Overt Dehumanization

-Daydreamer of Oz

9 October 2006

If you didn’t know, overt dehumanization - a favourite tool of virtually all hate campaigns, past and present. AZU has been employing it since their beginnings

-Daydreamer of Oz

Stitches77 Says:
December 28th, 2006 at 7:28 pm

"The only way to truly expose how utterly devious and devoid of basic humanity they really are….. is for you to read how utterly devious and devoid of basic humanity they really are.”

So… what is the purpose of dehumanization?

Psychologically, it is necessary to categorize one’s enemy as sub-human in order to legitimize increased violence or justify the violation of basic human rights. Moral exclusion reduces restraints against harming or exploiting certain groups of people. In severe cases, dehumanization makes the violation of generally accepted norms of behavior regarding one’s fellow man seem reasonable, or even necessary….

Once certain groups are stigmatized as evil, morally inferior, and not fully human, the persecution of those groups becomes more psychologically acceptable. Restraints against aggression and violence begin to disappear. Not surprisingly, dehumanization increases the likelihood of violence and may cause a conflict to escalate out of control. Once a violence break over has occurred, it may seem even more acceptable for people to do things that they would have regarded as morally unthinkable before….

…Indeed, dehumanization often paves the way for human rights violations, war crimes, and genocide. For example, in WWII, the dehumanization of the Jews ultimately led to the destruction of millions of people. Similar atrocities have occurred in Rwanda, Cambodia, and the former Yugoslavia.

http://anu.nfshost.com/2006/what-is-azus-mission

http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/dehumanization/

Stitches77 Says:
December 28th, 2006 at 7:28 pm