I recently saw this post on my social media stream from a fellow in Australia:
Dear Americans. You think everybody loves you. We don’t. We hate you.
I give this man credit for his efficiency. Offending 330 million people in 12 words.
But he inspired me to tell you a story about me and Russia. It changed my worldview and might provide some insight into hating people on social media …
I meet the Russians
About ten years ago, I was invited by a well-known European brand to provide a marketing workshop to their regional leaders. The conference would be held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
I had been to Russia several times, but this was a period of particular tension. I worried about making it through passport control and customs. Would an American even be allowed into the country? My wife did not want me to go on the trip.
But my travel was fine, and when I immersed myself in the country and its people, I had a great time. In fact, I was welcomed with open arms and treated like a king. During my workshop, I made many new friends from Belarus, Kazakstan, Azerbaijan, and other nations in the region. I still keep in touch with them.
The city of Saint Petersburg was filled with ads for American movies and TV shows. American music blared from the taxicab radios. People were curious and eager to ask me questions about my country. They wanted to practice their English.
I’ve visited 79 different countries and spent significant time in places like China, Venezuela, Japan, and India, in addition to Russia. And here is what I found: people everywhere are just trying to get by. They love their children. They suffer, they celebrate, they like making new friends … even from America. People are people.
The source of hate
So why all the hate? Why would somebody hate Americans? Why do four in 10 Americans hate the Chinese? I propose that most of it is politics. Here is the most effective political strategy — create a common enemy.
In an article called “Inventing the Enemy,” UK author Charles Leon wrote:
“Trump is following a long line of world leaders who have sought to align our allegiances with theirs by inventing an enemy. He is a master at it and a master of the sound bite. Whether it’s the far left, the communists, the far right, or the Democrats in the USA; or the so-called “looney-left” or “champagne socialists,” they are the objects of our derision… and our unification. Enemies unite us in a common cause.
“Generally, we will assign lower status, physically and mentally, to our enemies. They are ugly, they have physical features that may be different from ours, even to the point of saying they are deformed, sub-human. They have immoral rituals, perform strange rites, and have different customs. We assign derogatory names to them. This type of language, and so much more, is used to confirm our collective unity, values, superiority, and status as a group — in effect our “tribe.”
In politics, hate is good for business.
Most of the time, hate for a nation or a group of people isn’t coming from the common people building their lives in those nations. It’s from a handful of politicians who must create enemies to survive.
The plan for hating people on social media
Let’s get back to this guy from Australia. I’ve visited this country four times and love it. I think if I had a few beers with this fellow at a beach barbecue, we would probably be great friends. I mean, why not?
Would he hate me? It seems impossible. I can understand why somebody would hate the politicians creating these divides and anger between our nations. But should you really hate me and my fellow Americans? Should you hate the people who live in China or Russia? Of course not.
So, the ultimate plan for hating people online is never to do it. We are positively connected in more ways than the issues that divide us.
The true problems
I want to be clear that I am not dismissing true political, economic, and military threats. There is overwhelming evidence of cyber attacks, political interference, and economic disruptions in the U.S. and many other countries. I’m sure America is engaging in some of this, too. That stuff, we should hate. But again, those problems are not being caused by those of us baking bread, fixing the plumbing, writing our blogs, and caring for our elderly parents every day.
To my friend in Australia, give us a chance. I think we would like you, and I think you would like us. Come stay with me for a few days. We’ll work it out.
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Illustration courtesy MidJourney.