Poll: Why do people hate others?

[cameron112497]

It seems like such a stupid thing to do. It causes rash decision and terrible events for the worst of reasons and it is ultimately pointless. You gain nothing but anger and stress from hating something and it requires more energy than not hating.

and im not talking about hating a type of music or something similar, thats just a severe dislike, which is different from hate. Disliking something means you dont like it. I dislike certain type of food so I don't eat it. I dislike some people, so I avoid and ignore them. Hating people, on the other hand, can lead to voilence, injury, murder.

So much hate is unjustified, happening between people who don't know eachother. Mainly stemming from racial, cultural, and religious issues that stem from one side dehumanizing the other.

Even the hate that is arguably justified isn't worth it in the long run. This is extreme, but say someone murders someone close to you. He goes to jail, has a change of heart, and gets released from jail. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you know he has had a change of heart. Hate might make you still have animosity for him, while lack of hate will let you accept the person who was once bad.

The question im asking is, why do people hate? Is it justified?

 

[Elate]

In your scenario, just because he had "a change of heart" doesn't change the things he did. He still killed someone, he is still capable of it. Especially if they purposefully murdered them. Yes, I would hate them, I would hate them with every fiber of my being, because if they purposefully took away someone close to me, why do they deserve any more than my hate?

 

[C F]

If I know for a fact that he changed, I'm willing to forgive the hypothetical man and not harbor any resentment.
I'll still keep an eye on him, though. He did commit murder.

Hating people generally accomplishes nothing in the long run. Sadly, it's one of those self-destructive traits humanity may never work out. And since I like humanity as a whole, I'll won't hate someone without a really good reason. I'll also have to accept the fact that others hate often without reason. The catch here is that you can't resent humans for hating without becoming just like them.

Humanity, eh? What are you going to do?

 

[cameron112497]

In your scenario, just because he had "a change of heart" doesn't change the things he did. He still killed someone, he is still capable of it. Especially if they purposefully murdered them. Yes, I would hate them, I would hate them with every fiber of my being, because if they purposefully took away someone close to me, why do they deserve any more than my hate?

Why? Because were all human, we all make mistakes. Would said hypothetical man have made a very bad mistake? yes. Im not saying you should hold hands together and dance. Im just saying, dont harbor a grudge. By saying you hate him it implies you want to harm him in some way? To what purpose? to ruin another life? What is the point in that? That is just spreading hatred, what if his son or wife hates you for doing something born of that hatred for him? Doesn't that just make a cycle?

Everyone is a human being, everyone is capable of good. The worst possible thing you can do to someone that has wronged you in a severe way. Assumming he feels sorry for it. Is to deny him forgiveness. Why would you want that? again to spread hate for the sake of hate.

also towards C F. There is a difference between hatred and caution. You can (and should) be cautions to said hypothetical person. Does not mean you should hate him. The thing is, I dont resent humans. Do I feel some sadness that there is hatred? yes. also, (just to clarify) Anger and hatred are not the same thing. I also realise its a natural human reaction. Its just a human reaction we should try not to act on.

 

[Elate]

-snip-

No, hate does not mean to harm. I would still hate him, he MURDERED someone. Not manslaughter, it was intentional, planned, and yes I would deny him forgiveness, because he denied me that person. Not to say I would act on that hatred, but I would hate him.

 

[Jadak]

Because people are dicks. Which is amusingly (at least to me) both the justification for being hated and the reason for being hateful.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Why do people hate? Because it is easy. Instead of taking all the time to understand the other person/people and actually thinking about stuff, it is much easier to just blindly hate something.

And no, hate is never justified. Understandable, yes. Justified, no.

 

[Cabisco]

In my opinion all the hate I have is justified, but it's an emotion and so can never really be rational. I don't think anyone looks at a person objectively and thinks 'I hate them', it's stirs such negative emotion that everything they do you despise.

Part of life is to hate i'm afraid, but at least we get the whole love thing too which is full of kittens, candy and crack cocaine I hear so it's a decent trade off.

