Original subtitles

HUMANS HAVE AN UNPARALLELED ABILITY

TO LOVE AND COOPERATE.

SO, WHY DO WE SOMETIMES ACT CRUEL AND HATEFUL...

WE ALL HATE YOU! WE HATE AMERICAN.

YOU HATE US? YES, I HATE YOU.

...NOT JUST AS INDIVIDUALS BUT AS WHOLE COMMUNITIES OR NATIONS?

HEIL!

HATE BREEDS BULLYING, SOCIAL INJUSTICE, VIOLENCE, WAR,

EVEN GENOCIDE AND MASS MURDER.

WHERE DOES THAT IMPULSE COME FROM?

INVESTIGATORS SAY IT ALL HAPPENED

IN JUST 10 MINUTES OF TERROR.

WHAT'S THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN HATE,

ORIGIN OF DEHUMANIZATION?

SEND THEM BACK TO THE DUSTBIN THEY COME FROM,

AND LET THEM GO SIT ON A CAMEL.

WHY IS IT THAT HUMANS ARE ABLE TO HATE?

WHY DO WE HAVE THIS EMOTION?

YOU RACISTS, YOU FASCISTS, YOU RIGHT-WING BASTARDS,

GET OUT OF HERE!

WHAT'S REALLY SHOCKING IS THE SPEED AT WHICH

YOU CAN INCITE THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR IN ORDINARY PEOPLE.

I'M NOT A FASCIST.

WEARING THAT HAT SAYS IT ALL.

HE'S MY PRESIDENT, AND HE'S YOUR PRESIDENT!

IF YOU CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF HATE,

IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY HARD TO REVERSE.

WHY DO YOU HATE US? BECAUSE YOU'RE MEXICANS.

BECAUSE WE'RE MEXICANS? YEAH.

WAIT, NO, NO, NO, NO!

CERTAINLY, HATE CAN EXIST BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS,

BUT ALL THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL FORCES

JUST AMPLIFY ANY CONFLICT BETWEEN GROUPS.

WE HAVE SEEN THAT THE PROPAGANDA

HAD BEEN USED EFFECTIVELY HERE

AS A PATHWAY TO GENOCIDE.

THE PROPAGANDA KILLS.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE THOUGHT

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA

AS BEING KIND OF A NEUTRAL DISPENSER OF FACTS,

AND THAT HAS CHANGED.

IT SEEMS AS IF THERE ARE TOOLS THAT MAKE IT EASIER

TO GET PEOPLE TO BEHAVE IN WAYS

THAT ARE INHUMANE, THAT ARE HATEFUL.

I DEFINE TERRORISM AS MAKING THEM FEARFUL

SO THAT THEY THINK TWICE.

SIEG HEIL! SIEG HEIL!

IN FACT, THEY SAID, "HIS CRIMES WERE

AMONG THE MOST HEINOUS THAT ANYONE HAD EVER COMMITTED.

THEY WERE AN AFFRONT," THEY SAID, "TO ALL HUMANITY."

YOU CAN HAVE A LEGAL UNDERSTANDING

OF THE EVIDENCE, OF THE FACTS,

BUT THERE'S ALWAYS THAT HUMAN QUESTION

OF, "WHY DID THEY DO IT? HOW COULD THEY DO IT?"

- ARE YOU READY? - ALRIGHT, HERE WE GO. READY?

THINKING ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF HATE, REALLY, FOR ME,

THE STORY OF HATE STARTS WITH THINKING

ABOUT OUR SPECIES' EVOLUTION.

WHY IS IT THAT HUMANS HATE?

WHERE DOES THIS EMOTION COME FROM?

HOW OLD IS HATE?

IS IT THAT SOMEHOW IT'S UNIQUE TO OUR SPECIES?

MAYBE IT'S IN OTHER SPECIES, AS WELL?

FOR ME, AS SOMEBODY WHO'S INTERESTED IN HUMAN EVOLUTION,

I HAVE TO START EXACTLY THERE.

IS IT SOMETHING ABOUT HOW WE EVOLVE

THAT LEADS US TO HATE?

BRIAN HARE INTRO, TAKE ONE, MARK.

I'M AN EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGIST,

SO THE GOAL OF MY WORK

IS REALLY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS TO BE HUMAN.

AND HOW WE TRY TO ADDRESS THAT IS ACTUALLY BETTER UNDERSTANDING

WHAT IT IS TO BE NOTHUMAN, AND THE THINKING IS

THAT IF WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS TO BE NOTHUMAN,

WE CAN IDENTIFY WHAT PART OF OURSELVES

IS REALLY ONLY FOUND IN HUMANS.

HE GET THAT TREAT?

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY ANIMALS

BECAUSE I HAD A DOG, GROWING UP, WHO WAS MY BEST FRIEND,

AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, LIKE ANYBODY WHO'S A DOG OWNER,

NOT TO WONDER, "WELL, HOW DOES MY DOG THINK?"

OKAY, CONGO, WHERE IS IT?

NICE! YOU GOT IT!

GOOD BOY!

GOOD BOY! ALRIGHT!

"DOES HE THINK LIKE ME,

OR DOES HE THINK IN A DIFFERENT WAY?"

GOOD BOY! PIECE OF CAKE FOR YOU, HUH?

PIECE OF CAKE FOR YOU.

"DOES HE LOVE ME LIKE I LOVE HIM?"

I MEAN, I SURE THOUGHT HE DID,

BUT WOULDN'T IT BE INTERESTING TO KNOW FOR SURE?

AND WHEN I WENT OFF TO SCHOOL,

I FOUND OUT THERE WERE PEOPLE

WHO THIS IS WHAT THEY DO FOR THEIR LIVES!

THEY TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW ANIMALS THINK,

COMPARED TO HUMANS.

SO WHAT THAT LED TO WAS ME SPENDING A LOT OF TIME

WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT SPECIES

BUT ESPECIALLY OUR CLOSEST LIVING ANIMAL RELATIVES,

CHIMPANZEES AND BONOBOS.

CHIMPANZEES AND BONOBOS ARE ACTUALLY

MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO US GENETICALLY

THAN THEY ARE TO GORILLAS.

REALLY, GENETICALLY, THEY'RE 99% HUMAN!

WHOO, WHOO, WHOO!

THAT THEN LED ME TO WONDER, "ARE THEY CAPABLE OF HATE,

OR IS HOW WE CAN HATE ONE ANOTHER

REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT US?"

BONOBOS AND CHIMPANZEES ARE FASCINATING

BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY SIMILAR TO ONE ANOTHER.

