I was driving around the other day and saw a bumper sticker that caught my attention: "I "Heart" Scotties", or something like that. It stuck out not because of the specifics, but for another reason.
You don't see many bumper stickers that simply declare what the driver likes/loves anymore. The vast majority of bumper stickers today are all about hate. We no longer define ourselves by what we enjoy, but what we despise. We are what we are against, not what we are for.
The main trouble is that either choice requires effort and energy. Even if what we hate is something worth hating, if we're not careful we don't leave ourselves anything for what we enjoy or should support.
And heaven forbid we should ever allow ourselves to hear the other side of something. Heaven forbid we should ever look for alternatives that might get us what we want--or at least closer--while not making the other guy give up everything. It's not enough that we win, but the other guy has to lose LOSE LOSE!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think I like the world we are building for ourselves. Probably because I know there are already people out there who hate me generally. I only have to read the comments thread to an article about the new prophet of our church to see that there are people whose mission in life is to hate me generally. It's only a matter of time before they start to hate me specifically.
Once people become emboldened to no longer hide behind the anonymity of their blog/car/pen-name and are willing to look the other guy in the face and still hate them it's a short step to persecution, violence, bloodshed, and death--all in the name of tolerance, of course.
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