Dr. BrothersThose we love to hate
Dr. Brothers
Does having an enemy make a person feel better? Can we eliminate prejudice of all kinds? Is stereotyping useful and positive? When neighboring groups are like each other in a number of ways, is there less apt to be friction and war? Is the repression of feelings ever good? How much do you know about hatred, prejudice and why there are sometimes people who love to hate? Here's a chance to find out.
1. Having an enemy never makes anyone feel
better.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
2. If anyone tries to dehumanize another,
it's wrong, but it might be considered by some to be important.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
3. Prejudice can be totally eliminated in
our world.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
4. Stereotyping is useful and therefore
positive.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
5. It's always better and healthier to express
our feelings.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
6. The more alike neighboring groups are,
the less likely it is there will be friction, war or violence
between them.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
7. Violent video games and military training
for battle encounters have nothing in common.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
8. Children who are raised and educated
with other children whose views duplicate those of their parents
and who resemble their parents in physical appearance are better
adjusted as adults.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
ANSWERS:
1. FALSE. Having an enemy often makes some people feel a lot better about themselves. It might make them feel superior, more secure and more grounded with others who share their views.
2. TRUE. It certainly is wrong and unfair; however, most military leaders realize that this helps soldiers to kill and to take part in brutal battles without guilt or at least with less guilt.
3. FALSE. While it would be a great idea, experts feel it's unlikely to happen, partly because people seem to need to blame someone when things go wrong, or to find some group that can serve as a target for all their aggression a group that can become like a dumping ground for all we fear and hate most in ourselves.
4. FALSE. Stereotyping is often used as a convenient way for the mind to organize information, grouping things or people in what are seen as their common properties. Problem is, groups aren't all alike, and the "common properties" with which they're tagged are often negative and totally untrue.
5. FALSE. Sometimes it's much better not to express the feeling, but to repress it and THINK of the possible consequences or if it's an angry, negative emotion, to analyze whether it's really worth all the rage.
6. FALSE. Curiously, the opposite seems to be true. The greater the resemblance between neighbors or clans, the greater the emotion invested in maintaining the small differences.
7. FALSE. According to author, West Point professor and retired Army officer Dave Grossman, violent video games and military training both use much the same techniques to desensitize and teach us to associate violence with pleasure and even pride.
8. FALSE. Diversity and familiarity help children to adjust and enjoy life in a democratic world with many different cultures, each worthwhile and with much to offer. Children who are restricted and limited to only one rigid view find it much more difficult to adjust and are more apt to be hostile to any outsider.
If you answered six of these eight questions correctly, you're better informed than most on this subject.