 

[rubinigosa]

Hating things or others are most often justified, you don't wake up one day and say " I hate X".
The felling of hate is not something that just appears but is slowly growing stronger.
In the exampel of murder given then that is murder, wich is quite logical to hate.
Maybe not harm the murderer but I do not belive that I would forgive the murderer hell, if he/she (is it stated?) dies in a carcrash or something simmilar (no one else gets hurt only the murderer dies) I whould be quite happy about that, not celebrating but some cake would be eaten.
One problem is that the word as lost it's meaning and is now often assosieted with a "strong" felling of disslike instead of what it actully is and that is hate. Hating things take time and effort. If you truly hate someone you might even dream/wish that they will die.
So hate=hate not strong disslike or that you don't like something but hate.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Hatred (and anger) is very often justified, but this tends to work better against concepts or ideas, not individuals, and it has to be postjudice, not prejudice.

If you hate Group X for no good reason, that's prejudice and it's wrong.

If your group hates Group X for no good reason, they are justified in responding with anger, and hating the institutions your group has built that incorporate or foster that hate.

Personally, I don't think there's too much hate in the world, it's just very badly distributed. So very many things that could do with a greater share of the hate wasted on something else.

 

[spartan231490]

In your scenario, just because he had "a change of heart" doesn't change the things he did. He still killed someone, he is still capable of it. Especially if they purposefully murdered them. Yes, I would hate them, I would hate them with every fiber of my being, because if they purposefully took away someone close to me, why do they deserve any more than my hate?

Exactly this. Also, hatred is not some draining force in your life, it doesn't "take energy." Hatred can motivate you, can make you keep going when nothing else but love could. I hate a few people for what they have done to those close to me. I won't say that it has kept me going, I haven't faced enough hardship for that, but it certainly doesn't take energy from me to hate them.

And ultimately, your argument is far more useless than hatred ever could be. Hatred is an emotion, it doesn't do what you tell it to, and it wont go away just cuz you tell it to. Also, hatred doesn't cause rash anything. That line alone tells me that you have never experienced true hatred. Hatred is a slow emotion. It builds up over time, years, it doesn't appear and disappear in a flash. That is anger, not hatred.

 

[Jegsimmons]

people hate other people because people have different interest, and personalities, or because of other circumstances such as being forced to accept them.
or maby some people are just fucking annoying, how about that?

 

[JCBFGD]

I hate people who I feel have committed serious misdeeds. People who, for me, fall onto that list are Osama bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, the kid who bullied me into social problems, the boy who raped my friend, the men who raped my mother, multiple US presidents, Muammar Gaddafi, and numerous others. These monsters have done horrible things to people; some hurt a few, others hurt thousands. But they've all done horrible, terrible things and deserve the general populaces hate, in my opinion.

A lot of people on my hate list I also believe should be killed. The rapists and the dictators, mostly.

 

[Imperius]

Peace is a lie, there is only passion...


Hatred is a necessary part of human existence. With no natural predators and now that we have modern medicine, who and what will keep the population in check? The answer: War.

It's natural selection on a massive scale, and it is far easier to kill a man when you hate him.
Or at least, I would imagine so.

Edit: Yes it's sad, its destructive, it destroys lives and all the rest, but let me ask you: what would happen if there were 5 men, and only one chicken left in the world?

 

[Goofguy]

You know when two dogs meet each other for the first time, give each other a quick sniff and then suddenly start growling and staring each other down?

To a certain degree, that's how I view us humans. Sure, our interactions are not as base or simple as the aforementioned example but the premise is there. Is hate necessary? Absolutely not, but the most appropriate adage to describe this is "one's perception is their reality". Even with the best of intentions, your actions could be misconstrued. For some people, that's enough to develop a hate... for others, they might just be rational enough to try to comprehend where you're coming from.

