We like to think that good always triumphs over evil, it is an idea inculcated from a very young age, particularly in stories. The truth is, however, that it is evil, most often in the form of hate, that persists. It is not always in a manner that is obvious, take for example the England Men's National Football Team. They are currently competing in the UEFA European Championship 2024 and have just qualified for the semi-final round; they are one of the four best teams in Europe, but you would not know this from the current trend in media where there seems to be a determined effort to make hating the England team and their manager, Gareth Southgate, a cool thing to do. This is not just about tactics or player choices or style of play; it runs much deeper than that. I have read comments from people purporting to be England supporters who use the England Women's National Team as a platform to attack the men's team, and so many others willingly join in with this behaviour.
Sport is not alone in being a hothouse of hate; it is just a very good barometer because it is so public. British politics is also filled with hate. It probably always has been, but never so grubby, so greedy, and so evident as in 2024. None of the major parties are without blame; The Labour Party used hate tactics to remove people like Jeremy Corbyn, and also to attack minority communities resident in Britain like the Bangladeshi . The Conservative Party had become so unashamed of their hatred that they attacked the disabled once again, just before announcing the General Election, and stoked the issue of migrants as a means to attract support despite proving themselves to be the worst government in decades; they deserved their annihilation. Without doubt the most obvious indicator of hate thriving is the return to Westminster of Nigel Farage and the right wing politics that he fronts in the guise of the Reform Party. They too use the fear of immigration to stoke up support, only much more successfully than the Conservatives.
It is easier to count those individuals who, in our shared history, have represented hate at the apex of their societies than those who have spoken for peace and love. Indeed, beyond Mahatma Ghandi, the 14th Dali Lama, and the Reverend Dr., Martin Luther King Jr., I expect most people would struggle to add to that list without turning to Google for examples like Sophie Scholl, who was executed for high treason at the age of 22 by the Nazis for being a member of the White Rose anti-violence movement in 1943. Peace does not appear as sexy as hate.
The cause does not seem to matter, be it sport or politics, the fact is that so many people fall so easily to hate; that is why it persists.
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