Understanding the Hatred in Our Culture

To be sure, people have different ideas of who are more hateful—Republicans or Democrats, religious people or irreligious—Northerners or Southerners, older generations or younger, and so on. But one thing most of us can agree on is that we are surrounded by hatred, and that is troubling. And maybe that slender bit of agreement may be enough to have meaningful discussions about what has happened, and why, and what can be done to change the situation for the better.

There are some things that are rather clear about hating. We hate people we regard as undeserving of respect, and sometimes, as well, those we feel intimidated by. However, it’s possible for us to disrespect or fear others without hating them. We may just dislike them and avoid their company.

What then causes the much stronger emotion of hatred? One thing is being threatened or injured by people, especially when we are weak and easily intimidated, notably in childhood. Another is simply by hearing people that we trust say others are undeserving of our respect or threatening to others. The impact of what we hear depends on our level of reasoning, and this changes over time. The “age of reason” is generally considered to begin at age 7 and continues developing until somewhere around the mid-twenties.

Our trust level for our parents, religious leaders, and other relatives is especially high in early childhood, and when we attend school, our teachers join that group. We also become exposed to the ideas our fellow students bring to school from home. All this occurs at a time when our ability to evaluate ideas is not fully developed. And by the time it is developed, our beliefs and attitudes (both good and bad) are already present, deeply rooted, and therefore difficult to change.

What has been noted so far explains how hatred (among other feelings) is formed in virtually every age and culture. For example, it explains the process that influenced many of our grandparents, and likely great grandparents, to hate Native Americans, Italians, Jews, Catholics, Asians, Hispanics and others, in many cases people they had never met! What it does not explain is what has caused the dramatic increase in hatred in our present culture. Let’s now turn to those influences across time:

1940s: Television became more available in the late 1940s and before long became the primary source of news (and entertainment) for families. The traditional journalism code was initially applied to TV newspeople. the main principle being a clear distinction between news and opinion. The very young, of course, had difficulty making that distinction unless well guided by their parents. In any case, they were receiving significantly more information, of varying merit, than their parents had received in their youth. The shaping of young people’s beliefs had taken a significant shift.

1960s: Psychology became more influential in the 1960s than it had previously been. A new school of thought, “Humanistic” Psychology (HP) became dominant and was not only taught in college classrooms, but also in dormitory seminars, and published in books and magazines. Central to that new school of thought was that truth is not what had long been believed: that is, synonymous with reality and correctness, and thus the same for everyone. Instead, the new psychology declared that truth is created by each individual and therefore is whatever that individual decides it is.

1970s and 1980s: Popular Culture absorbed HP’s view of truth slowly, while the Critical Thinking movement’s focus on examining all ideas, including one’s own, for accuracy. This focus temporarily restored the emphasis reason and logic. However, in the late 1980s and thereafter, an idea that had been advanced earlier by HP—Self-Esteem—became a separate widespread movement. Books and articles and TV interviews warned that examining one’s ideas for accuracy would deny “personal truth,” undermine confidence and sense of worth, and block achievement. Elementary and secondary schools quickly joined parents in praising and rewarding students’ every effort, no matter how feeble and unsuccessful. This change in education rejected the concept of excellence and honored mediocrity.

The Present: The influences noted above not only caused hatred in their time. Their impact has grown. Today news and opinion are not just blurred but virtually indistinguishable, and information sources are often little more than diatribes against the sources’ enemies. Similarly, the idea that we all create our own personal truth is now more than a belief but also a Warcry against those who question it. And the belief that Self-Esteem forbids us from acknowledging our mistakes has gone beyond weakening our minds; it now enables dishonest people to control them, including leading them first to frustration and anger, and then to hatred. Here are some examples of the thought patterns that lead us there:

My beliefs are an extension of me and anyone who challenges them is denying my personal truth. Such people are hateful and deserve my hate in return.

I hate hearing people say that my truths are false. My truths are my own, I created them, so they cannot be wrong. To say they are wrong outrages me. Others must respect that fact.

I believe the news networks and reporters that I follow. And my believing them assures me that what they say is true. Those who reject their reporting must therefore be dishonest or stupid and deserve no respect from me.

It is natural for me to have nothing to do with those who don’t share my views on important matters. They undermine my self-esteem. And because that is more important for my well-being than relationships, I shun them, even if our relationships are long-standing, indeed even if they are members of my family.

Some people want me to dialogue with them. I cannot do that in good faith because it means listening to views that I disrespect and questioning my convictions which I know to be sound. Those who question them are challenging truth and deserve nothing but contempt.

I believe anyone who says things that challenge my beliefs is attacking me personally, so I have a right to not only hate that person but when need be to respond physically.

In similar fashion, an elected official might think “Though the oath I have taken requires cooperation with fellow officials of other political parties, loyalty to my political views must come before compromise.” And a court jurist might think “I have sworn to apply the constitution to all cases that come before me, but I will not do so when doing so would violate my beliefs.’

So far, this essay has focused on the impact of Hatred on our culture. Let me close by noting its impact on people who hate.

As researcher Owais Khan has wisely written, “Hatred is a powerful yet destructive force that ultimately harms the person who harbors it more than its target. It erodes rational thinking, damages mental and physical health, and isolates individuals from personal and societal growth. Understanding the psychology behind hatred and actively working to replace it with compassion and rationality can lead to a more fulfilling and harmonious life. The antidote to hatred is not more hatred but self-awareness, empathy, and the pursuit of wisdom.”

Copyright © 2026 by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. All rights reserved.