Fear often turns into hate as a means to defend ourselves from what we are afraid of. Hate becomes a means to protect us from what we consider threatening. If we perceive ourselves as being under siege, then we can marshal our fears and forge the weapon of hate to drive out the threat. By hating, we can eliminate our fears, and live in safety. ( Read more... )

A stark contrast to Gov. Perry’s ad is Longfellow’s poem, “The Christmas Bells” (1864).  This poem details the poet’s emotional struggle with several major tragedies in his life.  Three years before, his wife died in tragically and horribly.  In trying to save her from the flames that engulfed her, Longfellow himself was permanently physically ( Read more... )

Examining Gov. Perry’s ad “Strong” in the light of hate as identity and separateness is an eye opener since it presents the meta-definition of hate. The Texas Governor puts a wall between himself and the Other (which in his case includes homosexuals, President Obama, liberals and Moslems). Gov. Perry sets himself and “his people” apart from the ( Read more... )