Hating the word Hate

Hate: the dictionary defines the word as, "to dislike intensely or passionately; to have an extreme aversion to, or extreme hostility toward."

It also means to "be unwilling."



People say they hate a lot of things...everything from spinach, to political extremism  But what are they really saying? Do they just dislike something, or are they willing to commit violence over this item, or are they just unwilling to change their opinion about said idea or thought?



I dislike tomatoes. But it is because I do not like the taste nor texture of them. But should I say that I "hate" them? By saying so, would it not stand to reason that I would want to do violence to anyone that did like tomatoes? Or going as  far as blowing up a tomato processing plant?  Silly? Possibly.  But the same connotation is there when you say you "hate {fill in the blank}" as when an extremist say that he "hates Americans" and wants to do violence to any American, just because that is what's done.



Don't get me wrong. It is ok to extremely dislike some ideas and thoughts and practices. Social injustice, for example. Crimes against someone based on outward appearances or inward beliefs. I get that. There are social remedies that don't include violence or extreme behavior to counter such issues.  But just "hating" someone or something, or being a "hater" and the violence associated with "hating" is just intolerance at its  basic level, with an unwillingness to accept differences to outward refusal of said differences at the other end of the spectrum.



I guess what I am trying to say is this: think before you speak. Why are you saying what you are saying? Is it just parroting what someone else has said? Is it just trying to be accepted and "cool"? If more people just thought about what they were saying, perhaps there would be less "hate" in the world. Just my opinion.