Recently, I was at a Chinese restaurant for dinner and I was engaging one of the waiters in conversation. He was a real friendly guy and easy to talk to. I don't know how we got to it but he told me he was from Nanjing. While the guy has been in Canada for the last 20 years and wasn't alive during the Nanjing Massacre, it was obvious he had a distinct hate for Japanese people. Sure you could say his unfocused hate towards a whole country is unfair as the majority of the people living there now had nothing to do with that atrocity. However, in that waiter's opinion, the Japanese government's lack of an official written apology and the statements of several political members that the massacre was a lie is a giant slap to China's face. For that reason, he despises Japan. The big question is, is he justified in this hate?

 

[KageUsagi]

Wait so you're trying to tell me that if someone murdered someone who is close to you and if they had a "change of heart" you would forgive them on the spot? So, say for example this man murders your significant other, or parent, or sibling, or best friend you would still be able to forgive them?

I remind you that when someone dies this person is gone forever. This person has been taken away from your life physically, and intentionally by this man.

Oh but wait! He said he was sorry so it's fine! If I would hate him after that I would be a horrible person! I'm probably gonna catch a movie with that guy this weekend actually since he's SO nice now!

You are also saying that the person who has lost a loved one doesn't even have the right to hate this MURDERER in the first place, since according to this post all hatred is stupid and pointless.

Really?

 

[Kolby Jack]

You're trying to make the question of "why do people hate?" into a simple matter, when it's not simple in any way.

Maybe you've never had to deal with a situation that causes the kind of hate you describe, and if so, I hope you never do. I know I never have, but I'm not going to question feelings I can't understand. It's easy to just say "let it go."

Despite what people say, you CAN NOT try to put yourself in other people's shoes. It doesn't work, because you can only imagine yourself in their situation, not what it's like for THEM to be in their situation.

 

[wintercoat]

In your scenario, just because he had "a change of heart" doesn't change the things he did. He still killed someone, he is still capable of it. Especially if they purposefully murdered them. Yes, I would hate them, I would hate them with every fiber of my being, because if they purposefully took away someone close to me, why do they deserve any more than my hate?

Why? Because were all human, we all make mistakes. Would said hypothetical man have made a very bad mistake? yes. Im not saying you should hold hands together and dance. Im just saying, dont harbor a grudge. By saying you hate him it implies you want to harm him in some way? To what purpose? to ruin another life? What is the point in that? That is just spreading hatred, what if his son or wife hates you for doing something born of that hatred for him? Doesn't that just make a cycle?

Everyone is a human being, everyone is capable of good. The worst possible thing you can do to someone that has wronged you in a severe way. Assumming he feels sorry for it. Is to deny him forgiveness. Why would you want that? again to spread hate for the sake of hate.

also towards C F. There is a difference between hatred and caution. You can (and should) be cautions to said hypothetical person. Does not mean you should hate him. The thing is, I dont resent humans. Do I feel some sadness that there is hatred? yes. also, (just to clarify) Anger and hatred are not the same thing. I also realise its a natural human reaction. Its just a human reaction we should try not to act on.

There's "making a mistake" and then there's "murdering someone I care about". Both of those things, believe me, are mutually exclusive in my book. I don't give two shits if you become a fucking saint. If you kill someone I care for, you are worthless in my eyes.

Also, child rapists. There is no redemption from that. Ever. And if it was within my power, I'd see every one of the sick fucks brutally tortured to death.

 

[Wereduck]

Wait so you're trying to tell me that if someone murdered someone who is close to you and if they had a "change of heart" you would forgive them on the spot? So, say for example this man murders your significant other, or parent, or sibling, or best friend you would still be able to forgive them?

I remind you that when someone dies this person is gone forever. This person has been taken away from your life physically, and intentionally by this man.

Oh but wait! He said he was sorry so it's fine! If I would hate him after that I would be a horrible person! I'm probably gonna catch a movie with that guy this weekend actually since he's SO nice now!

You are also saying that the person who has lost a loved one doesn't even have the right to hate this MURDERER in the first place, since according to this post all hatred is stupid and pointless.

Really?

Totally agree with what you're saying above but you know Vash would say we're in the wrong on this one.