Random Fate

August 23, 2004

Commentary:

The legacy of the "whatever feels good" generation

By Jack Grant

Joe Gandleman, posting at Dean's World on the Swift Boat Veteran furor, hits the nail on the head when he writes:

Bush hatred is mirrored by Kerry hatred which seemingly drips from radio talk shows, emails and blogs. So both sides can stop wasting everyone's time with arguments about which side hates the most: BOTH hate the other candidate with equal passion Bush hatred and Clinton hatred are also the same animals. It's amazing to hear someone (Democrats and Republicans) say "No I don't hate so and so" then launch into a rage-filled, name-calling denunciation — and you hear this all the time.
Operatives and supporters on both sides should admit it: hate feels good, it motivates many voters and it gets people on both sides to the polls. It's also a way for both sides to use some of a campaign's limited time talking about something other than prickly issues that may lose them votes and be more complex than good guy/bad guy.

In the case of the Vietnam issue, maybe the only way for this country to return to issues is for all of us Baby Boomers to die off or to put all of our energy into getting new face lifts or making sure the Viagra dosage works — and stop reliving past glories and pursuing undying grudges.

And, in November, for some independent voters (like me), the deciding factor often becomes which party ran the less personal campaign. You hold your nose and vote for the candidate that seemed more focused on issues. Right now it appears as if both sides are only at the starting point of one of the most personal campaigns ever. And no matter who wins, the country loses.

Elections haven't been about the good of the country for years. Instead, they have become all about winning, and it's easiest to win by stirring up hate. For a reference on how this is accomplished from a democratically elected leader, see: Hitler, Adolf — Mein Kampf.

Why do some Muslims hate us to the extent they are willing to throw away their lives to murder us instead of working to free their fellows in some of the most oppressive regimes on the planet?

Because hate feels good.

Why do so many people in the US still label those whose skin happens to be dark as what has become the ugliest word in American English?

Because hate feels good.

Why do so many divorces end in bitter court battles?

Because hate feels good.

Why do rants against someone become the most popular posts on weblogs?

Because hate feels good.

Why do conservatives still hate President Bill Clinton so much?

Because hate feels good.

Why do liberals hate President George W. Bush beyond the bounds of reason?

Because hate feels good.

Why do acts of genocide continue to be perpetrated while the world stands by, 60 years after the cries of "Never again!" in the wake of the Holocaust, less than 20 years after the "ethnic cleansing" in the former Yugoslavia, only 10 years after the tragedy of Rawanda?

Because....hate....feels....good

There are those who will say that love also feels good, that love overcomes all. However, love feels best when shared, hate feels good even when not reciprocated. Love of others expecting nothing in return takes effort that hate never requires.

Hate feels good, and it is easy.

In this age of irony, the ultimate irony is that love feels the best, but hate feels good and is far easier because it doesn't take the effort.

Those fucking Republicans are nothing but Nazis.

Those Goddamned Democrats are nothing but traitors.

Feels good, doesn't it?

It must feel good, because I see statements like this everywhere, from those echoing Moore and Coulter to those who label themselves "something-Pundit" and pretend to have new, unique insights but instead practice the politics of rage and hate.

Doesn't it feel good?

WELL DOESN'T IT?

As was written countless times in my mathematics textbooks, the conclusion is left as an exercise for the reader.

Posted by Jack Grant at 00:45 on 23 August 2004

Comments

I have long believed that hate is a perfectly healthy, natural emotion, one that you can no more drive out of people than you can drive anger, fear, love, laughter, or joy out of them. The trick with hate, then, is not to tell people they can't have it, but to remind them that as with all emotions they can be positive or negative.

There's nothing wrong with hating mass-murderers, child molesters, ruthless dictators, and so on. Just like there's nothing wrong with getting mad if someone breaks into your house and steals your stuff. If you start getting angry at stupid things, or start hating things unhealthily, then you've got a problem.

Me? Well I left my comments for Joe, but I don't believe my coverage and analysis of the Swifties' story has been based on hatred of Kerry, and I don't believe that's true of every blogger who's covered them. I merely believe they have a right to their opinions, a right to be heard, and that Senator Kerry invited this sort of scrutiny and has little right to protest now that he's getting it.

But as I've said many, many, many times, if he wins, I'll be the first to say that it's time to put this stuff behind us and move on.

Posted by: Dean Esmay at August 23, 2004 12:39 AM

Dean,

I don't disagree with your assertion regarding hate being a perfectly healthy, natural emotion that cannot be driven out of people. I think we are at a stage where things are being hated unhealthily, and I think we have a problem.

I've written a few other posts where I point out that Ann Coulter and Michael Moore are remarkably similar once you ignore the politics and look only at the methods, they both practice the politics of hating their opposition. They are stirring a pot that is already boiling over. The hatred on both sides of the political spectrum is damaging us. It shows in blogworld. As Joe pointed out in his post on your blog, there are innumerable instances where someone said "I don't hate them, but..." and then launch into a vitriolic tirade that adds nothing but hate to what little discussion we do have of issues.

I won't pretend that I know the motives of the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth, and I won't pretend I can see into the heart of John Kerry now, much less at a distance of 35 years. That is why my post really isn't about the Swift Boat/medal furor. I can add nothing to it except for more uninformed blather. My post is about how we are wallowing in hate as a pig wallows in mud and filth. I for one am disgusted by it.

And I think it can be said without doubt that Wahabism and other similar philosophies that encourage young Muslim men to annihilate themselves in order to kill us are based upon hatred that is twisted and unhealthy.

As with everything, there is a balance to be found, a balance between different emotions, and a balance between emotion and reason. We have fallen far from that balance. I firmly believe that until we recover that balance we will not be able to overcome the philosophies that are creating the terrorism, for it is in defeating these philosophies that we will win the "War on Terror" not in capturing or killing individuals, which is what hatred advises us to do.

Posted by: Jack at August 23, 2004 09:14 AM

NOTE: The comment below was edited to remove telephone numbers and street addresses. I do not believe it is appropriate to post that information on the Internet, even for people who become "public figure" by speaking out.

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let these swift boat vets know what you think:

Joe Ponder, ***, Keystone Heights, FL 32656

George M Elliott, ***, Lewes, DE 19958

Adrian Lonsdale, ***, Mattapoisett, MA 02739

Van Odell, ***, Katy, TX 77494

Grant W Hibbard, ***, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563

Letson Louis E Dr Jr, *** Scottsboro, AL 35768

Roy A Hoffman, ***, Richmond, VA 23294

John O'Neil ***, Houston, TX 77002

John Bare, ***, Bird in Hand, PA 17505

Kenneth Buchholz, ***, Flower Mound, TX 75028