THEY HAVE RICH SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS.

THEY HAVE LONG-TERM BONDS WITH EACH OTHER.

THEY EAT MUCH OF THE SAME STUFF.

WHAT MAKES THE TWO SPECIES SO INTERESTING TO STUDY

IS HOW THEY'RE DIFFERENT, AND THEY'RE DIFFERENT IN WAYS

THAT ARE SO FUNDAMENTAL TO UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES.

YOU REALLY CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN CHIMPANZEES AND BONOBOS JUST BY LOOKING AT THEM.

THEY LOOK ALMOST THE SAME.

I COULDN'T TELL A CHIMPANZEE FROM A BONOBO

WHEN I FIRST STARTED.

THE DIFFERENCES REALLY COME WHEN YOU WATCH THEIR BEHAVIOR

AND SEE THE WAY THEIR SOCIETIES ARE MADE UP.

MOST PEOPLE ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH CHIMPANZEES.

THEY'RE MALE-DOMINATED,

AND FEMALES HAVE TO ENDURE A LOT OF AGGRESSION FROM MALES.

IN CHIMPANZEES,

AGGRESSION IS VERY MUCH TO ESTABLISH DOMINANCE

AND MAINTAIN CONTROL, SO IF AN ALPHA MALE COMES IN,

THE FIRST THING HE'LL DO IS HE'LL KILL ALL THE BABIES.

BONOBOS HAVE NONE OF THAT.

THEY ARE FEMALE-DOMINATED,

AND INFANTS AND BABIES ARE ALMOST NEVER HARMED.

SO, THEN, OF COURSE, YOU HAVE TO WONDER,

"WELL, HOW DID THEY BECOME SO DIFFERENT?"

WE THINK THAT CHIMPANZEES AND BONOBOS

SPLIT FROM OUR LINEAGE ABOUT 6 MILLION YEARS AGO.

AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS, THE CONGO RIVER,

IT SORT OF ARCS LIKE A RAINBOW THROUGH THE CONTINENT,

AND GORILLAS AND CHIMPANZEES KIND OF, LIKE,

COEVOLVED AT THE TOP,

AND THEN BONOBOS WERE SORT OF, LIKE, SOUTH OF THE CONGO RIVER.

AND JUST THAT RIVER AND THAT SPLIT

CREATED SOME REALLY EXTRAORDINARY DIFFERENCES.

BONOBOS, SOUTH OF THE CONGO RIVER,

THEY DON'T LIVE IN A WORLD

WHERE THEY HAVE TO WORRY AS MUCH ABOUT FOOD.

SO, WITH CHIMPANZEES, THEY HAVE TO COMPETE FOR RESOURCES,

WHICH MEANS THAT WHEN THEY SEE ANOTHER GROUP,

THEY SEE THEM AS A COMPETITOR.

THEY'VE EVOLVED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF HOSTILITY

TOWARDS OTHER GROUPS BECAUSE OF THAT COMPETITION.

BONOBOS HAVE THIS ABILITY TO BE MORE SOCIAL,

TO BE TOGETHER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER

BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORE RESOURCES.

THEY HAVE A MUCH EASIER TIME AT FINDING FOOD

THAN CHIMPANZEES DO.

CHIMPANZEES CAN BE FRIENDLY,

BUT IF A STRANGE CHIMPANZEE GROUP

MEETS ANOTHER GROUP OF STRANGE CHIMPANZEES,

IT'S GOING TO BE HOSTILE.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER,

AND IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE COMPETING FOR RESOURCES.

YOU CAN HAVE AS MANY AS 40 ADULT MALES

WILL WORK TOGETHER TO PATROL THE BORDER OF THEIR TERRITORY,

AND IT'S DONE VERY INTENTIONALLY.

THEY BECOME VERY QUIET.

THEY NO LONGER VOCALIZE.

THEY'RE HUNTING --

HUNTING ON THE BORDER OF THEIR TERRITORY.

AND WHAT THEY'RE LISTENING FOR

IS ANY SIGN THAT ONE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS,

ESPECIALLY A MALE OR A MOTHER WITH A YOUNG INFANT, IS ALONE.

AND IF THEY MAKE THE ESTIMATION THAT THEIR NUMBERS

ARE OVERWHELMINGLY LARGE, COMPARED TO THEIR NEIGHBORS,

THEY WILL RUN INTO THE NEIGHBORING TERRITORY...

...GRAB THEM OUT OF THE TREE.

IF IT'S AN INFANT, THEY'LL TEAR IT OFF THE MOTHER,

AND THEY'LL EAT THEM ALIVE, RIGHT THERE.

BONOBO AND CHIMPANZEES HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN SEPARATED

FOR OVER A MILLION YEARS, AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS

THAT THEY HAVE EVOLVED TO BE DIFFERENT.

IT'S A STORY OF ECOLOGY, OF HOW THE FOREST IS BUILT,

THAT'S REALLY SHAPED WHO THEY EVOLVED TO BE.

IN BONOBO LAND, IT'S A RICHER, MORE PREDICTABLE RESOURCE.

THE MALE AGGRESSION, IT JUST DOESN'T PAY,

AND CHIMPANZEE AGGRESSION

IS A VERY SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY IN THAT ECOLOGY.

CHIMPANZEES ARE, YOU KNOW,

ALMOST THIS PERFECT REFLECTION OF OURSELVES

BECAUSE THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL SIDE --

AND I'VE RAISED ORPHAN CHIMPANZEES BEFORE,

AND YOU'VE NEVER MET, LIKE, A MORE LOVING,

MORE COMPASSIONATE, EMPATHETIC, MORE HUMAN ANIMAL --

AND YET THEY ALSO HAVE THIS DARK SIDE,

WITH, LIKE, A LOT OF VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION

TOWARDS PROVING THEIR STATUS.

AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HUMANS DO.

A STATUS-STRIVING, DOMINANCE-STRIVING BEHAVIOR

IS SOMETHING WE SEE EVERYWHERE WHEN IT'S ADVANTAGEOUS.

WITHIN OUR OWN GROUPS,

WE CAN BE EVEN MORE LOVING AND KIND THAN BONOBOS.

BUT WE'RE STILL A COMPETITIVE SPECIES.

AND BETWEEN GROUPS, WE CAN ACT MORE AGGRESSIVE

AND VIOLENT THAN EVEN CHIMPANZEES.

