The Importance of Understanding Bigotry

It Helps Us to Preserve our Empathy

Since some people were accusing me of 'defending bigotry', I wanted to make a post about bigotry for a while so here we go. First of all, I do really believe that nowadays many things which are called bigotry by Left wing activists and media, isn't really bigotry. For example, legitimate concerns about Jihadism and illegal immigration isn't 'racist bigotry', and similarly valid concerns about seven-year old kids being given hormones and puberty blockers aren't 'transphobic bigotry'. It's important to realize that. However, this my post is dedicated not to distinguishing between what's bigotry and what's not, but to actual bigotry, and why the Woke approach even to that is entirely wrong and very harmful.

I mean that more and more frequent accusations of bigotry are used by Left wing politicians and activists to dehumanize and demonize their political opponents and to kill any empathy for them. For example, 'look at this racist bigot, he's an total asshole' and so on. This approach kills understanding in its cradle and provokes judgmental mentality instead. But, once we start to condemn instead of trying to understand, we are turning into intolerant and hateful bigots ourselves. Again, it doesn't matter whether what we hate deserves to be hated or not - we still hate, we condemn, we lose our empathy and eventually our humanity. Hence, judgmental mentality strips us out of our humanity. To actively condemn and dehumanize 'bigots' as it's trendy now among the Left is a sure way to turn into bigots ourselves. The right way is to UNDERSTAND BIGOTRY and what leads to it instead of hatred and condemnation. It's the only human way.

Bigotry, in its very definition, is irrational and obstinate attachment to certain belief and opinion. It's not necessarily 'hatred of certain group of people' - that was already redefining of the original term by the Left wingers, and in my view this redefinition is somewhat misleading because it prevents us from understanding what bigotry is and why it arises among human beings. But, if we stick to the original meaning, anyone who is attached to some opinions irrationally, can be a bigot. Bigotry in fact is very universal and very human. It's not something which only 'hideous evil assholes' have. Nope, again, anyone can be a bigot, including you and me. Deal with it.

It is obvious of course that not only 'right wingers' can be bigots as well - anyone can turn into a bigot, including Left-wing Woke activists. In fact, I do believe that there are much more bigots among Left wingers and so-called' progressives' now than among right-wingers and conservatives. Indeed, conservatives, being canceled and condemned and castigated by Left-wing dominated society and media, had developed more empathy and now accept many different people in their rows, including open gay and trans people. So, there is not so much of original homophobia and transphobia on the conservative side left. The 'progressive' side, in the contrary, is becoming increasingly hateful and intolerant, and casts people away for slight disagreements with radical Woke dogmas (remember JK Rowling for example - staunch progressive feminist, anti Brexiteer and Trump condemner was canceled and terribly abused by Woke mobs solely for voicing out her views on one single issue - some aspects of trans activism). This example shows us very prominently that nowadays, in fact, conservatives are becoming more tolerant and accepting while progressives - more radical, intolerant, hateful, and...yeah, BIGOTED.

I understand that it might be mind-blowing for some people to realize that. I mean, all mainstream media tells us of bigotry of conservatives, Christians, Republicans and other right wingers. Progressives and Left wingers, in the contrary, are seen as chief fighters against their bigotry. Yeah, some people may even concede that some Left-wing activists might go over the top sometimes - but still, they are fighting for a GOOD CAUSE, they are fighting against bigots, they are not bigots themselves! But alas, they are, and maybe the most bigoted of all bigots, and their own bigotry appears as result of their too active condemnation of others' bigotry.

Again, once we condemn instead of empathizing, judge instead of understanding, we kill our humanity and turn into intolerant, fanatical and obstinate bigots ourselves. When our hatred towards 'bigots' burns too strong, it turns ourselves into the very thing we condemn so much - into bigots. That's why Woke activism with its intolerance and radicalism is so dangerous. It doesn't fight bigotry, it breeds it. The Woke bigots irrationally and obstinately hate all Trump supporters, conservatives and right-wingers - and this fits even extended definition of bigotry as 'irrational hatred of certain group of people'. It's indeed irrational since to claim that all 70 millions of Trump supporters are 'bigoted racists and white supremacists' is indeed absurd and entirely wrong. Yet, Woke activists do that, and, hence, they are bigots who obstinately hate the whole groups of people for no rational reason.

The only way to avoid this trap is to try to understand instead of condemnation. Bigotry, again, is universal prejudice, and every human being (not only 'the other side', not only 'those evil white supremacists'!) can turn bigot provided they lost themselves in their hatred, lost their empathy and their humanity. So how exactly to understand bigotry then?

In my view, bigotry is never 'hatred', not initially at least. It's yet again another harmful and misleading interpretation by the Woke Leftists which serves to dehumanize their political opponents. But in truth, the very basis of bigotry is FEAR. When people feel threatened, they attack. This is how bigotry starts. It's VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS. Everyone can feel threatened. Everyone can be afraid. Hence, everyone can turn into a bigot. For example, homophobia and transphobia stems from one's masculinity/femininity being threatened by gay/trans people. When one is uncertain about one's own masculinity/femininity, they might be prone to attack anyone who doesn't conform to traditional definitions of masculinity/femininity. I faced it on my own experience as a gay man a lot. Yet, Woke activists often dehumanize all homophobes and transphobes simply as 'haters'.

Again, understanding bigotry is not EXCUSING it, there is one more important thing to realize. World isn't black and white, and there are more reactions than condemnation/excuse in this world. Only Woke intolerant Lefties oversimplify things like that. Understanding bigotry is neither its condemnation nor its excuse. It's just its understanding. If we understand how people turn bigots, if we understand that they felt threatened themselves, we can't really hate them. We see where they are coming from. After all, all of us also felt threatened and insecure in our lives. We might even feel pity for them now! Yeah, their actions should still be condemned (but only actions, not people!), and any possible harm they could do should be prevented. But, if we'd always keep in mind what turns people to bigotry and prejudice, if we'd always remember that bigots are just frightened deep inside, we would not succumb to hatred and intolerance. We would always remember that they are also human beings. Hence, we would be able to confront their bigotry without giving in to hatred and bigotry ourselves. It would be also much more effective way - at least because it's easier to fight something which we understand than something which we don't. Also, how much better it would be if we'd turn deluded bigots into compassionate and once again whole human beings than if we had just simply canceled them away, isn't it?