BP Should Be Hated

Noah Blumenthal, writing for AOL News, has penned an uplifting and inspirational column against hate. While his intentions are genuine, Mr. Blumenthal's inclusion of the BP oil disaster in his "trend of hate" is misguided. I agree that there is a detrimental trend, particularly in politics, to invoke hate carelessly or for diabolical reasons. Too often, pundits and politicians rally supporters to their cause using hate rather than engaging in a discussion of the issues and explaining why their view is more beneficial to society than the opposition. This type of hate message will not build anything great and, worse, prevents intelligent and substantive discussions from occurring. However, hate has a positive side and plays an essential role in building productive societies.

Mr. Blumenthal is confusing those who wield hate as a power tool, and those who hate because their way of life has been attacked. There is a difference between Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh calling Obama a Nazi, and hating Adolf Hitler. Glenn and Rush are savvy spinsters diabolically wielding hate to further their own personal agendas, a despicable practice. In contrast, Adolf Hitler was one of the most destructive politicians of all time, systematically seeking to eradicate entire cultures and ways of life, and deserves to be hated. I think that my hatred toward Glenn and Rush for undermining society, and Adolf Hitler for destroying it, it well placed.

Further, this hate toward Hitler, for example, actually contributed in a positive way to society. Mr. Blumenthal is correct to recognize the destructive power of hate as used in current political discourse and call for constructive leadership, but he fails to recognize the beneficial aspects of hate. Modern concepts of human rights adopted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 derive in large part from the hatred toward Nazi practices. Hate, properly channeled, can be a powerfully constructive force.

I hate BP for valuing profits over corporate citizenship, for its corruption, for lying about the spill and its disingenuous "efforts" to clean it up. I firmly believe that hating BP and its way of business will help us achieve a cleaner, more sustainable and independent energy future.

I HATE BP.

[AOL News]