AND THAT THEN ALLOWS US TO BE SO CRUEL, SO AWFUL,

AND THE MOST HATEFUL SPECIES PROBABLY THAT'S EVER EVOLVED.

50,000 YEARS AGO, THERE WERE OTHER HUMANS!

SO, HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE THE LAST HUMANS STANDING?

HOW IS IT THAT WE COULD BE THE SPECIES THAT'S STILL HERE,

AND THE OTHERS AREN'T, WHEN THEY ALL HAD BIG BRAINS,

WERE CULTURAL, AND HAD LINGUISTIC ABILITIES?

I THINK WE BECAME FRIENDLIER.

I THINK WE'RE THE ONLY HUMAN SPECIES

THAT ACTUALLY BECAME BETTER AT WORKING TOGETHER

WITHIN OUR OWN GROUPS.

YET WE HAVE ALSO EVOLVED THE CAPACITY

TO BE INCREDIBLY HOSTILE AND CRUEL IN SOME SITUATIONS.

OH, OH!

SOMETIMES, HUMAN SOCIETY EVEN REWARDS

HATEFUL AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR LIKE BULLYING.

THIS SHOCKING VIDEO, TAKEN 2 WEEKS AGO,

AND POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER 14-YEAR-OLD JORDAN PEISNER

WAS SUCKER-PUNCHED BY A 15-YEAR-OLD --

A HIT THAT FRACTURED HIS SKULL, RUPTURED HIS EARDRUM...

OH!

**** BACK OFF.

I GET ASKED A LOT

IF PEOPLE ARE PREWIRED TO BULLY.

HEY!

BULLYING OCCURS IN EVERY CONTEXT IN WHICH IT'S BEEN STUDIED.

- **** - GO! BEAT IT.

GO. - ****.

SO, IT HAPPENS AROUND THE WORLD, AND WHAT'S REALLY STRIKING

IS THAT THE PREVALENCE RATES ARE VERY SIMILAR.

ABOUT 30% OF YOUTH ARE BULLIED OCCASIONALLY,

AND ABOUT 7% TO 10% OF YOUTH

ARE BULLIED RUTHLESSLY EVERY DAY.

IT SUGGESTS THAT IT'S PERHAPS ROOTED IN OUR EVOLUTIONARY PAST.

UP UNTIL JUST VERY RECENTLY,

THE MENTALITY ABOUT BULLYING WAS THAT IT'S A RITE OF PASSAGE,

THAT IT'S JUST SOMETHING KIDS DO,

THAT IT MAKES THEM STRONGER.

AND THE ONLY REASON WE'RE CHANGING THAT ZEITGEIST

IS BECAUSE KIDS ARE KILLING THEMSELVES OVER THIS.

MY NAME IS OLIVER GRAVES.

GROWING UP, I WAS ALWAYS A DIFFERENT KID.

I MOVED AROUND A LOT, AND I WAS SUCH AN OUTSIDER.

AS I GREW UP,

I GREW INCREASINGLY UNCOMFORTABLE IN MY OWN BODY,

AND I COULDN'T EXACTLY UNDERSTAND IT.

WHEN I GOT TO HIGH SCHOOL,

I STARTED LEARNING ABOUT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

AND WHAT EXACTLY BEING TRANSGENDER WAS.

I REALIZED THAT THAT WAS EXACTLY HOW I WAS FEELING.

AND AFTER COMING OUT,

I WAS PUSHED IN THE HALLWAY, BEAT UP.

I'VE BEEN CALLED, "FAGGOT," "TRANNY," "DIKE,"

JUST...

YOU COULD WRITE A BOOK

ON EVERY WORD THAT I'VE BEEN CALLED.

I CAME OUT IN APRIL,

AND I WAS HOSPITALIZED IN OCTOBER

FOR A SUICIDE ATTEMPT.

IT WAS REALLY HARD IN HIGH SCHOOL

BECAUSE THE POPULAR PEOPLE,

WHO WERE DOING THE BULLYING IN THE FIRST PLACE,

STAYED AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN,

AND THEY STILL BASICALLY RAN THE SCHOOL.

WE TEND TO THINK ABOUT BULLIES

AS THE STEREOTYPICAL OR TRADITIONAL BULLY.

THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE MARGINALIZED,

THEY'RE IMPULSIVE.

BUT MOST KIDS WHO BULLY OTHERS AREN'T LIKE THAT,

AND IN FACT, MOST KIDS WHO BULLY OTHERS,

AND THE ONES WHO BULLY WITH THE GREATEST EFFECT,

ARE THE ONES WHO ARE QUITE POPULAR.

AND THEN THEY ABUSE THEIR POWER WITH IMPUNITY,

SO THE PEER GROUP SUPPORTS THEIR ABUSE OF OTHERS,

WHICH MAKES IT INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO COMBAT, THEN.

THE BULLYING, FOR ME,

STARTED WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BECAUSE I WAS MOVING BACK AND FORTH

FROM STATE TO STATE, FROM TEXAS TO TENNESSEE.

IT STARTED BECAUSE I WAS DIFFERENT FROM...

WELL, I SEEMED TO LOOK DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY.

BECAUSE MY MOM AND MY DAD

WEREN'T INVOLVED IN MY LIFE AS MUCH,

I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF.

SO I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO, LIKE, COMB MY HAIR

OR, LIKE, CERTAIN THINGS THAT OTHER GIRLS KNEW HOW TO.

AND SO IT SEEMED LIKE GIRLS IN MY CLASS

WOULD NOTICE THOSE LITTLE THINGS,

AND THEY WOULD PICK ON ME BECAUSE OF THAT.

SO, THEN, TRANSITIONING TO MIDDLE SCHOOL

IS WHEN I DECIDED I DIDN'T WANT TO GET PICKED ON ANYMORE,

AND SO I BECAME THE BULLY.

I WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT I DID IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

I WOULD TAKE GIRLS TO THE RESTROOM.

AND I REMEMBER A SPECIFIC STUDENT,

I TOOK HER TO THE RESTROOM.

I TOOK HER INTO ONE OF THOSE STALLS

AND JUST PUNCHED HER BECAUSE I JUST THOUGHT

SHE WAS SO WEAK AND VULNERABLE, YOU KNOW?

I DID SEE MYSELF IN HER,

AND SO THAT ALWAYS ANGERED ME TO SEE HER THAT WAY.

I REALLY SAW MYSELF AS, LIKE, THE BADDEST GIRL, YOU KNOW?

THE POPULAR PEOPLE,

IT WAS MY, LIKE, CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, RIGHT?

