Thank you Frank, an important reminder that emotion still has a central role in politics. It is a curious outcome of movements which Hope not Hate embody is that ‘Hatred’ is not eliminated but directed. Regarding British politics any celebration of traditional national identity is severely criticised, and indeed is the object of sentiments that closely resemble hatred. What is striking is that ‘Love’ as the supposed antidote to hate becomes hollowed out. In place of the historic form of national identity our veneration is directed to the banal and faintly ridiculous (afternoon tea, queuing, and Paddington bear). Whilst having an outward form that is absurd this politics has a sinister side e.g. the attempts to stifle any criticism of Islamism, or the deliberate misattribution of the source of Islamist violence to those asking ‘difficult’ questions. It is hard not to conclude that the aim of this type of emotionally manipulative politics is to engender passivity rather than attachment, and contribute to a society where the electorate in Britain (and across the West) should remain disengaged from essential role of holding our leaders to account.
Brilliant piece and necessary corrective. I'm watching a Sci fi series at the moment in which malevolent aliens have invaded the earth and, among other things, they put 'harnesses' on children, devices that control the children's minds, imposing upon them absolute docility to the will of their overlords and essentially turning them into slaves. One young man who escapes and has his harness removed by some of the few remaining humans, still finds he is 'influenced' albeit more mildly by the monsters. He tells another de-harnessed boy, who is longing to return to his Masters, that he can resist their influence because he 'hates' them so intensely. He explains that hate is sharpened to a point, a focus, that is instrumental in his resistance. This serves as a wonderful metaphor for those seeking to reject the dominant ideological conditioning. Call it hate, call it 'wrathful' anger, in the Buddhist tradition, but it is a practice that is germane to freedom itself, in my view, and those who seek to 'outlaw' it clearly and manifestly pose a threat to that freedom.
Isn't hate just away of shutting anyone down who disagrees with the political narrative of the day? Most modern western governments with a few exceptions have no backbone or belief or virtue and respond emotionally to everything. The skerrick of our Judeo Christian that they cling to is empty of virtue and principal so they panic and call all criticism hate. They are terrified that we will find out how empty and sinful they are.
Thank you Frank, an important reminder that emotion still has a central role in politics. It is a curious outcome of movements which Hope not Hate embody is that ‘Hatred’ is not eliminated but directed. Regarding British politics any celebration of traditional national identity is severely criticised, and indeed is the object of sentiments that closely resemble hatred. What is striking is that ‘Love’ as the supposed antidote to hate becomes hollowed out. In place of the historic form of national identity our veneration is directed to the banal and faintly ridiculous (afternoon tea, queuing, and Paddington bear). Whilst having an outward form that is absurd this politics has a sinister side e.g. the attempts to stifle any criticism of Islamism, or the deliberate misattribution of the source of Islamist violence to those asking ‘difficult’ questions. It is hard not to conclude that the aim of this type of emotionally manipulative politics is to engender passivity rather than attachment, and contribute to a society where the electorate in Britain (and across the West) should remain disengaged from essential role of holding our leaders to account.
As always Frank, an excellent analysis, Thank God !
Brilliant piece and necessary corrective. I'm watching a Sci fi series at the moment in which malevolent aliens have invaded the earth and, among other things, they put 'harnesses' on children, devices that control the children's minds, imposing upon them absolute docility to the will of their overlords and essentially turning them into slaves. One young man who escapes and has his harness removed by some of the few remaining humans, still finds he is 'influenced' albeit more mildly by the monsters. He tells another de-harnessed boy, who is longing to return to his Masters, that he can resist their influence because he 'hates' them so intensely. He explains that hate is sharpened to a point, a focus, that is instrumental in his resistance. This serves as a wonderful metaphor for those seeking to reject the dominant ideological conditioning. Call it hate, call it 'wrathful' anger, in the Buddhist tradition, but it is a practice that is germane to freedom itself, in my view, and those who seek to 'outlaw' it clearly and manifestly pose a threat to that freedom.
Isn't hate just away of shutting anyone down who disagrees with the political narrative of the day? Most modern western governments with a few exceptions have no backbone or belief or virtue and respond emotionally to everything. The skerrick of our Judeo Christian that they cling to is empty of virtue and principal so they panic and call all criticism hate. They are terrified that we will find out how empty and sinful they are.