Leaders have always used hate for power, says 'Why We Hate' director Geeta Gandbhir

From Nazi Germany to the Rohingya issue in Myanmar recently, hate has long been a tool for leaders to maintain their hold on power and strengthen their position in society, says director Geeta Gandbhir who explores the primal emotion in her new series "Why We Hate".

The documentary delves deep into the understanding of 'hate' through psychology, biology, and neuroscience studies as well as takes a peek into history to trace its causes and reasons, and also examines contemporary issues such as the emergence of social media.

The six-episode series, which airs on Discovery Channel on October 13, is executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Alex Gibney.

Throughout history, said Gandbhir, political leaders have used hate not just as a tool to acquire power but also as an instrument to dispel criticism and distract the public from the real issues.

"Hate is not a new phenomenon. If you look at our past and even our recent past, this has always been the case. Leaders have always used hate as a tool to maintain power, right? They've always, and this repeats itself," said the Indian-origin filmmaker who is based in London.

"It happened in Nazi Germany, it happened in Rwanda, it happened in Cambodia with the regime of Pol Pot. It has happened recently in Myanmar with the Rohingya. So, you see this time and time again. That's how a leader gets into a new position of power, either by distracting his followers from what really might be happening, or just like a tool to maintain power," Gandbhir told PTI in a telephonic interview from London.

All around the world, the powers that be have always found a certain community or a group to blame for what is wrong in society and sadly, the public has never opposed it, she said.

Gandbhir, who shared an Emmy for editing for the docu-series "When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts", said there is always a scapegoat blamed for various ills -- whether a recession or a war.

"And then people turn on that group and dehumanise them and essentially feel that it is okay to aggress against them and harm them."
"The onus is on us as a society. If we understand how we're being manipulated, then we should speak out about it and take steps to stop it. We elect our leaders and so we have to be really vigilant about who we are putting in power."
"We really have to make sure to fact check, particularly what we read on social media, we have to hold others accountable and not just be susceptible to anything we hear or read."
"The onus is essentially upon us as societies to obviously teach ourselves about these tools and the ways that they can be used for good and bad. At the same time, the onus is also upon the people who create these tools to assure that there are rules around them and how they are used, so they cannot be used to spread hate."
Is there an end to this destructive emotion of hating our societal counterparts?
"We can also make sure that we are vigilant and hold ourselves accountable when these behaviours spiral out of control. We are such group-oriented creatures, we don't always act as individuals."