The Psychology of Hate

“ ‘Hate’ has become another all-purpose term of opprobrium, like ‘Nazi.’ If you oppose someone for any reason, you are a ‘hater.’ If you disapprove of some idea or practice, you ‘hate’ the people who hold that idea or follow that practice. If you speak out about it, you may get accused of ‘hate-speech.’ And yet, despite the inflation of the word’s meaning, there is such a thing as ‘hatred,’ and we would do well to understand the emotion.” - Gene Veith