LIKE, THEY RESPECTED ME BECAUSE I WAS MEAN TO OTHERS,

AND SO WHEN I FELT THAT,

IT WAS LIKE, "HOW DO I GIVE THIS UP?"

IN HIGH SCHOOL, ONE DAY, I REMEMBER I WAS IN CLASS,

AND THE TEACHER YELLED AT ME

AND SAID, "GET OUT." YOU KNOW?

SHE TOLD ME TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE COUNSELOR'S OFFICE.

WHEN I GOT HALFWAY THERE, I CROSSED PATHS

WITH A TEACHER'S AIDE FROM THE SCHOOL,

AND HE STOPPED ME.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY WHOLE EDUCATION LIFE,

SOMEBODY ASKED ME, "WHAT'S WRONG?"

AND "HOW CAN I HELP YOU?"

AND I REMEMBER, THAT CONVERSATION WE HAD THAT DAY

CHANGED MY LIFE COMPLETELY.

HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD SEEN ME BE SO MEAN TO OTHER KIDS.

YOU KNOW? AND SO TO ME,

THAT KIND OF MADE ME FEEL HUMILIATED IN A WAY,

AND SO I DECIDED TO CHANGE.

BUT I FEEL REALLY BAD OF MYSELF, YOU KNOW,

AND EMBARRASSED TO KIND OF SAY, "WOW. DID I REALLY DO THAT?"

SO, IN THINKING ABOUT HOW HUMANS

ARE CAPABLE OF LOVE AND HATE,

THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES,

"WHAT PUSHES US ONE WAY OR THE OTHER?

ARE WE GUIDED BY OUR SENSE OF WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG?

IS THIS SOMETHING THAT'S ALSO EVOLVED,

OR IS IT INSTEAD

THAT WE'RE SHAPED TO BE MORAL BY OUR SURROUNDINGS?"

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF HATE,

YOU MUST THINK ABOUT CHILDHOOD, INFANCY.

AS A PARENT, WE WORK REALLY HARD TO TRY TO GET OUR KIDS

TO DO THE RIGHT THING, NOT THE WRONG THING.

THE QUESTION EVERYBODY ALWAYS ASKS

IS ABOUT NATURE AND NURTURE --

"TO WHAT EXTENT ARE WE BORN A CERTAIN WAY,

EITHER AS INDIVIDUALS OR AS MEMBERS OF A SPECIES,

AND TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE WORLD CHANGE US?

DO BABIES HAVE A SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG,

A SENSE OF GOOD AND EVIL?"

OKAY, HERE WE ARE, AT THE INFANT COGNITION CENTER,

WHERE ALL THE BABY TESTING HAPPENS.

IN MY INFANT COGNITION LAB,

WE STUDY CHILDREN FROM 3 MONTHS OF AGE,

UP UNTIL EVEN 4 OR 5 YEARS OF AGE.

ALRIGHT, NOAH. YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB!

SO MUCH OF MY WORK FOCUSES ON, "WHAT ARE WE BUILT WITH

THAT WE'RE BRINGING AS PART OF OUR INHERENT HUMAN NATURE,

EVEN FROM VERY YOUNG INFANCY?"

SO WE DO THESE EXPERIMENTS

THAT INVOLVE SHOWING BABIES

DIFFERENT SORT OF INTERACTIONS, ONE-ACT PLAYS,

AND SEEING HOW THEY MAKE SENSE OF THEM.

UP GOES THE CURTAIN!

WELL, THE FIRST STUDY THAT WE DID,

REALLY FOCUSING IN ON THE ORIGINS OF OUR MORAL CAPACITY,

OUR CAPACITY TO MAKE RENDERED JUDGMENTS

ABOUT OTHER INDIVIDUALS BASED ON HOW THEY TREAT SOMEONE,

WE WERE VERY INTERESTED IN THE QUESTION OF,

"DO BABIES JUDGE OTHERS?"

AND SO WE DEVISED SEVERAL DIFFERENT SCENARIOS

WHERE WE INTRODUCED BABIES TO CHARACTERS.

ONE CHARACTER TREATS ANOTHER WELL,

HELPS IT OPEN A BOX.

AND ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL COMES

AND TREATS THE SAME CHARACTER BADLY,

SLAMS THE BOX CLOSED.

OUR QUESTION WAS VERY, VERY SIMPLE --

"DOES THE BABY HAVE A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE

TOWARDS THE HELPFUL CHARACTER AND THE UNHELPFUL?"

ALRIGHT, JACK.

YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB, BUDDY.

HI! HI!

SO WE SIMPLY HAND OUT THE TWO PUPPETS,

HOLD THEM OUT TO THE BABY, AND SEE WHO THEY REACH FOR.

OKAY.

LITERALLY, WHO DO THEY WANT TO HANG OUT WITH?

OKAY.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND, EVER SINCE WE STARTED THIS,

WAS, OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN,

BABIES CHOOSE THE NICE INDIVIDUAL.

OKAY.

ALRIGHT.

THESE STUDIES AND OTHER STUDIES

FROM MANY OTHER LABORATORIES SUGGEST

THAT A LOT OF THE MORALITY THAT WE USED TO BELIEVE

IS THE PRODUCT OF CULTURE AND EDUCATION AND LEARNING

IS ACTUALLY THE PRODUCT OF BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION.

DO YOU SEE THESE GUYS?

THEY SEEM TO HAVE SOME SORT OF MORAL SENSE

THAT SHOWS UP VERY EARLY

IN THEIR JUDGMENTS OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS --

"THIS IS A GOOD GUY, THIS IS A BAD GUY" --

BUT ALSO INVOLVING JUSTICE --

"THIS CHARACTER SHOULD BE PUNISHED,

THIS CHARACTER SHOULD BE REWARDED."

AND IN SOME WAY, THAT'S GREAT, BUT IT CAN ALSO FUEL HATRED.

RUFF, RUFF!

SO, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HUMANS,

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MIGHT COME TO MIND,

THAT MUST BE SOMETHING THAT ONLY WE DO,

IS HAVING A SENSE OF FAIRNESS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WHO STUDY ANIMALS HAVE

BEEN REALLY INTERESTED IN IS, "WHAT'S THE ORIGIN OF FAIRNESS?

IS IT THAT OUR SENSE OF FAIRNESS IS SOMETHING

THAT EVOLVED UNIQUELY IN OUR SPECIES,

OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT NATURE?"

WE'RE NOT SURE IF ANIMALS HAVE FAIRNESS.

