Human nature to "hate" something?

knzn

knzn

Joined
Jul 20, 1999
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683
Just setting here wondering. Do we have some sort of primal need to hate something, or perhaps have an adversary? I am talking both inanimate objects and each other for that matter. Some cases in point:

Look how easy a simple thread on a forum turns into a war. Someone may ask a simple "what is your favorite brand of whatever," or "what is your favorite way to do something?," someone gives an opinion, someone else comes along and trashes that opinion and the fight is on.

Look at all of the "pi$$ on" this brand of vehicle or that brand of vehicle window stickers. Why the need to want to urinate on, figurativley speaking of coarse, a brand other than your choice?

Not to even mention sports. Sure, most folks are good natured at the compitition, but it is not hard to find folks really passionate about teams other than their favorite. Small town rivalries, cross town rivalries, whatever, some take them VERY seriously.

I have a particular brand of oil filter that cracked on one of my vehicles one time, years ago. Made a mess in my garage, but all and all no harm done. Sure, the oil could have leaked out on a long trip and ruined my engine, but I caught it in time. Point is I was at the parts store today to buy oil change supplies and just the site of that brand of filter made me mad after all these years. I won't mention the brand because if I do someone else will love that brand, and they will then be mad at me for being an idiot when it comes to oil filters. See my point?

So, do we humans just need to have reasons to hate things?
 
I believe so at certain points in our development, then one day peace comes, an inner peace that is a joy to expeirince and we need hate no more.
 
and I hate anyone who hates this thread :D

Seriously I reckon hate is just fear wearing a different costume.
 
I think that there are some things on this planet that are worth hating, like terrorists and child molesters.
 
Some people seem to have to derive a sense of self-worth from external affiliations, as if owning or being affiliated with a particular brand makes them somehow superior. Living in the South, I see this hugely manifested through college football and NASCAR.

Of course, Auburn University and Busse knives really are superior. ;)
 
I have known people that always seemed to have to have someone to direct there hatred at. It would change month to month but there was always someone to hate. :(

Tom
 
I don't know about inner peace or hatred but I can tell you that people are more willing to express hatred and bad manners on the internet. All you have to do is see our email inbox. If we make a mistake or don't do something fast enough, the reactions from some customers would take your breath away. They range from simple cursing all the way to death threats. It's truly amazing. In our retail store, where we interface with customers face to face, this never, ever happens. Only on the Internet. It is as though the internet opens up a floodgate of inner poison that has been brewing for half a lifetime.

I once bought an expensive lawnmower. The brand was Cub Cadet. I chose it because it was direct drive - no belts. Ha. I had to keep 1/2 dozen belts in stock ($20 apiece) to deal with the broken ones that drove the mower deck. Everytime I finished one 3 acre mowing job without a belt change, I rejoiced. I had the steering break three times in a single summer. Even the hood fell off once. I truly hated that machine and every time I pass a Cub Cadet cutting someone's grass I grimace and feel sorry for the owner. Let's see. The John Deere is now 6 years old and has broken one belt. Nothing else has happened to it. I guess I like it as much as I hated the Cub Cadet. I understand what you're talking about with that oil filter, whatever the brand.
 
As far as people doing things differently on the Internet as opposed to in real life, I think there are probably two main reasons.

One is role playing. Some people want to try and appear to be what they are not, and they can, to a certain extent, do that on the net. I can tell you anything I like about myself and there is no way you can easily disprove it. If I'm a real bullsh!tter it will eventually come out, but I can play my game with relative ease.

The second reason is pure cowardice. Anything I say here I'll say to your face, and I suspect most of you are the same, but a lot of people will only do so if they think there is no comeback.

As for hating things, I think that it is a sort of release from life's tensions in a way. Unless you're some sort of disturbed fanatic that takes things way too far, does it really hurt anyone if you hate a certain lawnmower or another football team or folding knves or whatever? Call it mental therapy, have a good b!tch session about that poxy oil filter or whatever and the rest of life looks just a little better.

That's my take on it anyway.
 
Knife Outlet said:
I don't know about inner peace or hatred but I can tell you that people are more willing to express hatred and bad manners on the internet. All you have to do is see our email inbox. If we make a mistake or don't do something fast enough, the reactions from some customers would take your breath away. They range from simple cursing all the way to death threats. It's truly amazing.
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Amen Brother, I know exactly what you're talking about. It's amazing how many people, over email at least, are willing to curse, threaten, slander, report, sue, prosecute, or kill over making a mistake, or not doing something fast enough !
 
In all seriousness I made a concious choice several years ago now to stop hating. I hated everything..my job. my life. a never ending list of people who pissed me off. my car. my lawnmower the list went on and on..It was not a easy thing to do. In order to stop hating I had to start forgiving..and after I started forgiving I started loving ...and my life has been much better since. Many of you people know me by my rants which now eminate out of a true sense of humor from life. I still am very capable of hating things/ people but have made a concious choice to not evoke the emotion of hatred. Its dark and evil and does nothing to help my kids learn to be better people.

on the reverse side of this I am also careful with love. I dont love my cars, knives, guns, or bikes,...I appreciate them..I do love my friends, family, dogs, wife..these things deserve my love and I freely give it with no strings attached..
 
Holding on to hate does nothing to the object of your hatred but it can eat you alive if you let it.

The person who struck my now 23 year old daughter a couple of years ago has never been caught. They came close to killing her, and put her in a wheelchair, unable to walk or speak. When people hear of this for the first time, a very common reaction is to assume that we constantly worry and fret about this person not being caught or punished.

In fact, Kimberly and I have made a conscious decision to not be consumed by hate. We have prayed for this person, and still do a few times a week, but we have in effect just turned him over to a higher court. I am not going to lie and say that the first few times we prayed for his well-being, repentance, and salvation that it was an easy thing to do. But it was a necessary thing to do, for us as well as for him. We have peace over this issue. His peace is between him and God.
 
Holding on to hate does nothing to the object of your hatred but it can eat you alive if you let it.
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The church down the road from my house has one of those "thought for the day" signs. Most are lame. But the other day it said, "Holding a grudge is letting someone else live in your head... rent free."


Ren has the right attitude.
 
I am not saying that there are not things worth fighting against- some things are evil.
Hating them, and doing nothing, is the same as doing nothing. "Focus on solutions" is a good motto, as platitudes go. Hating evil does nothing. Fighting it, while requiring more effort, actually effects change.

Of the few things I hate, people who prey on children are the worst. In Minneapolis, a man convicted of abducting a young girl from church and murdering her was about to be paroled. In prison, he lost a leg to diabetes. He was 65, and had served ten years (of 20). I organized a letter writing campaign to the parole officers, and his parole was denied. This was a predator who would have used his apparent weakness to lure more victims. That is the difference between hatred and action.

MikeH, you and your family have my deepest empathies. It is a great accomplishment that you have fought from being consumed by hate. You are an example for us all.
 
Gollnick: Truer words were never spoken, all around those who know jealously and hate are influenced, devastating to all. Should you see the preacher please congradulate him for me.
 
What possibly needs to be considered here too is exactly what you mean by "hate".

For instance you might "hate" somebody who has done you some real or perceived wrong. In this case, hate isn't going to do you much good, chanel your energy into something more productive.

You might "hate" scumbags like child molestors but, as somebody has illustrated above, you are better off taking acion to get them off the streets or whatever.

Possibly you "hate" a certain brand of cheeseburger because you ate one once and it made you ill. This one can go into the "who cares" category. Hating a cheeseburger isn't going to cause anyone much harm.

So, when you say you hate something, what do you really mean?
 
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