When hate bubbles, politics suffer.
Over the years, hate emerges as a formidable force that not only shapes group-based politics but also engulfs individuals in a collective mirage, yearning for security, glory, and the mythical resurrection of a bygone era.
Does hatred necessitate a specific context to surface across various temporal and social landscapes? It appears that hate requires no external catalyst – perhaps, it is as intrinsic to human nature as love, right?
Scholars propose that hate has been a sustaining element throughout human evolution. Is it an innate trait or a cultural construct? Only a meticulous deconstruction of hate can unravel this enigma.
Popular sociologist Imtiaz Ahmed Ansari in an excerpt explains:
“Hate, as a specific form of emotion, is common to humans. Hate is neither biologically inherited nor does it occur in a social vacuum. It is socially situated. It is a mix of individual and structural factors. We are not born with the emotion of hate but something which we are taught and learn from our social environment.”
The Individual Psychology of Group Hate
This concept suffices for ‘third-party revenge.’ Instances like the Rwandan genocide, triggered by the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana, echo similar patterns seen in events like the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the 2002 post-Godhra pogrom, and numerous other global occurrences.
What propels the intensity of hate to such extremes?
Michael Ignatieff, in his book The Warrior’s Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience, succinctly defines it:
“The atrocities are held to reveal the essential identity—the intrinsic genocidal propensity—of the peoples in whose name they were committed.”
Other scholars diverge on defining hate, but a consensus emerges on its tendency to incite violence against the out-group.
Meanwhile, Anthropologist Pascal Boyer notes that the elementary feature of ‘One did it/they all did it’ is ingrained in children worldwide. However, sociologist Imtiaz Ahmed Ansari dismisses the notion of hate being inherited. Instead, he views hate as a socially situated emotion, a blend of individual and structural factors learned from the social environment.
Ansari further points out, “The history of anti-Semitism and the current anti-Muslim bias exemplify the utility of hate in creating and presenting ‘the other’ as the enemy, maintaining the integrity of the in-group.”
In other words, hate is an isolated idea that is indulged by others overtime.
The Psychological Apocalypse Of Hate
Individuals grappling with personal turmoil may undergo a psychological apocalypse. In a state of ultimate powerlessness, some construct a meaningful world in their minds, a realm where they regain significance.
Similarly, groups facing overwhelming stress can succumb to collective apocalyptic thinking, often arising from oppressive occupations. This shared vision becomes a psychological bastion of hope for the oppressed.
More than before, it has becomes evident that hate or the political side of it resonates with the very fabric of societal structures, fueling divisions based on caste, class, race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and nationality.
What model of hate is engraved on the Nigerian side of things?
Written by Fortune Omosola
