Comment by jwise0 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jwise0 | Hacker News Reader

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I think the point of this article is precisely the opposite.

Writing off people who "find refuge in hate" as being "small-minded" is an easy temptation to give into. But, the subject of the article I think provides a very effective refutation of that. I don't know anything of the article's subject beyond what is written about him in this very article, but I imagine that he was raised into anti-Jewish sentiment, or grew up in an environment filled with it; that's the usual origin story for people who join hate movements, anyway.

I liken a hate movement as being more akin to a cult. Cult leaders, we can surely condemn; but is it really reasonable to permanently write someone off who's been indoctrinated from birth as being "small-minded"? Societal pressures are very powerful things.

That's because cults are this weird thing in that someone has "salvation" or knows the secrets of "the universe". People get suckered in and empty their pocketbooks and life into someone/thing they hope is for real.

Hate movements are altogether a different thing. People usually start as individuals and then coalesce around the existing idea of "hate (insert unchangeable noun)". And then their meeting then induces even further bouts of rage with hate feeding on hate.

And yes, it is small mindedness. They can analyze why they hate when they choose. They do not. Cult group people are victims of extreme deceit, lying, and eventual control of their livelihood. At the endgame of a cult, the leader has near full control over everything: family, property, money.

Does it really matter why they're so hateful?

Maybe it's understandable, and maybe you can have empathy for the person, but whether they're indoctrinated or chose it, their actions, and their results, remain largely the same.

>but is it really reasonable to permanently write someone off who's been indoctrinated from birth as being "small-minded"

Yes, they are still small-minded even if it was a result of the indoctrination.

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