Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0003-2675-1673
Document Type
Conference Paper
Disciplines
5.4 SOCIOLOGY, Criminology, 5.8 MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS, 6. HUMANITIES, 6.5 OTHER HUMANITIES
Abstract
This 5-minute ‘lightning talk’ considered public and media responses to the Dublin riots of 2023, highlighting how hatred towards far-right agitators and rioters permeated not only social media discourse but also broadsheet journalism and government statements. Using Fintan O’Toole’s commentary as a key example, Brennan critiques the moral framing that legitimises hatred against “the haters,” suggesting it mirrors a pre-democratic cultural logic wherein ideas are seen as autonomous, malevolent forces shaping society. This ‘secular superstition’ constitutes an anti-sociology that erases economic and class contexts, replacing them with aesthetic politics rooted in identity, branding and lifestyle logics. The paper warns that conflating working-class identities with far-right labels risks obscuring class injuries under the guise of combating hate. The paper follows the advice of community organisations who advocates for connection, compassion, and systemic responses over reactive hatred. Hating the haters may ultimately entrench division and distracts from structural injustices.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/h0r1-0p07
Recommended Citation
Brennan, Edward, "Hating the Haters: Media, Polarisation and Class Conflict’ Media, Emotion, Society and Security Lightning Talks in Response to Dublin Riots" (2023). Conference Papers. 59.
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/aaschmedcon/59
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Included in
Film and Media Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Social Media Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons
Publication Details
Media, Emotion, Society and Security (MESS) seminar series on 8 December 2023.
doi:10.21427/h0r1-0p07