Contempt is Ruining Our Politics

The central insight of Arthur Brooks's latest book, “Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America From the Culture of Contempt,” is that there is a categorical difference between anger and contempt. Anger, he writes, “is an emotion that occurs when we want to change someone's behavior and believe we can do so.” Consider a fight with a spouse or a friend: “If you were upset and got angry, was your goal to push her out of your life entirely? Did you suppose that the person was motivated by her hatred for you? Of course not.” Anger at least engages. Contempt “attempts to mock, shame, and permanently exclude from...