CERTAINLY, THERE'S SOME SCIENTISTS WHO WOULD ARGUE

THEY DO IN SOME CASES.

IT'S A HOT AREA.

IT'S VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND DEBATED.

BUT PROFESSOR FRANS DE WAAL, WHO IS AT EMORY UNIVERSITY

AND HAS SPENT DECADES STUDYING ANIMALS

AND HOW THEY THINK -- IN FACT, WAS ONE OF MY MENTORS --

DID A BRILLIANT EXPERIMENT WITH CAPUCHIN MONKEYS,

A VERY DISTANT RELATIVE TO US IN THE PRIMATE FAMILY

THAT SEEMS TO SHOW A SENSE OF FAIRNESS.

THE CAPUCHIN MONKEYS IN THE EXPERIMENT

ARE TRYING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM,

AND IF THEY SOLVE IT, THEY GET PAID.

THEY GET PAID SOME KIND OF FOOD AND SOMETHING THEY LIKE.

THEY LOVE FRUIT, AND SO YOU GIVE CAPUCHIN MONKEY BOB

AND CAPUCHIN MONKEY SALLY -- THEY SOLVE THE PROBLEM,

YOU GIVE THEM THE SAME THING. THEY BOTH GET GRAPES.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF, FOR THE SAME JOB

AND SOLVING THE SAME PROBLEM,

YOU START GIVING SALLY A CUCUMBER,

WHICH ISN'T SOMETHING THEY LIKE AS MUCH AS A GRAPE.

IF YOU GIVE ONE OF THEM CUCUMBER FOR THE TASK,

AND YOU DO IT MANY TIMES IN A ROW,

AND THE OTHER ONE, YOU GIVE GRAPES,

THEN THE ONE WHO GETS CUCUMBER GETS VERY UPSET.

THE AGITATION, THE EMOTION THAT THEY SHOW...

...IS WHAT IN HUMANS YOU WOULD CALL ENVY OR JEALOUSY.

THEIR SENSE OF FAIRNESS COMES IN,

IN THAT IT'S, FOR THEM, A COMPARISON.

BUT THE HUMAN SENSE OF FAIRNESS IS UBIQUITOUS.

WITNESSES SAY THIS FIGHT IN HOUSTON OVER THE WEEKEND

BROKE OUT OVER A RIGHT TURN.

IT PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE

IN GOVERNING ALMOST ALL OUR SOCIAL INTERACTIONS,

WHETHER IT'S AT HOME, AT WORK, OR EVEN ON THE ROAD.

AND THIS BEATDOWN OF A DRIVER NEAR TAMPA LAST MONTH

ONLY ENDED WHEN THE DRIVER'S WIFE

PULLED OUT A PISTOL.

IF WE FEEL LIKE WE'VE BEEN TREATED UNFAIRLY,

WE CAN ALSO FEEL LIKE WE'RE BEING PERSECUTED, THREATENED,

AND IT CAN REALLY RELEASE THE DARKER SIDE OF OUR NATURE.

GET ****SOMEBODY BEHIND THE ****

**** STOP IT!

STOP IT!

HATE, EVEN VIOLENCE, CAN FLOW WHEN WE FEEL INJUSTICE.

**** CUT ME OFF! I'M ALMOST **** WRECKED,

YOU ****!

FILM THAT!

BRIAN HARE INTROS, TAKE 6, MARK.

SO THERE'S ONE EXPRESSION OF HATE

THAT IS EXPLODING IN FREQUENCY IN RECENT YEARS.

THREE OF THE 10 DEADLIEST SHOOTINGS

IN AMERICAN HISTORY

HAVE COME IN THE LAST 5 MONTHS.

WELL, THEY'RE SCARED TO GO TO SCHOOL.

THAT'S -- THAT'S, UH...

WELL, THIS HAS BECOME AN EPIDEMIC.

WHAT WOULD DRIVE SOMEONE TO SEEK REVENGE

AGAINST A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE,

CREATE VICTIMS THAT WERE COMPLETELY INNOCENT?

WHAT IS IT THAT TURNS HATE INTO MASS MURDER?

THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE

ACTUALLY COMMITTING MASS SHOOTINGS,

EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS REALLY BIG, IT'S ACTUALLY VERY SMALL.

THE RATE HAS GONE UP OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS,

AND IT'S CONTINUING TO RISE IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS.

BUT THE TINY SLIVER OF DEATHS THAT HAPPEN

IN THE CONTEXT OF MASS SHOOTINGS,

THEY COULD HAPPEN TO ANY OF US.

ANYONE WHO GOES TO SCHOOL, CHURCH, A MALL, A MOVIE THEATER,

WE'RE ALL VULNERABLE TO THAT.

IF YOU LOOK AT RECENT CASES

OF MASS KILLINGS, THEY HAVE MULTIPLE CAUSES.

I MEAN, THIS KID WAS FLASHING RED.

THERE WERE NEON SIGNS OVER HIS LEFT SHOULDER,

FROM HIS SOCIAL-MEDIA POSTS,

HE WAS -- HE WAS ABOUT TO GO OFF.

SOME OF THEM ARE DUE TO RELIGIOUS ZEALOTRY.

SOME OF THEM ARE DUE TO MENTAL ILLNESS.

SOME OF THEM ARE DUE TO MISOGYNY, OF ALL THINGS.

CAN YOU AT LEAST SAY IF THE SUSPECT WAS FRUSTRATED

WITH HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN?

AGAIN, BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE EVIDENCE,

THAT'S GOING TO BE PART OF OUR INVESTIGATION.

HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY IS COMPLICATED,

AND THE RANGE OF UGLY MENTAL SYSTEMS

THAT CAN EVOLVE IS QUITE, QUITE BROAD,

AND FOR EVERY UGLY THOUGHT THAT COULD DANCE ACROSS YOUR HEAD,

THERE'S A MOB OF PEOPLE ONLINE

WILLING TO ENCOURAGE YOU AND ROOT YOU ON,

PEOPLE WHO WILL SUPPORT YOUR NARRATIVE,

YOUR NARRATIVE BEING THAT BLACKS

ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER THE COUNTRY,

THAT THERE'S A JEWISH CONSPIRACY,

THAT WOMEN ARE HORRIBLE AND DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED.

THIS CONCEPT THAT I THINK

IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE MASS SHOOTER

IS SOMEBODY WHO IS EXPECTING THINGS FROM THE WORLD

AND IS NOT GETTING THEM --

EVERY WOMAN WHO TURNS THEM DOWN,

EVERY PEER WHO DRIVES A NICER CAR THAN THEY DO,

EVERY GUY WHO WALKS PAST THEM IN THE HALLWAY

AND BUMPS THEM AND DIDN'T SAY "SORRY."

