Ideologies of hate often present themselves as ideologies of justice. The justice is invariably justice for some group or set of groups.

But the ideology’s concern for these groups can seem inconsistent and illogical.

The groups may suffer all kinds of tragic events. But only some of the events are noticed and inspire energetic response. The groups may suffer a variety of chronic problems. But which problems become issues of concern seems to have nothing to do with severity. It is almost arbitrary. Serious problems are ignored, while relatively trivial problems provoke extreme outrage. Even attitudes toward public figures seems inconsistent. A politician or celebrity who is adored one day is despised or loathed the next. Or the reverse.

To find the consistency, ignore the positive rhetoric  — the care for the harmed or love of the admired. Instead, focus on the villains of the stories. The villains are the real protagonists, not the victims and heroes. Hate, not love or compassion, drives the plot.

Ideologies of hate look for opportunities to make their hate look like virtuousness. Where the opportunity to hate is lacking, interest dissipates, and virtues do not appear.

If you’re seeing this pattern in your own political tribe, it can be helpful to remember that most movements are made up of a variety of ideologies, some driven by positive goals, and some driven by pure hate. Hate can be very powerful, and it is tempting to harness that power.

Susan said “this makes so much sense of Progressivism. It is for women, but only when it can be against men. It is for POCs, but only when it can be against white people. It is for Palestinians, but only when it can be against Israelis. It is for Kamala, but only when it can be against Trump.”

That’s the formula: A hate ideology is for X only when it can be against Y.