The Architecture of Hatred

Incubators of hatred do not operate like factories where raw material enters at one end and a terrorist emerges at the other.

Reality is far more complex.

Hatred is not taught in a single lesson, nor does it depend on one textbook, one sermon, or one charismatic leader. It is the product of a long, repetitive, and remarkably sophisticated process in which every institution contributes a different piece to the same puzzle.

The process reminds me of the construction of a medieval cathedral. No individual mason ever built the cathedral. Each laid only a few stones. Yet, over time, those individual efforts became a magnificent—and enduring—structure.

Incubators of hatred are built in much the same way.

The family transmits memory.

Schools organize the narrative.

Religion may provide transcendence.

Political movements identify the enemy.

The media amplify the message.

Social media repeat it thousands of times each day.

And war continuously supplies fresh images, new victims, and new reasons to keep resentment alive.

Viewed in isolation, none of these institutions is sufficient to explain radicalization.

Together, however, they form an ecosystem.

The first stone in that structure is memory.

Every community chooses what it remembers. No collective........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)