.  Rats get angry.  Pigs get horny.  Dogs develop irrational fears.  I choose not to be a rat, or a pig, or a dog, but a man.

Bigotry is not a value.  It has no value.  Parents, your daughter is going to marry that other-race person.  Maybe even another female!  You can choose to accept this, or you can lose your daughter.  If you choose to lose your daughter, you are an ass.  And I shall tell you that to your face.

Isn’t it disgusting?  Aren’t you revolted?  Is it really going to take a zero-tolerance policy on intolerance?  The U.S. has outlawed discrimination on the basis of gender, color, religion, sexual preference… all sorts of new “hate” crimes… but we still manage to come up with new things to hate about other people.

We shall never see equality until we, as a human race, stop talking about how different we all are.