“We dehumanize them and justify violence against them,” Stern said.
There is no simple answer to why people hate, Mohr said. Hate can be sparked by greed, or fear, or a tribe bonding together in opposition to another. People looking to belong will hate others to fit into a group, he said.
With all the political conflict in the US, it can seem that hate is on the rise. Some people seem to hate US President Barack Obama. Some hate Muslims. Some hate homosexuals.
But Mohr said he would not pursue a field of hate studies if he did not think something positive could be achieved.
“We can change,” Mohr said. “There has to be hope.”
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