One of the less discussed effects of the economic crises of western economies in the last decade is the growth of the language of hate.
Some politicians and sections of the media often resort to hate speech to trigger an emotional reaction without making valid arguments that convince the public that in a democracy they are the ultimate judges of who is best suited to govern them.
When politicians feel that they are losing their grip on the management of economic and social challenges with the consequent disillusionment of ordinary people, they try to make themselves relevant by appealing to the fear and hate instincts that seem to affect most of us when we feel threatened. Of course, not everyone reacts to this sense of fear by pulling a gun and killing a politician, as happened in the UK when a troubled person killed the Labour Member of Parliament Jo Cox.
The same can be said about the Orlando incident where a deranged young man killed or wounded 100 mostly young people having a night out in an LGBT nightclub. It is not clear what motivated the killer Omar Mateen. It could have been an ideological commitment to IS or his own hatred of gays and lesbians, or both. But no motivation can justify the eradication of human empathy that provides the foundation principle of a civilised society.
Of course, those who killed Jo Cox and the 50 victims of Orlando are directly responsible for their actions that snuffed out the hopes and aspirations of so many brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, sons and daughters. But equally responsible is the political culture that has crept in over the last decade in western democracies – a culture that thrives on intolerance and stoking fear in ordinary people who face tough financial or social challenges in their personal lives.
In 2013, Roberto Carderoli, the Northern League MP and vice president of the Italian Senate, made a totally racist comment about the then Italian Integration Minister in the Letta government, Cecile Kyenge: “When I see images of Kyenge I cannot help think, even if I don’t say that she is one, of a resemblance to an orangutan”.
Islam-inspired terror attacks accounted for 50 fatalities over the past 13 years
Was Carderoli made to resign? Of course, not. What is even more worrying is what is said in private but rarely reported.
We face a tough reality where our society is becoming increasingly intolerant of minorities and of anyone who does not fit one’s perception of how people should behave.
The US presidential campaign has stoked a volcano of offensive and racist remarks by Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate for the presidency of the biggest democracy in the world.
Trump’s hatred of those who embrace Islam is ironically leading to the radicalisation of many young Americans who have no faith in their locally bred politicians and who feel more at ease embracing IS and Al Qaeda demagogy.
The New York Times reported that a study by professors Charles Kurzman and David Schanzer showed that Islam-inspired terror attacks “accounted for 50 fatalities over the past 13 years”. Meanwhile, right-wing extremists averaged 337 attacks per year in the decade after 9/11, causing a total of 254 fatalities.
The public debate on how to eradicate the hate culture that is threatening western societies has centred on arms control in the US and increased security in Europe.
Undoubtedly, this will help. Equally important is to understand that lone wolves have and will always exist and no one can prevent the tragic consequences of someone who acts as a result of a troubled mental disposition.
But what we need is a mass movement against hate. We need religious, political and social leaders to speak out and stand up against hate before it is too late. We need the mass media to stop using weasel words and to define those who promote hate for what they are.
I would love to see our religious leaders getting less hot under the ecclesiastical collar when they discuss the “vilification of religion” and more passionate when they denounce those who spew hatred in politics and the social media.
I would like to see our politicians debating contrasting political and economic solutions to the challenges that lay ahead of us rather than demonise people in the opposing political camp. The ‘one nation’ political philosophy can never be built by politicians who seek to score points by dividing rather than uniting our people.
johncassarwhite@yahoo.com