Asked of me on Quora, 17Mar2022

“Why are people so comfortable with being hateful?”

People are very uncomfortable with uncertainty. Taking a simple, direct, “stand" on an issue or cause gives them a sense of certainty. Self-righteous certainty is a simple and direct philosophy.

The place where people get set against each other is rooted in their childhood environment and experiences.

People with a lot of painful childhood experiences, whether physical or emotional, or both, have an undercurrent of hurt and a desire to fight back against their mistreatments, even decades later.