For much of my life I have wondered what exactly triggers the rage engendered in certain portions of our population by any individual exhibiting behavior or characteristics that can be qualified as being “different”. I have even asked these individuals what is the source of their disproportionate dislike… what is it about person X that you find so very distasteful? I have often been surprised by those answers though, as most seem so very illogical and obviously false that any rational human being would see the flaws in their stated argument and simply trail off… but they never do.
Initially, I assumed that I had originally misread the intelligence of the person I was conversing with and my estimation of their mental capabilities would plummet… but I’m not sure that was completely correct. Yes, they just stated some complete garbage with absolute conviction, but some of these people are quite intelligent otherwise… so why did they just say something so very stupid, and why are they looking at me in a kind of pleading way, as if to say “PLEASE tell me I’m right and you agree”? It’s the last part that set me to explore the theory I propose here today.
So why would an otherwise intelligent individual represent some fairy tale or obvious fallacy as the truth? And why are they looking at me in that wistfully intense way that shows they REALLY need me to validate their little fantasy?
It was a documentary about the habits of packs/herds that finally triggered it, where the group turns on itself to rid it of those individuals that are different. The pack of mice that turn on the one differently colored one, the herd of wildebeests that kick out the aged and infirm. We understand these actions now. It’s a necessary part of evolution for animals. The color aspect weeds out the genetic mutations that could weaken the pack. And the old/infirm are a drain on the herd and endanger all members.
Do you see the similarities here?
I put forth that if we could speak with a mouse, or a wildebeest, that they would be unable to provide a rational argument for their actions either, as they were simply a victim of instinct. If pressed however, I’d bet they would eventually latch on to any rationale that would in any way validate their instinctual reactions… regardless of its logic, or lack thereof.
So if that is indeed the driving force for these individuals’ rage, it’s not so much that they believe any reasoning that they espouse… but that they MUST have a reason, or admit to themselves (and to society at large) that they have no control over their baser instincts. The sad truth would be that they simply don’t know why they hate the gays/blacks/immigrants/women/etc… they just do.
To that end, I have come to the conclusion that these homophobes, racists, misogynists, xenophobes, etc. are all merely a strain of human that have a stronger instinctual reaction factor than the rest of us. They are “instinctually challenged” as it were, or maybe “throwbacks”, or we can just call them what they are… “evolutionarily retarded”. And before anyone gets up in arms about the term “retarded”, I’m using only the most basic definition (delayed, held-up, slowed) and in no way imply there is any abnormal psychology and/or physical handicap.
Please understand that this in no way should be used to condone their actions… but it does go a long way to understanding why they act as they do, and why ANY form of disagreement with their “views” is usually met with such blind ferocity. You are not just disagreeing with their “views”, you are systematically disassembling their whole dysfunctional world.