The funnel from hate to violence

Ever since I became interested in social justice issues as a young adult, I've been haunted by the idea (the fact?) that it often seems much harder to bring people together in solidarity than to divide them with fear, resentment, hate and the worse angels of our nature. 

Today, we're living in times when hate speech has become normalized and what were once fringe ideas are now spewed in broad daylight. It kind of reminds me of the old story that a frog won't notice when water heats up until it's too late.

 (Please don't try that at home--I love frogs!)

This isn't an original idea by any means, but I think the process by which some people become radicalized into committing acts of violence against targeted groups is like a funnel. In the old days, this was done by hate groups themselves via print, the internet, social media, etc. These would put out a message that a few would pick up on and follow through with violent action, while the groups that prompted it could deny involvement.

That was then and this is now. The process has gone mainstream with major politicians and media outlets casting a wide net using code words  designed to fuel resentment, anger and, yes, hate from people already on edge...then shed crocodile tears or issue angry denials when the violence happens. 

Here's a good analysis of how the process works. Unfortunately, at this point not much progress has been made on how to reverse the process, while the drum beat of resentment keeps getting louder and what were once dog whistles have become sirens.