Bush-Contempt, Kerry-Scorn: Is It Hate Thought?
By Gary Alan Fine
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1018/p09s01-coop.html
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Have you felt what the author calls “political loathing” toward someone who ran for public office? What experiences, values, or beliefs underlie this loathing? What effect might your hatred have had on your relationships with others? On how you view yourself?
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“When was the last time you had a vigorous, abhorrence-free conversation with someone you regarded as on the “other side” of the partisan divide? What inner and outer barriers did you have to surmount even to participate in that conversation? What did you appreciate or value about the experience?
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The author mentions political gridlock and more difficult political transitions as two negative consequences of a “politics of passion” that translates “policy difference into claims of extremism.” Do you share these views? Why? Do other consequences concern you?
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When have you been captured by what the author views as “the illusion of great or evil men that ignores the flawed humanity of each of us, politician or voter”? What makes, or might make, it possible for you to believe that a political leader with whom you passionately disagree and/or have loathed is acting with good intentions?
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Can you describe a time in your life when you discovered something distressingly “bad’ about someone you idealized or something surprisingly “good” about someone you detested? What did you do with this realization?
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How much of what you believe to be true about public figures comes from first-hand knowledge and how much from “parasocial interaction”? Where do your “parasocial” beliefs come from?
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The author suggests that our “media-saturated society” gives us an emotional connection with public figures that exceeds what we actually know about them. How is this true for you? Are you aware of times when you had doubts or uncertainties about your opinions of a public person? What makes it hard for you to acknowledge the limits of your knowledge?
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Have you been on the receiving end of hatred because of your political affiliation? What stands out about that experience? What do you wish those who disagree with you could understand about your candidate’s beliefs, values, and worldviews? About you as a person? What do you imagine those who disagree with you wish you understood about them?
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Do you share the author’s concerns about how young people may have been affected by the climate of political loathing? Why? What do you hope the young people in your life have learned about how to interact (and how not to interact) with those with whom they disagree?
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What were you taught about people who were elected to public office? What attitudes do you want to instill in the next generation? Why?
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What questions does this article raise for you? If Gary Alan Fine were here, what question would you ask him to deepen your understanding of his views?
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