It’s very dangerous to limit hate like Racism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Transphobia, etc. to only physical and verbal violence.
I think we can all agree that society is fucked up and has been for thousands of years. We were raised, socialized, and conditioned by society, and it has shaped how we think, act, and perceive things to be.
If society as a whole enforces/encourages hate like racism, misogyny, Homophobia, Transphobia, etc. and we were conditioned by society, don’t you think that it’s possible that some of the things we think are normal might actually derive from a place of hate?
Just because you aren’t physically or verbally harassing people doesn’t mean your views and beliefs aren’t harmful. Why? Because you share the same ideas as violent and hateful counterparts. The problem isn’t exclusively in the violence itself, but the hate that encourages and allows violence.
Racist
“Black people are violent by nature”
R1: I threaten black people with my guns
R2: I feel uncomfortable and afraid in the presence of black people
Both views are racist. If R2 had a gun, what would be the difference between them and R1? There would be none. They both feel threatened by black people. The only difference is that R1 has the means to act violently on his fear. Do you see how this is a harmful view with or without a gun?
Misogynist
“Men are superior to women”
M1: If a woman is “out of line” she ought to be slapped
M2: I can never be with a woman who won’t submit to me
Both views are misogynistic. M2 may not harm women, but he definitely believes women should submit to him. His refusal to be with a woman who won’t accept his “dominance” justifies M1’s actions because he also refuses to be with a woman who won’t submit. Do you see how M2’s personal “preference” helps enforce and normalize misogyny?
Homophobes
“Gay people are unnatural”
H1: I’ll harm my son if he’s gay
H2: I don’t think gay people should get married
Both are Homophobic. H2 may claim to be “fine” with gay people but thinks marriage is crossing the line because what? Because deep down, she believes gay people are unnatural. She doesn’t want them harmed but thinks they should only live inside what she think’s is acceptable. Do you see how that is problematic?
Transphobes
“Trans women are men pretending to be women”
T1: I’ll harm a trans woman for not telling me they are trans
T2: I couldn’t date a Trans Woman because I’m not gay
Both T1 and T2 view Trans Women as men, which is dehumanizing. If you saw Trans Women as Women because they are Women, you wouldn’t feel the need to harm them or consider it gay to be attracted to them. If society and media didn’t portray Trans people as a human subspecies, you wouldn’t view them that way. Do you see how society affects and changes what we believe?
Conclusion
In our society, hate has been normalized. The things we think are normal can sometimes be hateful. We can’t be comfortable with the fact that we aren’t violent. We have to check the views along with the actions that come along with them. We have to be introspective and ask ourselves why we hold particular views and find out where they come from.
We shouldn’t hold on to or defend our “Nonviolent” hateful views because they’re byproducts of our hateful society. We should be trying to break free from them.
Black people can struggle with internalized racism. Women can struggle with internalized misogyny. Gay people can struggle with internalized Homophobia. Trans People can struggle with internalized Transphobia.
I do not mention this to justify hate, but to highlight that even effected groups hold these same views because we were also conditioned and socialized in the same hateful world. It proves that society has an effect on our thinking and how we perceive ourselves and others.
We have to detach our thinking from hateful views. We must continue to fight against and question the hate we hold so that we may not teach it to the next generation.
Ninth Hour Fiction 