THEY REMEMBER ALL OF THOSE THINGS,

AND THEY COLLECT THEM AND THEY HOLD ON TO THEM,

AND THEY JUST LET THEM STEW.

ALL YOU POPULAR KIDS, YOU'VE NEVER ACCEPTED ME,

AND NOW YOU'LL ALL PAY FOR IT.

IN 2014, ELLIOT RODGER KILLED SIX PEOPLE

AND THEN KILLED HIMSELF, AS WELL AS WOUNDED 14 OTHERS

IN ISLA VISTA, CALIFORNIA.

SO HE, AS A CHILD,

WAS AT ONE POINT DIAGNOSED WITH AN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

AND HISTORIES OF OCD OR OCD SYMPTOMS,

BOUTS OF DEPRESSION, HISTORIES OF STALKING WOMEN,

AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE SEEN REPEATEDLY

IN OTHER MASS SHOOTERS, AND THEY ALSO HAVE A HARD TIME

SEEING THEIR PEERS EMPATHICALLY, SEEING THEM AS HUMAN BEINGS.

I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE

AGAINST HUMANITY, AGAINST ALL OF YOU.

SOMETHING THAT'S HARD TO AVOID NOTICING

IS THAT ALMOST ALWAYS, IT'S YOUNG MEN.

THERE'S AN AREA OF THE BRAIN CALLED THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX,

WHICH IS THE AREA JUST BEHIND THE FOREHEAD HERE,

AND THAT IS WHAT ALLOWS US TO CONSIDER

AND TO SIMULATE POSSIBLE FUTURES,

TO EVALUATE POSSIBLE HYPOTHESES.

THAT IS THE MOST SLOWLY DEVELOPING PART OF THE BRAIN.

SO, WHAT HAPPENS IN A YOUNG MAN IS,

THEY DEVELOP THEIR FULL PHYSICAL STRENGTH

AND THEIR NOTIONS OF THE WORLD

AND THEIR NOTIONS OF FAIRNESS AND UNFAIRNESS,

BUT THIS PART OF THEIR BRAIN,

WHICH GIVES THEM WISDOM, IN A SENSE,

HAS NOT YET FULLY DEVELOPED,

AND IT DOESN'T DEVELOP TILL THEY'RE ABOUT 25.

IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A CHOICE THAT A MASS MURDERER MAKES.

WHO YOU ARE IS YOUR BRAIN,

AND YOUR BRAIN IS DEFINED

BY THE GENETICS THAT YOU COME TO THE TABLE WITH,

MIXED IN WITH ALL THE EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE,

ESPECIALLY AS A CHILD, AND YOU DON'T CHOOSE EITHER OF THOSE.

YOU DON'T CHOOSE YOUR GENES OR YOUR EXPERIENCES,

BUT THAT SETS BRAINS OFF ON VERY PARTICULAR TRAJECTORIES.

MY NAME IS NIK, AND I'M GOING TO BE

THE NEXT SCHOOL SHOOTER OF 2018.

IN THINKING ABOUT MASS SHOOTERS

AND THEIR SPECIAL BRAND OF HATRED,

THEY COLLECT THESE INJUSTICES, AND THEY MAKE THESE PLANS,

THESE SORT OF FANTASIES ABOUT REVENGE,

AND THEY'RE NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY, YOU KNOW,

ENACT IN A COURSE OF DAYS OR A WEEK.

THIS IS STUFF THAT MOST OF THESE GUYS

HAVE PLANNED FOR MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS.

THEY WRITE ABOUT IT. THEY LOOK UP THINGS ONLINE.

THEY STOCKPILE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION.

I HAVE THE GUNSHOT VICTIM.

HE'S BY THE -- ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE SCHOOL.

THE MEDIA BEARS SOME RESPONSIBILITY HERE.

YOU KNOW, IT'S COVERED EXTENSIVELY.

EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT SCHOOL SHOOTERS,

EVERY TIME WE HAVE IT IN THE MEDIA,

WE ARE THEN ADDING TO A REVENGE FANTASY

OF SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO CAUSE HARM

IN A VERY PUBLIC AND ENORMOUS WAY.

CRUZ HAD LEGALLY PURCHASED

SEVEN GUNS INCLUDING AN AK-47

AND THE AR-15 ALLEGEDLY USED IN THE MASSACRE.

SO, MOST INDIVIDUALS

WHO BULLY OTHERS DON'T BECOME MASS SHOOTERS,

BUT THERE ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS

WHO WE'RE FINDING OUT WERE BULLIED,

AND THEN THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, ENACTING A REVENGE.

I KNOW I WASN'T THE NICEST TO YOU.

I KNOW I PROBABLY MADE YOU FEEL LIKE ****.

YOU TOLD ME THAT.

I'M PRETTY SURE THAT YOU TOLD ME

THAT I MADE YOU WANT TO KILL YOURSELF OR SOMETHING.

YOU KNOW, YOU WONDER, "HOW COULD THIS BE?

LIKE, HOW COULD A PERSON WHO'S TREATED SO POORLY

WANT TO THEN TREAT OTHERS IN AN EVEN WORSE WAY?"

I MADE FUN OF YOU AND DIDN'T WANT YOU

TO HANG OUT WITH MY FRIENDS,

EVEN THOUGH YOU DID NOTHING WRONG, LIKE...

BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT THE RESEARCH SUPPORTS.

I'M SORRY. I LOVE YOU.

YES, I LOVE YOU, TOO, BRO.

SOCIAL EXCLUSION,

LIKE IF YOU'RE THE ONE CHOSEN LAST FOR THE TEAM,

HURTS IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS PHYSICAL PAIN,

BY WHICH I MEAN WHEN YOU MEASURE THE BRAIN,

YOU FIND THE SAME AREAS LIGHTING UP,

WHETHER IT'S PHYSICAL PAIN OR SOCIAL EXCLUSION.

THIS IS WHAT CAUSES US TO WANT TO BE PART OF GROUPS.

IT HURTS VERY MUCH TO NOT BE PART OF GROUPS.

NOW, THIS IS NO EXCUSE FOR PEOPLE

WHO TAKE THAT SORT OF PAIN AND TURN IT INTO MASS MURDER.

IT'S ONLY A VERY, VERY RARE SUBSET

OF THE POPULATION THAT WOULD DO THAT.

