To respond to the global outcry sparked by recent racist acts across the United States, Discovery Channel tomorrow night will present a special, Why We Hate: The Reckoning, which will revisit complexities originally explored in its 2019 series, Why We Hate, and highlight current events.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: (L-R) Samuel D. Pollard, Alex Gibney, Steven Spielberg and ... [+]
Executive-produced by Oscar winners Alex Gibney and Steven Spielberg, and directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard (Emmy winners for When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts), Why We Hate explores one of humanity’s most primal and destructive emotions, hate. At the heart of the series is the notion that if people begin to understand their own minds, they can find ways to work against hate and keep it from spreading.
The two-hour, June 21 special will dig more deeply into issues of hate and how we can learn from the science behind people’s actions. Journalist and talk show host Tamron Hall will lead a discussion surrounding themes explored in the original series, bring to light current events and connect series themes to events of today. She will be joined by series guides Jelani Cobb and Sasha Havilcek, producer Will Packer, athlete/activist Brandon Marshall and investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. They will take a 360-degree look at important topics from the series and highlight how its messages can help guide actions in today’s world.
Announcing the June 21 special, Discovery Channel said, “The outcry sparked by the world witnessing one horrific act has created a groundswell of conversation, some uncomfortable, but all important. History demonstrates that hate and conflict is a part of the human experience. From the horrific acts of the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide to the pain of bullying and racial inequality many encounter on a daily basis, we are privy to terrible acts of violence and the fact that all humans have the capacity to hate. But what sparks hate in an individual and transforms it into a destructive force?”
Said Gibney and Spielberg, "Getting to the root of the human condition is something not only fascinating but necessary in understanding who we are. This project is an inquiry, an attempt to understand why we hate, through the science, and through an understanding of our common humanity. Hate is in our DNA. If we understand why we act the way we do, we can change the way we act. That is what we are uniquely capable of as human beings.”
Drawing on cutting-edge journalism, deep historical investigations and ground-breaking research in psychology, biology and neuroscience, Why We Hate traces the evolutionary basis of hatred and its powerful impact on individuals and societies throughout human history. The science behind the behavior is a powerful tool to help us understand what drives conflict, enabling people to have real, tough conversations about these issues and behaviors.
All episodes of Why We Hate are available on Discovery Go and Discovery.com.
