How do you define hate, exactly?
That’s my understanding of what he said. That the insula cortex was there for billions of years, keeping us from eating rancid meat or whatever, then the same part of the brain started having an opinion about people from other tribes.
That’s from the lecture part. Then I listened to the Q&A. I was surprised at how well he handled the questions about teaching people to not hate. I’m going to have to look more into those studies about how to manage a group experience with diversity. I know people who try that, and as he said, it doesn’t always stick, or even work.
Another question was about how do we use these innate feelings. I hadn’t thought of that. Sapolsky’s answer was something like, getting us to be just mad enough to be motivated. If we aren’t disgusted by garbage floating in a river, we won’t clean it up, and worse we’ll never find how it got there and stop it from the source. But just triggering the disgust response isn’t enough especially when that triggers a connection to certain types of people and the hatred becomes unfocused, away from the problem to an out-group.
Too much to cover in a one hour talk. And probably something that requires other disciplines and more work.
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Why is it necessary for survival?
Not everyone is on your side. Being able to hate makes it possible to ID them and avoid them.
The standard definition – strong dislike. It motivates us to avoid those more likely to cause us harm.
That made no sense at all. When a group of people are hated by another, that group is generally ID by general characteristics and not as individuals. For example, if one hates a group of people because their skin is black or they have slant eyes, then that group of people is only defined by that trait, instead of individual characteristics. BUT if you get to know people, then Kim Yun looks like Kim Yun instead of your run of the mill Asian. The same with POC. Get to know them and they become that individual. Hate keeps you from knowing the person.
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That’s basic in-group out-group behavior. It’s primitive and no longer necessary in a civilized world. Just look at the places where it is happening or has happened. It helps no one. Women vs men in Afghanistan. The civil war of the U.S. Any other civil war. Catholics vs protestants. Jews vs Muslims.
That’s hate. That’s what you are supporting as protective. That’s a very stupid way of thinking. Is there anything that could ever convince you that hate is not necessary? Also, how much enjoyment do you get from saying stupid things that you know ahead of time will spark exactly the response you are expecting? I suspect it’s a cheap thrill for you.
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Bigotry widespread throughout the world. You can tell people it’s wrong until the end of time, but that doesn’t prevent it from happening.
Also, the people who say it’s “unnecessary” are always well educated White liberals who only socialize with people exactly like them. They’re the last people who can be taken seriously when telling the rest of the world how to interact with people different than them.
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You just can’t help yourself from turning everything into a they/we scenario. You fall perfectly into the FOX news audience profile (whether you watch it or not). Perhaps the “they” you say can’t be trusted are simply too intelligent to fall into that self-fulfilling tribal mode of thinking. It really has nothing to do with educated, or white, or liberal. It has to do with compassion, intelligence (educated or not), kindness, fairness, and evolution.
I do think you enjoy toying with people and stirring the pot. You don’t choose the moniker, “that one guy” by accident.
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Oddly enough, in other countries, such as the U.K., it’s not as bad as it is in the U.S. In fact, Michael Dorn (Worf on Star Trek TNG) is planning on moving to Europe, most likely the U.K. because there he doesn’t have to worry about waking up in the morning and wondering if this is the day the police will pull him over and kill him for something they wouldn’t kill a white person for. This is a reality in the U.S.
I put a heart on that post because I know many of those white liberals who hate bigotry and talk about “those people” that are bigots in the same breath. But thatoneguy overuses “always” and other tribal language. It’s hard to find the good side.
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For sure, and honestly I’m sure I’ve been guilty.
A Black person’s chances of being killed by police in Britain might be lower. That doesn’t mean he’ll make many friends. Europe is pretty racist, overall.
Maybe they are too intelligent. If so, it’s a good thing they don’t interact much with anybody besides themselves.
Intelligence isn’t the deciding factor for interaction among individuals. Compassion makes one care for others. Intelligence recognizes that others likely have different experiences that make them interesting to get to know rather than running in fear or attacking out of ignorance.
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And trust!
When you trust a person you will follow their advise.
Today’s presidential election is a stark reminder.
Do you trust Trump or do you trust Harris to be president.
I would trust Harris with my life, but I would not trust Trump with a dollar.