The main theme that we have discussed and seen in class is divide and conflict, whether it be the divide between groups of people or the divide within oneself and their own beliefs and actions. Both the novel and film versions of The Informer provide great illustrations of such conflict, whether it be between the groups or within the individuals themselves. In his letters, MLK also spoke of the divide and conflicts not only between white people and African Americans but also within the revolutionary group. In its entirety, 1968 is a year comprised of different divides becoming increasingly more contentious and eventually explosive.
There have been many blog posts about history repeating itself and questions and theories as to why this is true. One I’d like to propose is that we, as a species, feel the need to categorize and group this, usually to help us understand things better. It was thus inevitable that we would begin to do this with ourselves. In a class I took last semester called ‘Race and Racism’, we learned and spoke about race being a social construct and being (incorrectly) used to explain differences in physical appearances within the human species and then (once again, incorrectly) projected to ‘inherent’ qualities and differences between the man-made groupings. The way of dividing has resulted in animosity festering between the said groups. The main reason I thought of this was because of a quote I read in War on an Irish Town which stated: “A Unionist minister would reply…if the situation was reversed Catholics would do the same thing to Protestants,” (McCann 52). I wonder if Eamonn agrees with this sentiment? Perhaps the man would’ve been correct, everything around us seems to be a power struggle, especially between the groups that have been created in our society: gay, straight, white, Black, Asian, man, woman, nonbinary, etc. Then again, it also seems like a convenient excuse to continue subjugating others without feeling as guilty.
So what of my previous blog post speaking of the role of love in a revolution? MLK and Maya Angelou both seemed to agree that the key ingredient to any successful revolution is love, more specifically agape according to MLK. Yet, as we see the cracks in our society and the different sides of different movements, there seems to be more of a love to hate than anything else. Do we naturally divide and do these divides inevitably create the conflicts we have been discussing in class and witnessing today? Where is the love?
4 Replies to “Do We Love to Hate?”
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I find your question and points about “do we just love to hate?” very interesting. I think this point is interesting because it provides a new motive for various opposing movements and groups of people. I believe this specific question can be thought of in today’s movements and conflicts. Do people today go against the BLM movement because they love the way equality is unequal or do they love to build hate on an idea they don’t agree with? Today, it looks like people are more comfortable with the tension and differences inequality and I think that is what fuels this idea of “love to hate.”
Your last question ‘Where is the love?’ reminded me of the Black Eyed Peas song ‘Where is the love?’. The song, while touches on the injustice of the war in Iraq, is focused on the fight against racism that is taking place in America. Innocent people are being killed from the surplus of hate and divide in the country which shows the lack of love in America. All the readings we have read thus far in this class have touched on conflict between groups, where it be 1968 in Ireland or the Civil Rights Movement and MLK’s speeches in America in 1968, of the BLM movement in America now, the world seems to have lost love for another. I do think that as a society, we naturally divide. On the basis of political parties, religions, certain moral beliefs, we use differences to create conflicts with each other. I don’t know when or if that will stop.
This is a very interesting post. I do believe we tend to categorize and box things in as a matter of human nature. While evolutionarily this has been a helpful trait, in our modern society it seems that we over-categorize many things. Race, for example, really has no practical reason to be demarcated as it is, and as such, leads to unnecessary discrimination and conflict. This holds true for many other groups, as you mentioned, including sexualities, genders, and religions. Certainly, we hope that love will solve these problems, but if this need for classification remains prevalent as it has, I worry about if we can ever get along. Perhaps this is too pessimistic as leaders such as MLK made progress through love that, while not as fast as we may have liked, would not have been possible through perpetuating conflict or otherwise.
I found your commentary on our need to categorize ourselves very interesting. It makes me wonder, why do we do this at a psychological level? It is a subconscious need to find a comfort zone, or just a need a have a place within society? Also, it begs the question, how do we quell this desire to categorize and group ourselves? I think the most important thing is the we need to continue to have the important yet oftentimes uncomfortable conversations of race and its role in the societal structure. In addition, as you pointed out, we seem to “love to hate” more often than not when conflict arises. I see this as a problem that has only gotten worse with the increase in partisanship in the US. Humanity as a whole need to do better about listening to different views and trying to understand that viewpoint instead of tearing it down.