For the purpose of this post, I attempted to find an accurate Slang to English translation for the commonly used urban idiom "hate" (as in "to hate on someone"). Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in finding a truly authentic definition. UrbanDictionary.com has several lackluster expositions of the word, none coming remotely close to capturing it's true meaning.
Hate, as used in the urban vernacular, means an irrational, dislike for a person, place or thing. The dislike typically originates somewhere between the unconscious and subconscious levels of our brain. A perfect example - you see a woman on the street who, without meeting her, you instantly dislike. Your brain, being a machine dedicated to rationalization, begins to find fault in the innocent by stander (a popular rationale among female offenders: "She thinks she's cute"), and upon finding an adequate reason, you feel justified for your original "gut instinct".
There is a problem however and that of course is the fact that your brain can't always be trusted, specifically because it works on so many levels (obvious, stealth, and completely oblivious - for examples). Many times our inability to tap into our subconscious and unconscious lead us to believe that our "gut instincts" are legitimate and unbiased. More times than not, though, our "gut instincts" are dictated by some unrecognizable yet rational factor.
For instance - perhaps said woman on the street has some similar facial features as your old biology professor who gave you a B- instead of the A you felt you rightfully deserved. If you are only aware of such facial similarities on a subconscious or unconscious level, then your previous "instinctual" dislike for the woman is actually both premeditated and prejudiced.
Blog Prima Donna, Belle of A Belle in Brooklyn, wrote a nice post on the negative effects of hate within the social constructs of Black females. She speaks honestly about her own bouts with judgment from the perspective of both judge and judged. Many of her readers comment to make the point that "hate" can also be the manifestation of our own insecurities - an emotional defense mechanism to ward off our own feelings of inadequacy. Of course, this too is true, and our defense is also typically derived from our unconscious.
At the end of her blog, Belle asks her readers a question. Is it possible that we as woman can break the bad habit of hate? To be honest, I don't think we have that much control over our basic human functions. We must remember that we are only human - hostage to the best and worst of human nature; we all feel inadequacy, jealousy, anxiety, shame - and sometimes the triggers for such feelings can be just some random person on the street, or a friend. What we can do, however, is realize that "hate" is not as irrational as we like to think it is, and commit ourselves to think more critically about from where our hate possibly derives.
In the mean time, smile at the target of your hate and recognize that by doing so, you've made yourself a better person.
Hate happens...
Hate. Reason. Release.
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