The smear merchants from the left side of the political aisle in America have presented us with an ugly picture of themselves as bigoted hatemongers.  It is apparent that the mudslingers from the self-righteous left are intent on framing those from the right as hateful bigots while failing to recognize their own rampant and savage bigotry.

There is no denying that bigotry exists in all of us.  It is worldwide and as old as humankind. We are bigots the moment we look down on another because of their race, religion, sex, social status, or beliefs.  Bigotry is visible in all societies and not limited by sex or caste.

Consider the hatred between some Muslims and Jews, Irish Catholics and Irish Protestant, and the Iraqis and Iranians.  Bigotry is not limited to the present. Hitler and his followers’ hatred of the Jews, the Athenians warring with the Spartans and the Punic wars between the maritime states of Carthage and Rome are but a few examples of this human failing that violates every human being directly or indirectly during their lifetime.  

Serious problems occur when we fail to recognize our own bigotry.  I freely admit that I think Democrat beliefs and policies are offensive and downright stupid.  I am a bigot.  However, I do not hate Democrats and certainly do not wish them any harm.   It is painfully apparent that mouthy celebrities, sanctimonious politicians and the ludicrous “hate Trump media” have descended into the world of malignant hatred. These gaslighting specialists not only lie proficiently but promote political violence against those that do not ascribe to their beliefs.

This brand of hatred and deception is a result of the projection of their own unrecognized bigotry onto their perceived enemies.  Each time they call Donald Trump and his supporters “haters,” you can witness their vile and offensive hatred.  If it weren’t so dangerous, it would be funny to watch these clowns exiting their clown-cars each and every day to launch their polarizing torpedoes of hate at Trump and his supporters.

C.G. Jung, a pioneer of psychology and psychiatry, called this projection of our own unknown self a “Splinter Personality.”  If we are unable or unwilling to recognize our own bigotry, we conveniently project it onto others.  The following quote illustrates this perfectly.  “For over five years this man has been chasing around Europe like a madman in search of something he could set on fire.”  Unbelievably, these words were spoken by Hitler describing Winston Churchill.

There were millions of U.S. citizens who voted for Obama in 2008 who were upset to learn that he was reelected in 2012 and that the country would have to endure four more years of his odious policies. However, disappointment did not turn into primal fear, terror, and out-of-control hatred.  That is what the country has had to witness with the election of Donald J. Trump -- malignant hatred for the candidate whom the left did not support.  Too often, the hatred aimed at Trump is by default projected onto his supporters, e.g., immediately after the Pittsburgh massacre, Trump supporters were blamed for “Nazi Vandalism.”  

The ubiquitous hatred coming from left-wing media, politicians and Hollywood types is astonishing. There seems to be no sense of personal responsibility for their part in dividing the country.  Unfortunately, as long as their own bigotry resides in the unconscious, there is no hope of lifting the need to project their “splinter personality” onto others.  This cripples their ability to see others who have differing beliefs without poisonous hatred.

The best means of discovering our “splinter-self’ is psychoanalysis.  For most of us, this is a luxury we cannot afford or are unwilling to commit to.  For those of us who do not long for another to guide us into the unconscious, an effective means of discovering what it is we cannot admit in ourselves is to take note of which qualities in “the other” make us excessively and obsessively angry and irritated.  If we then take an honest look at ourselves, we will usually find that we have similar qualities that we project onto others.

When we become conscious of the characteristics that we are projecting onto others, projections will automatically be withdrawn.   It then becomes possible to see the objects of our hatred objectively.  We still may consider them as unpleasant, stupid, and even crazy, but the excessive hatred will be lifted, along with the desire to destroy.