$0.02: bigots need rigidly defined in/out groups to feel strong and safe, and their awful behavior is self-reinforcing through fear of their peers. More succinctly: everyone in that club knows how they treat “others”, and so fear being one themselves. This also explains why social progress meets so much backlash, as bigots are clinging to their rules like a kind of psychological life-preserver.
I agree with all of this.
$0.02: bigots need rigidly defined in/out groups to feel strong and safe, and their awful behavior is self-reinforcing through fear of their peers. More succinctly: everyone in that club knows how they treat “others”, and so fear being one themselves. This also explains why social progress meets so much backlash, as bigots are clinging to their rules like a kind of psychological life-preserver.