IT'S HARD FOR ME TO THINK OF PEOPLE

AS BEING BORN GOOD OR BORN EVIL,

BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE ARE BORN AS THEY ARE.

A LOT OF THOSE THINGS DO HAVE A COMPONENT OF GENETICS TO THEM,

AND THEY'RE PREWIRED,

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE NOT MALLEABLE LATER IN LIFE,

DEPENDING ON THE ENVIRONMENT THOSE PEOPLE GET PUT IN.

SO I BELIEVE YOU COULD TAKE THE SAME PERSON

AND PUT THEM IN TWO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS

AND HAVE THEM TURN OUT VERY DIFFERENTLY,

DEPENDING ON WHAT THEIR -- THE INTERACTION WAS

BETWEEN THEIR HARDWIRED TRAITS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

AND PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE OFTEN INTERESTED

IN HOW PEOPLE WHO GREW UP

IN A NURTURING, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT

TURN OUT TO BE TERRIBLE PEOPLE.

BUT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW IS,

HOW DO YOU GET SOMEBODY WHO GROWS UP

IN THE WORST OF ENVIRONMENTS,

SURROUNDED BY HATRED AND CRUELTY,

AND THEN TURNS OUT TO BE A GREAT PERSON,

MANAGES TO TRANSCEND THE WORLD THAT THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN?

SO, HATE GIVES US A WAY TO DEAL WITH OUR SURROUNDINGS.

WHEN WE FEEL THAT THERE'S BEEN INJUSTICE COMMITTED AGAINST US,

OR THERE ARE THREATS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT FROM OTHERS,

THERE'S A FUNCTION TO OUR HATE.

THEN THE QUESTION BECOMES, "ARE WE STUCK WITH IT,

OR DO WE ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY

TO CHANGE OUR FEELINGS TOWARDS THOSE WE HATE?"

THE BRAIN IS A COLLECTION OF NEURONS

THAT SELF-ORGANIZE AND ADAPT TO EXPERIENCE.

ONCE THE BRAIN HAS LEARNED SOMETHING,

ONCE IT HAS DEVELOPED A HABIT OF DOING THINGS A CERTAIN WAY,

OF UNDERSTANDING THINGS A CERTAIN WAY,

IT HAS NOW BECOME OPTIMAL FOR DOING THAT THING.

AND SO SOMEONE BORN INTO A PARTICULAR FAMILY,

IN A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, IN A PARTICULAR NATION,

HAS THEIR POSSIBLE EXPERIENCES CONSTRAINED

BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THEIR BIRTH,

AND SO IT'S NO WONDER THAT WE GROW UP

WITH CERTAIN POINTS OF VIEW.

MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

ARE FULL OF PLAYING WITH MY SIBLINGS.

AND WE HAD A POOL -- A SWIMMING POOL --

AND SO ALL OF THOSE TOTALLY NORMAL,

HAPPY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES.

READY, GO! GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!

AND THEY'RE MIXED IN WITH STANDING ON A PICKET LINE,

HANGING OUT WITH MY COUSINS,

AND TELLING PEOPLE THEY WERE GOING TO HELL.

GO TO HELL!

THE WELL-KNOWN HATE GROUP

WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH,

THEY ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR ANTIGAY,

ANTI-CATHOLIC, ANTI-JEWISH

AND ANTIMILITARY DEMONSTRATIONS.

♪ BECAUSE GOD, YOUR GOD HATES YOU ♪

♪ WE'RE MARCHING ♪

♪ WE'RE MARCHING ♪

♪ WE'RE MARCHING TO ZION, LORD ♪

WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH

IS A SMALL CHURCH IN TOPEKA, KANSAS.

IT'S USUALLY AROUND 70 TO 80 MEMBERS.

IT'S POPULATED ALMOST ENTIRELY

BY MY IMMEDIATE AND EXTENDED FAMILY.

WESTBORO WAS STARTED BY MY GRANDFATHER IN 1955.

BUT WHAT REALLY STARTED GETTING HIM

A LOT OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

WAS, IN 1991, WE STARTED PROTESTING.

WE PROTESTED, EVERY DAY, GAYS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY

AND THEN ANYONE WHO OPPOSED US,

ANYONE WHO BELIEVED DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DID.

PEOPLE STARTED CALLING US A HATE GROUP ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.

PEOPLE WOULD, LIKE, LITERALLY JUST STOP THEIR CARS

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, THROW IT INTO PARK,

LEAVE THE DOORS HANGING WIDE-OPEN,

JUST TO COME AFTER US.

ALRIGHT, GOT TO PUNCH A WINDOW!

WHEN YOU SEE THAT FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE,

IT REINFORCES ALL THE THINGS

THAT YOU'RE LEARNING ABOUT OUTSIDERS.

BITCH.ANY CRITICISM THAT WE FACED

WAS ESSENTIALLY IRRELEVANT AND ILLEGITIMATE.

LEAVING HAD ALL OF THE APPEAL

OF JUMPING INTO SHARK-INFESTED WATERS

AFTER HAVING CUT OFF A COUPLE OF YOUR LIMBS.

LIKE, THE IDEA, IT JUST DOES NOT COMPUTE.

LIKE, IT -- IT WAS NEVER A POSSIBILITY,

AND IT DIDN'T FIT WITH MY IMAGE OF MYSELF,

TO SEE MYSELF AS THIS REBELLIOUS PERSON

WHO WAS GETTING READY TO COMMIT THE ULTIMATE ACT OF BETRAYAL.

MEGAN PHELPS-ROPER,

THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH PASTOR

FRED PHELPS, LEFT THE CHURCH.

SHE'S APOLOGIZING TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE HURT BY WESTBORO

AND WHAT THE CHURCH HAS DONE.

IN A BLOG POST, PHELPS-ROPER EXPLAINED

SHE AND HER 19-YEAR-OLD SISTER, GRACE,

SUDDENLY CHANGED THEIR WAY OF THINKING.

OUR CHURCH WAS TINY, BUT WHAT WE LACKED IN SIZE,

WE MADE UP FOR IN THE FORCE OF OUR BELIEFS.

I GREW UP WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT I WAS

IN GRAVE DANGER AT ALL TIMES,

THAT THE WORLD AND ITS INHABITANTS WERE FULL OF EVIL

AND THAT THEY WOULD SEDUCE ME AWAY FROM THE TRUTH

UNLESS I MAINTAINED CONSTANT VIGILANCE.

THIS WAS THE STORY THAT I WAS TOLD

AND THAT I BELIEVED FOR THE FIRST 26 YEARS OF MY LIFE.

