It is true that most people like to hate.... Hate makes people feel they have principles and opinions. But I would argue that finding something admirable, or touching, in an incomprehensible or obnoxious person, is also profoundly satisfying. The feelings of shared humanity, the tears which come to our eyes when we see suffering even in complete strangers, are among our deepest emotions. Every time we experience them, we are rediscovering that we belong to that enormous family which is humanity.

Theodore Zeldin, Conversation: How Talk Can Change Our Lives