Ok, not really. But there is so much hate and propaganda on the internet and our own p&r forum that even a sane logical man develops illogical biases towards various races, religions and people. Thoughts? possible Solutions?
I think a truly sane and logical man would not let the hate and bigotry of others influence his opinions. That wouldn't be very logical.
Well, little drops make an ocean. The small doses of hate and violence pumped regularly into people's system will make them hateful sooner or later. If not by joining the hateful, by fighting against the hateful. Hate is contagious whether you are the hateful one, or the one trying to make a stand against the hateful ones.
Hate all religions, cultures and colours. That way you can't be accused of being racist or prejudice KP
There are those who hate the entire human race around the internet/world as well. What do you call them. Anti-humanists?
As an adult, it does not matter how much you are exposed to hate and violence (which on the internet can only be vicarious or implied), it is still a conscious choice to engage in the same yourself. You can make a stand against hate without succumbing to it yourself; just make reasoned, logical, unbiased arguments. Don't resort to personal attacks. Don't respond to anyone else's personal attacks - doing so acknowledges to the other person that it will get a response, and will only make it worse. Most of all, recognize that the reasoned arguments you make are not for the one you are arguing against (you will most likely never change their mind), but for others that may be reading your posts. The complex mix of thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that exist in each individual, and more importantly the differences between individuals, makes hate inevitable and impossible to eradicate. The best you can hope for is to avoid it yourself, and to teach your children how to do the same.
That would be true for many people. But humans are not perfect and some will gradually succumb to hate and bigotry because they are exposed to so much of it.
I don't think it's a question of perfection. I am FAR from perfect, but I really don't have any hate in me...well, except for American insurance companies. But they deserve it. You are correct though, some will most certainly succumb. Which is why I said the best you could hope for was not to do so yourself.
People will say whatever they feel on the internet because they know they can hide behind a monitor. In fact, I'm confident that there are people who lurk around these forums that say things that they don't even actually agree with, just to get a response.
Apart from protecting yourself and your family, how can one go about minimizing the ill effects of hate around you [Both physically and virtually]?
I believe hate is a normal human emotion, but if you do not channel it properly, it can destroy you. If you can channel it, and direct it towards a positive end or a goal, it can give you an incredible energy to make a difference. It is better to feel hate or feel love, than not to feel. IMO
There just isnt enough unselfish, loving intentions in this world to make up for what all the world leaders are doing. We need to care for each otehr just for teh sake of caring for each other. THis is the only way we can make the world a better place.
I think the potential for hate exists in all of us, and I think the world cannot afford a future of simply succumbing to this very primordial siren's call. I know for myself, something that has helped me to listen to John Donne's words from 1624 - "each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind" - is to acknowledge to myself that everyone once had a mother, and a father, and everyone was therefore born into the world with the same wide eyes seeking love and beauty. Whether John Locke's (and others') notion of a tabula rasa, or Rousseau's contention that we are born to this world intrinsically seeking good, I do not believe we enter this world, do not enter, each of us, a state of "thrownness," seeking anger, pain, hate. It has helped me - though I fail, all the time, as evidenced by my sometime-behavior on this forum alone - to turn anger and hate into compassion.
I have seen "hateful"[Some may term it playful, but the same thing in adults is caused usually by hate] behaviour in little children, such as snatching things from other children and attacking-causing pain to others "willingly" and such. Hate may be just as natural as love, so is suppressing hate possible without cultivating your mind, refinement, a degree of willpower and intellectual growth? Or is love the natural phenomenon/reaction and hate an artificial one?
I've decided that the solution is to not post in here, or do so very little. The problem, from my experience, is that if you take certain positions you'll be attacked personally and then you'll likely end up attacking back, at least that's true in my case. Best thing to do is just not participate.