Why We Hate - Hardcover

Levin, Jack; Rabrenovic, Gordana

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159102191X ISBN 13: 9781591021919

Publisher: Prometheus, 2004

Synopsis

In this in-depth look at the most troubling aspect of human nature, a prominent, nationally recognized criminologist, who is a leader in his field, and a respected sociologist seek to explain why hate exists and offer practical methods for creating a more peaceable society.Are we born with a propensity to hate, or is it something we learn? Does educating people necessarily reduce hate? Looking at biological, psychological, and cultural factors, Drs. Levin and Rabrenovic investigate the evidence for hate as an inborn trait, as learned behavior, and as a reaction to envy, frustration, or the need for belonging, control, and authority.The topics include the media's role in contributing to hate, anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim sentiments, domestic terrorism, and "organized hate" in the form of white supremacist and civilian militia groups. Finally, in surveying the many trouble spots around the world where hate is manifest, they describe a series of inspiring situations that show surprising cooperation between ethnic groups who have transcended hate, and the authors explain how they achieved it.Both enlightening and insightful, this momentous and timely work offers hope that civilized human beings can come to grips with an age-old problem.

About this title

About the Author

Jack Levin, Ph.D. (Boston, MA), is the Brudnick Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Northeastern University, as well as the director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict. He is the author of many critically acclaimed books on criminology, including Hate Crimes Revisited (with J. McDevitt) and The Violence of Hate, and is frequently quoted in the national media. He often appears on national television, including The Today Show, Oprah, The O’Reilly Factor, Larry King Live, 20/20, 48 Hours, and many other programs.
Gordana Rabrenovic, Ph.D. (Boston, MA), is associate professor of sociology at Northeastern University and the associate director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict. She is the author of numerous professional articles and one book, Community Builders, and the coeditor of Community Politics and Policy.

From the Inside Flap

Expressions of hate are trumpeted each evening on the news, from the mayhem unleashed by suicide bombers to the steadily increasing casualties in the Middle East and Iraq. And since September 11, Americans have repeatedly asked themselves, "Why do they hate us?" In this in-depth look at the most troubling aspect of human nature, Jack Levin--a nationally recognized criminologist--and Gordana Rabrenovic--a respected sociologist--seek to explain why hate exists and offer practical methods for creating a more peaceable society.

Are we born with the tendency to hate, or is it something we learn? Does educating people necessarily reduce hate? Looking at biological, psychological, and cultural factors, Drs. Levin and Rabrenovic investigate the evidence for hate as an inborn trait; as learned behavior; and as a reaction to envy, frustration, or the need for belonging, control, and authority.

These highly regarded experts reveal their new, original, and sometimes surprising findings on hate among Americans, as well as the way the media can be manipulated to foster and intensify hatred. They also consider the phenomena of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism before and after September 11, in addition to anti-Muslim sentiments in the wake of the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Also discussed are domestic terrorism and "organized hate" in the form of white supremacist and civilian militia groups.

Finally, in scrutinizing the many troubled "hot" spots around the world where hate is an explosive issue, including Northern Ireland, Levin and Rabrenovic describe a series of inspiring situations that show astonishing cooperation between ethnic groups who have transcended hate. They explain how such peaceful coexistence has been achieved and can be achieved elsewhere in the future.

Both enlightening and insightful, this probing and timely work offers hope that human beings can behave in a civilized manner toward their fellow humans and come to grips with an age-old problem.

Reviews

The title of this book lacks a question mark, but it needs one, because sociology professors Levin (The Violence of Hate, etc.) and Rabrenovic (Community Builders) ask far more questions in this hollow book than they answer. The project they have outlined, one made more immediate after September 11, is to understand hatred—and how that hatred so often leads to violence. Unfortunately, the project becomes mired in analytical quicksand. The problem is one of approach, and the authors include far too many isolated incidents and long-standing geopolitical disputes to offer a cohesive argument about, or prescriptions for, the admittedly complex nature of hatred. Rather than careening from instance to instance to diagnose the apparent pandemic of hatred (in the space of two pages, the authors move from Nazi Germany to violence against females in Uzbekistan and the anti-Semitic graffiti of disaffected youth), Levin and Rabrenovic would have done better to use fewer examples and offer more analysis to yield more valuable conclusions. Instead, they dance around the role in hatred of fear, revenge, evolutionary psychology and other factors. Also disappointing is the authors' tendency to oversimplify otherwise valid causes of hate and prescriptions for it with statements such as "[L]ike attracts like. When it comes to their peers, human beings seem almost universally to be predisposed to prefer being among people like themselves" and offer such advice as "Those who are victimized should seek help from the proper authorities, and they should act accordingly." Noble and worthy statements, but the authors' project proves unwieldy within the confines of this slim yet sadly inelegant volume.
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The 9/11 terrorist attacks have fed into fears that Americans are hated by others abroad and have prompted questions about the genesis of that perceived hatred. Why do people hate to such an extent that they will commit violence? Criminologist Levin and sociologist Rabrenovic explore hatred, whether it is inborn or learned behavior, what triggers it, and how it can be curbed. Using research, news reports, and anecdotes to illustrate continued discrimination against and hostilities toward various minorities, the authors examine how hatred is provoked by envy, frustration, or the need to control. They examine the rising anti-Muslim feelings in the wake of the terrorist attacks, America's troubled history of hatred toward blacks and Jews, and ethnic hatred that has spurred continued violence in nations around the world. They note that when hatred is widely shared in a society, it becomes part of the culture. The authors examine the forces that cause nations, and individuals, to capitulate to hatred and the courage it takes to resist it and work toward peace. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Prometheus
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 159102191X
• ISBN 13: 9781591021919
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 292