Sara Robinson’s piece “Why Are Conservatives Targeting Muslims? And Why Now?” on HuffPo has one of the most incisive remarks I’ve seen in a long time:

Conservatives can do without a god, but they can’t get through the day without a devil. Their entire model of reality revolves around the existence of an existential enemy who’s out to annihilate them. Take that focal point away, and their whole worldview collapses into incoherence. This need is so central to their thinking that if there are no actual enemies around, they’ll go to considerable lengths to make some (or just make some up).

Now it’s rational to hate a real existential enemy. I will gladly oblige creationists and had no qualms about hating Communism. But some people are just not happy unless they have one.

In fact, the hatreds of extremists are rational from their own perspective, because they do face existential threats. If what gave meaning to your life was seeing your property value preserved, then minorities were an existential threat. If your life revolves around the fact that your reading of the Bible makes you feel superior, then any alternative view is an existential threat. Gays and evolutionists are an existential threat because if they’re not evil, your whole world caves in. If all that gives meaning to your existence is the status that comes from being male, then womens’ rights are an existential threat. In short, if your self concept is built on a narrow, fragile, or insecure base, then any rival concept will be an existential threat.