Why, when it comes to politics, are people so vile and filled with such hatred?

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   pagesvoiceposted 11 years ago

   Why, when it comes to politics, are people so vile and filled with such hatred?
   
   Whenever there is a political question, inevitably I see those who comment with snide and derogatory commentary to anyone with opposing views. Whatever happened to intellectual dialogue? Furthermore, instead of stating a case, people will vote you "down" without a reason why. Has anonymity given people a false sense of bravado they never had?

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   Mr. Happyposted 11 years ago

   Haha!! So very true Mr. Pagesvoice. It amazes me how quick people jump from a discussion about ideas to ugly personal attacks. I try to mellow things down but I am not always successful because many people seem to be wearing blinders, like horses and they can only see in one direction.
   
   I made observations such as yours not long after I joined Hub-pages: http://mrhappy.hubpages.com/hub/A-few-o … n-Hubpages
   
   I think education is the key. People who hold knowledge realize that: "The truth is rarely pure and never simple." Oscar Wilde
   
   Cheers! : )

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   JBrumettposted 11 years ago

   I imagine part of it has to do with age, and the platform people are arguing on.  Forums for example are an easy way to be anonymous and say what ever you want with little consequences.  For me, I know when I was in my early 20's before I was sent to Iraq I was all rah rah fire and emotion when it came to politics.  Now that I'm a bit older it's kind of like meh,  it's not worth stressing over EVERY little thing.  If someone says something I don't agree with I just say that's cool and move on.  One thing I did learn about arguing with people is even if you're 100% right or they're 100% right no one is going to care.  They'll still keep arguing.  So, it's not worth the stress.  =-P

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   ChristinSposted 11 years ago

   I totally agree.  Most people will not engage in civil discourse because it requires more effort to do that than it does to have knee jerk reactions.  It is easier to defend ones ideas than explore all possibilities.  I am passionate about what I believe, but make an effort to not let my passions blind me.  We all have biases, but when we recognize that and make a conscious decision to set that aside - we can begin to have dialogue and reach compromises.  It's how we grow and how our ideas evolve and make us better.
   
   Our govt and people in power love it when the populace is pitted against each other.  While we're so busy being at each others throats over our "ideals" - they run rampant behind our backs doing things like "citizens united" and NDAA.  They count on most of us getting caught up in pettiness, arguing and apathy when it comes to truly taking action.  People look at politics like sports - voting for their side or team and the result is the politicians (all of them, both parties) are trampling all over us while we're busy being stupid.
   
   The whole voting down thing when you disagree irks me too - the rules plainly state if an answer doesn't lend to the conversation then vote it down.  A number of people tend to think anything that doesn't agree with their opinion somehow doesn't contribute to the conversation.  I have had very passionate conversations with those who I vehemently disagree with - however I still respect them as people and I still believe that their opinions matter.  I don't understand why it's so difficult to make an effort to be civilized these days. 
   
   Anger and hatred consume people.  One of the best things I ever read was anger/hate was the equivalent of drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.  That stuck with me and I try very hard not to get angry and to be civil and discuss things like an educated, rational individual.

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   MickSposted 11 years ago

   Becauser it is like religion and they suffer from the - I'm right, you're wrong -  syndrome.

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   Greg Cremiaposted 11 years ago

   I no longer try to talk sense with anonymous people.

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      pagesvoiceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent answer Greg...signed, Dennis L. Page!

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   Craig Suitsposted 11 years ago

   Your right on Pages.
   You can compare it to criminals that kill with guns. You can be several thousand feet away from your victim, shoot, kill, and run. That is, if you're a certified coward.
   The same thing applys to ones words.

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   lone77starposted 11 years ago

   It's called ego.
   
   Ego likes darkness and anonymity for such attacks. And ego is lazy, preferring the power of a simple click, to actually writing something thoughtful and on-topic.
   
   We can find the same effect in many aspects of our society.
   
   The puppet masters of our current society thrive on feeding the flames of divisiveness -- Republicrats versus Demopublicans, conservatives versus progressives, climate changers versus change deniers, etc.
   
   We also find it in groups, like the KKK and the private Federal Reserve -- thriving on secrecy and anonymity to do all manner of evil -- like siphoning off trillions of dollars to foreign banks (and individuals?).
   
   Another trick of ego is the use of generalities and false logic -- ad hominem, arguments to ignorance and the like. Carefully worded, even the most illogical can have a seductive feel, luring those who don't think critically into their destructive flame.

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   Prakash Digheposted 11 years ago

   I'm not sure whether you feel this behavior  to be a recent development, or has been so for a while, and whether "intellectual dialogue" has been in vogue until recently. My view is that many people tend to very passionate about their political views, and they tend to bring in the political angle to any discussion - whether on social, education or economic issues. I've met people with very strong political views for as long as I can remember not just in the US but in Europe, India and Africa. I'm not sure it has to do with education, age or anonymity. It's just the way those people are - it's hard to have a meaningful discussion with them. As Christin put it, the best one can do is not to get angry with such people and move on to some else that is more rational.

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      Mr. Happyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      "As Christin put it, the best one can do is not to get angry with such people and move on to some else that is more rational" - I agree and disagree here because by moving on, we leave those people behind. The separation and division grows ...

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    Express10posted 11 years ago

    While certainly not always the case, it appears many people don't engage in intellectual dialogue and have forgotten their manners to boot. Outside of HP, I often intentionally avoid reading comments on many articles because often they are vile, filled with hatred, and generally take things completely off-topic.
    
    Keyboard courage has given many a false sense of bravado and they say things they would never say face to face. Some people seem to share a common bond while others share a common distaste for one another. It is distracting and there are some people online who seem to initiate nonsense wherever they land. Those looking for an argument often find it and may be booted out of the discussion if moderators are doing their jobs.

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