I suppose we all have a tendency to demonize. It's important to find something wrong with the other person, or something they did as a teenager, or with something their ancestors did (even if our own ancestors did it, too). If we can find something to make them look bad, and we always can if we look hard enough, then we can feel better about ourselves.

And after all, isn't that what's important, to feel good about ourselves, even if it's at the expense of others?

As lox says, nothing makes self-righteous people more angry than seeing somebody do or say something good. Well said, lox.

I apologize publicly for having been a Boy Scout, because of all those horrible things the Boy Scouts say about homosexuals. And even though I've never held those homophobic opinions and eventually parted with the Scouts because of their right-wing stances, I must hang my head in shame and never have any feeling of self worth, because I was a Boy Scout. I'm so ashamed of myself. I'll have to flagellate myself nightly for going on all those campouts as a kid, and singing "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" and cooking that homophobic foil-wrapped stew.

I dunno. All that guilt about the past misdeeds of my ancestors and associates takes too much energy. Maybe I'll just see what good I can do today, show compassion for those who have been hurt in the past, and do what I can to help them face the future. Yes, I had some friends who turned out to be sex offender priests, and I'm very sorry for the harm they caused and will do what I can to heal the people they hurt. I am ashamed and embarrassed and outraged about what they did, but I can't heal anything by wallowing in shame.

-Joe-