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Group X has been historically oppressed and marginalized by some folks from group A. Horrible things have been done to them. They resist however they can, but lacking real leadership, they respond by unleashing floodgates of their hatred upon everyone associated with group A.
Group X ends up allying with anyone willing to visit pain or vengeance upon group A. They end up cheering every time group A is hurt. A dictator? A terrorist? A foreign invasion? An earthquake? They deserve it. And so group X ends up stuck in a spiral of hate and vengeance.
But then, hate and vengeance are self-perpetuating, so this ends up producing enough hatred and counter-hatred to turn group A decidedly in the same direction. This has real world effects - violence, segregation, trauma.
But also, the hate become part of your identity, and so it becomes a powerful tool of social control. If you refuse to hate, your loyalty to your group is called into question. You're a traitor to your group. Did you forget about all the blood your people have spilled?
This sinkhole of hatred, violence, and radicalization can spin for generations, even centuries. Who benefits? Well, the corrupt leadership of both groups. You see, when everyone's hatred is directed outwards, corrupt damogogic leaders thrive. Nobody's challenging them.
And this continues until someone from within the groups is willing to show the courage and moral leadership necessary to say - stop. History tells us that in many (most?) cases, these brave leaders end up losing their lives, even as they inspire a generation.
Underneath every cycle of violence is a cycle of hatred, and behind every cycle of hatred is a tragic failure of moral leadership. A poverty of leadership. And, a few cynical power-hungry demagogues looking to exploit grievances to boost their own power.
Life is too short to wallow in hatred. What a miserable life that is. Your response to oppression should be resistance - yes, stiff resistance - but also more humanity. The moment you dehumanize your opponents, you've dehumanized yourself.
