With peace talks underway between Gaza and Israel, and the announcement that ETA and Spain have agreed on a cease fire, there is a possibility, during this lull in violence, that serious discussions can take place to help understand why we hate.
There are various ways of going about this. One is to look at any given social situation from the point of view of logic and set theory. In order for a subject to identify with a group or set, another set composed of at least one subject not in the group has to be created. Identity requires non-identity in order to maintain itself.
This opposition seems to be absolute, unless a way can be found to create another opposition, thereby creating a new identity of that which was opposed. Possibilities for this absolute Other are rather limited since we have to avoid selecting another human to fill that role. Aliens are a possibility (perhaps the popularity of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter may be explained this way), but hardly satisfying emotionally.
More on this later...
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