Hate: what is it good for?

What makes the world go round? Is it love or is it money? Is it hate? Probably, it is elements of all three if you look at the global picture.

While hate doesn’t usually rock the West Island, there has been a disturbing report coming out of Dorval and Pointe Claire. It seems a young person has distributed cards with URLs of websites that promote and advocate anti-Semitism and racism.

Police are investigating the incident and believe they have identified the individual who distributed the cards — but it is not clear yet if they can charge him with a crime. Since, on paper, he is only distributing website addresses and not actual racist writings, the question authorities will have to determine is whether they can charge him with hate crimes based upon his actions.

Regardless, the incident should spark much-needed debate about racism and, just as importantly, the need to monitor websites and the Internet, from everything from child porn to inappropriate comments about teachers by students.

The world has changed. Ideas that were only available to a finite number of observers, ideas posted on the web are open to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

Hate is just one of the ills being spread by the web, which has become the number-one communications tool for, well, most everyone.

That said, where does all this hate come from? Do people in contemporary society realize that hate is bred from ignorance and fuelled by fear? The best way to combat the tide of anger in the world is to understand your neighbour and to walk a mile in their shoes. �