Why is there so much hatred and conflict in the world?

[spaximus]

I think there has always been hatred and division but these days it is so much easier to get others on your side.

The current mess in universities around the world is a shining example of how the internet has connected people to hate Jews and to jump on the Palestinian side because that is the popular view.

They miss the point they are being manipulated and feel left out if they do not join in. We see it all the time, a change of picture on FB and you are in that gang. Yesterday we saw too old women trying to damage a copy of the Magna Carta for Just Stop Oil I suggest they were used as no one would like to see them jailed

Greed is a problem but when has it ever not been and fighting over resource will never stop.

Is it any worse probably not but it seems that way

[leef44]

I don't think there is more hate and more war. It's just that it's got more efficient to action.

Hate is amplified with internet access. So much more instant and so much more fake news to absorb.

War is more accessible with drone technology and increased global business in arms trade e.g. US wants Israel to stop bombing Palestinian civilians but it can't afford to stop selling bombs to them.

[Randy Winkman]

My 87 year old mother made a point something like the OP and I reminded her she grew up in WWII when millions of people were being gassed. We then had the Korean War, Vietnam, the Falklands War, Gulf war etc etc

[lizardbrain]

By what objective metric is conflict increasing globally?

[Kermit power]

Rufus Stone said:

I can't help wondering if it's because the current generations have no knowledge of the atrocities of large scale war. I think the human race is regressing not progressing. You might think that globalisation of business and largely worldwide access to information and people via the internet would make people realise that we are one planet and need to get along, but the red lines on the map are just getting brighter.

Sorry, you've got me confused...

Looking purely at this country, the Boer war generation led us into the WW1, the junior officers that they led in that conflict led us into WW2, which was then followed up by Korea, although they at least had the sense to steer clear of Vietnam...

And you think there's more hatred and conflict in the world today?

[Halmyre]

Some people are s.

[Wacky Racer]

ChocolateFrog said:

Religion.

Mostly, religion.

Jews v Arabs

Protestants v Catholics

Hindus v Muslims

Sunni Muslims v Shia Muslims

[......]

One of the critical factors in defining Human interpersonal dynamics is the "us and them" dynamic. A second critical factor needed in Human interpersonal dynamics is a common goal and vision to work towards. A third is the desire for material self-improvement. Carrot and stick incentives tweaking each of these at macro-scales has been a tool of those in positions of power to impose their will for as long as there have been positions of power.

The objectively correct behaviour should have been to institute one world government towards the end of the 1800s, and certainly at the end of WW2, when we became the potential agents of our own annhilation.

And now we look to WW3, knowing WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones.

Sigh.

We could have all the rocks, but our lusts and hatreds blind our vision to only want to increase our sliver of one rock...

What fools we are.

[smifffymoto]

I’m not certain there is more conflict,what has changed is our access to news and instant updates.
This gives us the impression things are more uncertain and more violent.

[Rufus Stone]

Kermit power said:

Sorry, you've got me confused...

Looking purely at this country, the Boer war generation led us into the WW1, the junior officers that they led in that conflict led us into WW2, which was then followed up by Korea, although they at least had the sense to steer clear of Vietnam...

And you think there's more hatred and conflict in the world today?

I didn't say there was.

My point is that the word is getting 'smaller' yet conflict appears to be increasing. Why is that?

[MikeT66]

IMHO, a relatively small number of people with far too much power, money and influence who suffer little to no consequences of their actions, leaving everyone else as merely pawns on the chessboard. I don't think there's any conspiracy to setting those less fortunate against each other (either by religion, race or nationality) but think they are definitely using the strife to their benefit. Globalisation , IMHO, is a disaster for the average working family and has only benefitted the rich and powerful, who can use tax schemes and ever-cheaper wages as a tool to gain ever more.

Wars are stoked by greed (as mentioned), and (again IMHO) manipulated (particularly in USA) by globalist companies seeking more resources - the benefits of which will never reach the ones doing the fighting and dying.

Some folks are born made to wave the flag
They're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"
They point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one

Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, yeah
But when the taxman comes to the door
The house look a like a rummage sale

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one

Yeah, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes
They send you down to war
And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?"
They only answer, "More, more, more"

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, one

[Randy Winkman]

Wacky Racer said:

ChocolateFrog said:

Religion.

Mostly, religion.

Jews v Arabs

Protestants v Catholics

Hindus v Muslims

Sunni Muslims v Shia Muslims

But are the wars really about religion? Hitler, Stalin and Mao - were they that bothered about religion? And is the thing in Gaza actually about religion? Or the conflict in Northern Ireland? Isn't it commonplace for different nations to have differing religions and then have wars about power/land/resources? But that doesn't mean the wars are about religion.

[Pit Pony]

Halmyre said:

Some people are s.

Some?

Most.

[Kermit power]

Wacky Racer said:

ChocolateFrog said:

Religion.

Mostly, religion.

Jews v Arabs

Protestants v Catholics

Hindus v Muslims

Sunni Muslims v Shia Muslims

It's not fundamentally religion. I'd say it's more tribalism, and religion just happens to be one of the easier metrics by which to define a tribe.