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THINK THAT IT'S A CHOICE TO STAY THERE.

I UNDERSTAND THAT WAY OF SEEING IT, BUT IT --

I CAN ALSO SAY IT SURE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE A CHOICE.

I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT TWITTER, OF ALL THINGS,

WOULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF MY UNSHAKABLE FAITH

IN THE GOD AND WORLDVIEW OF WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH.

THE CHURCH, WE WERE SUPER ACTIVE IN,

MORE THAN EVER BEFORE OR SINCE,

AND JUST CONSTANTLY IN THE MEDIA.

I WAS GETTING, YOU KNOW,

HUNDREDS OF TWEETS A DAY, AT THE TIME.

THIS TWEET SAYS, "WE NEED A MEDIA BLACKOUT

OF THE WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH."

IN 2009, LIKE, WE REALLY SHIFTED OUR FOCUS,

AND SO WE HAD THIS LIST OF, LIKE,

CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES WITH THE HIGHEST JEWISH POPULATIONS,

AND WE WOULD GO TO THESE CITIES AND PROTEST

AS MANY JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS AS WE COULD FIND.

LOOK AT THIS SORRY SUBSTITUTE FOR OBEDIENCE TO GOD!

SO, ON TWITTER,

MY COUSIN WAS HELPING ME FIND PEOPLE,

AND SHE SENT ME THIS LIST OF THE 100

MOST INFLUENTIAL JEWS ON TWITTER.

AND DAVID ABITBOL WAS NUMBER TWO,

AND HE RUNS A BLOG CALLED JEWLICIOUS.

WE STARTED HAVING THIS BACK-AND-FORTH,

AND HE STARTS ASKING ME ALL THESE QUESTIONS

ABOUT OUR PICKET SIGNS,

AND I'M ASKING HIM QUESTIONS ABOUT JEWISH THEOLOGY

SO THAT I CAN BETTER, YOU KNOW, FROM THE BIBLE,

SHOW HIM WHY THEY'RE WRONG.

AND HE WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE,

"WELL, I SEE WHY YOU MIGHT THINK THAT,

BUT IF YOU KNEW HEBREW, THEN YOU WOULD KNOW

THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT VERSE SAYS.

THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT VERSE MEANS."

AND SO I BOUGHT ROSETTA STONE AND STARTED LEARNING HEBREW.

HE HAS TOLD ME SINCE THEN, HE REALIZED THAT I WAS SINCERE,

THAT I THOUGHT WHAT WE WERE DOING WAS RIGHT.

AND SO PART OF THE REASON HE REALIZED

THAT HE SHOULD CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION

WAS THAT I WAS ACTUALLY LISTENING TO HIM, TOO.

HAVING PEOPLE REACH OUT

WHEN I SEEMED TO DESERVE IT NOT AT ALL,

THAT WAS THE WEDGE.

THAT WAS THE THREAD THAT BEGAN TO REALLY UNRAVEL THESE IDEAS.

HOW I TALKED TO OUTSIDERS CHANGED.

HOW I FELT ABOUT OUTSIDERS CHANGED.

AND THEN, AS PART OF THIS UNRAVELING PROCESS, LIKE,

IT'S INSANE TO THINK ABOUT IT, LIKE, TO HAVE THESE TWO BELIEFS,

TO BELIEVE THAT WE WERE LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR

AND ALSO THAT WE WERE PRAYING FOR TERRIBLE THINGS

TO HAPPEN TO THEM...

...AND REALIZING THAT I HAD HELD THESE TWO IDEAS IN MY MIND

AT THE SAME TIME, JUST NEVER IN THE SAME MOMENT.

UNTIL I FIRST THOUGHT OF LEAVING,

THIS CONTRADICTION ELUDED ME.

I DIDN'T WANT TO GET IN TROUBLE. I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO LEAVE.

IT WAS SO IMPOSSIBLE, IT SEEMS, AND DEVASTATING.

IT'S NOW BEEN 5 YEARS SINCE I LEFT WESTBORO AND MY FAMILY,

AND WHILE THE TRAUMA AND REGRET OF THAT PART OF MY LIFE

WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME, THEY ARE ACCOMPANIED

BY A DEEP AND ABIDING SENSE OF HOPE.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS I'VE LEARNED

SINCE LEAVING IS THAT THIS ISN'T JUST THE STORY

OF THE DERADICALIZATION OF ONE EXTREMIST.

IT'S ABOUT THE POWER OF COMPASSION AND ENGAGEMENT

TO BRIDGE DIVIDES THAT SEEM UNBRIDGEABLE.

THERE'S A LOT OF HOPE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE

WHO SEEM HOPELESSLY LOST, EVEN THOSE LIKE ME,

WHO WERE RAISED FROM BIRTH TO FEAR AND CONDEMN OTHERS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME AND FOR COMING HERE TODAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YOU CAN ONLY LEARN WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE,

BUT THE EXPERIENCES THAT YOU COLLECT

ACTUALLY CHANGE WHO YOU ARE

AND WILL DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE EXPERIENCES.

AND SO THE COOL THING ABOUT THE HUMAN BRAIN IS,

IT'S -- FUNDAMENTALLY, IT'S A CHANGEABLE SYSTEM.

IT USUALLY ISN'T EASY -- OKAY? --

BUT AT THE SAME TIME,

WHEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE RIGHT,

THE CHANGES ARE RADICAL.

THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE INCREMENTAL.

IN FACT, THEY OFTEN ARE NOT.

AWESOME.

EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE EVOLVED

TO PERCEIVE THREATS, TO FEEL HATE,

AND THAT THEN ALLOWS FOR HORRIFIC VIOLENCE,

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE LOCKED INTO

THAT EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSE.

WE CAN SUMMON OUR BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE.

WE CAN UNLEARN HATE.

WE, AS HUMANS, GO AROUND JUST DIVIDING THE WORLD UP

INTO US VERSUS THEM.

WE WANT TO PROMOTE OUR TRIBE.

LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE, SEPARATED BY GEOGRAPHY,

ARE NOW JUST A COUPLE OF CLICKS AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU GOT AN E-MAIL THAT SAID,

"HEY, I'M A FORMER JIHADIST,

AND I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR IDEAS"?

I HAVE THIS STRONG BELIEF THAT SCIENCE

IS A REALLY POWERFUL TOOL TO HELP US UNDERSTAND

WHAT'S DRIVING CONFLICT AND HOW WE CAN GET PAST IT.