Building bridges of understanding

Free screening of “Anatomy of Hate” at LHU

March 2, 2012

Lock Haven University’s Office of Human and Cultural Diversity, in cooperation with the President’s Commission on LGBT Issues and the Student Activities Office, is sponsoring a showing of the film “Anatomy of Hate: A Dialogue to Hope” on Tuesday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m., in the Hall of Flags.

A personal appearance by the filmmaker will make the showing of the film especially powerful because of his added insight.  A reception will begin at 6:30 pm.

The film is free and open to the campus and community. 

“Anatomy of Hate: A Dialogue to Hope” is an award-winning documentary by independent filmmaker Mike Ramsdell. According to the film’s website, the film “reveals the shared narratives found in individual and collective ideologies of hare, and how we as a species can overcome them.”  The site adds that “the filmmaker worked with unprecedented access to some of the most venomous and violent conflicts of our time including the White Supremacist movement, Christian Fundamentalism as an anti-gay platform, Muslim Extremism, the Palestinian Intifada, Israeli Settlers and Soldiers, and U.S. Forces in Iraq.”

In his director’s statement, Ramsdell says that he has “chosen to look at the psychological, physiological and biological mechanisms shared by our entire species, mechanisms which inform the creation of hate groups.” He says we create “mythological jabberwockies” that we use to dehumanize others, “declaring those ‘others’ as inferior, evil or deserving of death.”  

Ramsdell hopes that his film will lead to constructive dialogue.  “More than anything, I believe, it is dialogue that will move us past the barriers of fear, cultural conditioning, and stereotype thinking – into an understanding aligned with the eternal truth that we are all one.  It is my highest vision that this film, and its core concepts, will serve as a catalyst for that dialogue,” he says.

Kenneth L. Hall, director of the LHU Office of Human and Cultural Diversity, echoed Ramsdell.  “I believe that ‘Anatomy of Hate’ provides its audiences with the opportunity to move beyond naive or cynical views of human nature, and to more deeply understand the psychological and cultural forces that have tied history to repetitive violence,” said Hall. “More importantly, it offers the clues to undoing the knot by building bridges of understanding.”



Ramsdell sums up, “Nothing can change without understanding.  Nothing will change without hope.  I believe this film offers both.”

For more information, contact Kenneth Hall at khall@lhup.edu

Lock Haven University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth.  Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study.  Nearly 405,000 system alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

 

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