This conversation, spurred by a reworking of the old saying ‘It takes one to know one’ got me thinking this morning:

A conversation about haters (click to read at storify.com)

 

I reckon Nick Denton is RIGHT. (‘Takes one to hate one.’) Or enough right that it’s worth doing a self-audit, so:

How much of my own intolerances are a result of my ‘dislike’ of my own weaknesses or past weaknesses in any particular area?

This is another dimension of the sort of psycho-babble I find interesting such as The Paradox of Animosity examining the thought: Choose your enemies carefully, because you will become like them.

There’s no question that the dubious moral justification for dodgy deeds that Chris Trotter referred to recently (broadly: ‘They’re crooked, so we’re justified in being crooked too’) is a human moral affliction far wider than political discourse — it’s deployed to justify all sorts of dishonest actions, not just debate.

The idea that a kind of angry hyper-sensitivity (amplified intolerance?) is a result of self-loathing is certainly another spin on the cliché about reformed cigarette smokers (addicts) becoming highly intolerant of smokers.

Q: Does my intolerance of [fill-in-the-gap] — besides being just argumentativeness — stem from some aspect of myself that I don’t happily accept?

Hey, don’t misunderstand: I’m not agonizing over this, just interested in the idea. Any thoughts?

– P