Take the holocaust as the most obvious example. The Nazis' actions against the Jews had absolutely nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with wanting an easy "other" to blame for everything that afflicted post-WW1 Germany. It's worth remembering that by the start of the Nazi rise to power, Germany itself had only existed as a nation for some 60 years, and whilst WW1 did a lot to create a sense of one Germany, there were still quite a lot of people who thought of themselves primarily as Prussian, Baverian or whatever, so in a very diverse nation, the 1% Jews were a very convenient tool to unify the other 99%.

Then roll forward to 9/11, the War on Terror and all that. On the surface really easy to blame on crazy religious Muslims, but would any of it ever have happened without the tribalism of the Cold War?

Would Iran be sponsoring terrorists today without the US & British coup of 1953 overthrowing their democratically elected government to protect their oil interests? The 1979 Revolution certainly used religious tribalism as the rallying call, but it wasn't based on any sort of inherent belligerent requirements of Islam.

Move forward from that and you've got loads of ongoing US Imperial interference in the region through things like the Iran/Iraq war, the Soviet/US proxy war fought through the mujahadeen in Afghanistan. Again, not caused by religion, but Islam became a useful tribal banner under which to unify opposing tribal groups into resisting the Soviet invasion.

Jump forwards and again Gulf War 1 - not remotely religiously motivated of course - lights the touch paper for the likes of Bin Laden to rally support against an alleged American war on Islam which of course got supercharged by the false WMD claims and GW2.

It would be easy for an alien arriving today to look at the situation and blame the whole thing on religion, but in reality, secular Western imperialist tribalism did most of the job of weaponising religion.

[Derek Smith]

Randy Winkman said:

Wacky Racer said:

ChocolateFrog said:

Religion.

Mostly, religion.

Jews v Arabs

Protestants v Catholics

Hindus v Muslims

Sunni Muslims v Shia Muslims

But are the wars really about religion? Hitler, Stalin and Mao - were they that bothered about religion? And is the thing in Gaza actually about religion? Or the conflict in Northern Ireland? Isn't it commonplace for different nations to have differing religions and then have wars about power/land/resources? But that doesn't mean the wars are about religion.

Back in the day, religions ruled countries. The popes ruled Europe. The 3rd (?) crusade was the western pope attacking the eastern pope, with various dispensations given to those who killed most catholics of the eastern lot. One chap was highly praised by said pope for killing everyone in a particular church, and riding his horse through the piled-up bodies, meaning that the blood was up to his horse's withers. Once religions were on the wane, nations took over the responsibility of organising mass slaughters of innocents.

There was a teacher in America who sectioned her class by eye-colour. By simple statements she turned one group against the other. Wouldn't be allowed now of course, but sort of explains everything. Full film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mcCLm_LwpE , and hour long, or you could search under Jane Elliott discrimination experiment for more condensed versions.

Be warned: scary stuff on more than one level.

[Slowboathome]

Randy Winkman said:

But are the wars really about religion? Hitler, Stalin and Mao - were they that bothered about religion? And is the thing in Gaza actually about religion? Or the conflict in Northern Ireland? Isn't it commonplace for different nations to have differing religions and then have wars about power/land/resources? But that doesn't mean the wars are about religion.

Yus.

I simply don't believe that the violence in Northern Ireland between two types of Christians was anything to do with their disagreements on the doctrine of transubstantiation of the significance of the Virgin Mary.

See also post-code gangs.

Humans seemed to be wired to gang up against one another.

[Rufus Stone]

Slowboathome said:

Yus.

I simply don't believe that the violence in Northern Ireland between two types of Christians was anything to do with their disagreements on the doctrine of transubstantiation of the significance of the Virgin Mary.

See also post-code gangs.

Humans seemed to be wired to gang up against one another.

You just made me think of Gary Glitter.

[nikaiyo2]

Rufus Stone said:

Sad really. Why can't we identify as one tribe of planet earth? Maybe we need to be formally visited by extra-terrestrials for that to happen.

Partly because genetics force us to be wary of those who are different. If you think about there was aHUGE advantage to this.

Also isn’t the fact the world changes every few hundred miles not what makes it a wonderful place? If we all identify as one surely that would reduce those differences and make the world far duller place.

[andyA700]

In his farewell speech in 1961, US President Dwight Eisenhour warned the World about the rise of the "Military Industrial Complex" - he was right.

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/presi...

[rdjohn]

200bhp said:

Slowboathome said:

I see it on a global scale and locally, in family relationships and intimate ones too. And I include myself in that.

I think it's a combination of factors:

- we're chimps with extra processing power. And chimps are aggressive.

- we've not evolved to deal with the 21st century.

- less than perfect parenting.

- loss of important social structures

Religion - You missed the most divisive thing in the world that causes many, many conflicts and wars.

While perfectly true, I think the next war will be about resources with Russia and China, with India sitting on the fence to check which way the wind is blowing.

My worry is that the west are sleep-walking into this. By the time that NATO can agree on a common policy, it will be too late. I believe that had NATO made plain to Russia that they would provide air cover to Ukraine in the event of an invasion, it would been sufficient deterrent for Putin. He gave plenty of notice of his intentions before the attack. Now many lives have been lost and Moscow has now set itself up to manufacture effective weapons on a mass scale and formed good relations with China and Iran together withany any other nutters - North Korea