The Power of Hate

Many years ago, I read a book called, “The True Believer,” by Eric Hoffer. Hoffer was a learned man without credentials and in this book wrote about the nature of mass movements.

Using the example of Hitler, he spoke about the importance of having an enemy when creating movements.

“Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil.”

“Scratch an intellectual, and you find a would-be aristocrat who loathes the sight, the sound and the smell of common folk.”

If we look at the last four years of the United States (and perhaps before it), as a nation, our politicians are trying to motivate us through hate, rather than through ideas.

The power of that emotion, hatred, can be pointed out by voting numbers. Pres.-elect Joseph Biden received more votes than Pres. Obama did in either of his collections to office. That’s how powerful the hatred of Pres. Trump was.

Pure hatred expressed over time is convincing. The repetition of lies and hatred convinces people of their truth.

In the workplace, colleagues tell lies and express vile thoughts about coworkers.