examples of dehumanization

It started with the Europeans taking the Native Africans as their slaves in their African territories, or shipping them back to Europe. We are supposed to treat each other in ways that are fair, equal, and just. Waytz points to politicians’ rhetoric in the 2016 election as an example of dehumanization. This was a major reason that the Geneva conventions were signed, which gave a set of guidelines with regards to the manner in which the prisoners of war were to be treated. For example, it says "they grew the women's crops, like coco-yams, bans, and cassava. For example, some elements of the Antifa movement are also using moral disengagement to justify harassing people. Humans are capable of terrible crimes, and civilization has developed ways to inhibit aggression. Examples Of Dehumanization In Night Wiesel 741 Words | 3 Pages. If we want a more humane society, we cannot engage in violence and harassment ourselves. Being distant from a particular group has led to people treating others in the ways that cannot be related to the word human at all. They had to slog, and that too in the harshest of living conditions. Hitler had likened the Jews to vermin and rats, and the treatment that was dished out to them can be considered anything but human. Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)...right to your inbox. We hope you enjoy this website. - Dehumanization may reduce constraints on aggression, esp in context of threatening intergroup relations What is an example dehumanization to reduce moral concern? Also, not everyone views these clips through the same lens, and you may be inadvertently creating a “backlash” by showing people achieving national media coverage by espousing dehumanizing ideas. Except for a few people with extreme narcissism or sociopathy, most people are capable of empathy. The American government is the perfect example of dehumanization in its truest form. : We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. This is achieved by treating the enemy as a non-human entity, by often comparing them with animals. It was a distant dream for the slaves to be considered humans, let alone being thought of as equals, by their masters. Such treatment can be doled out to an individual or a group. Jews in the eyes of Nazis and Tutsis in the eyes of Hutus (in the Rwandan genocide) are but two examples. The colonists often considered the Natives to be inferior to them, treating them as their slaves. Other groups are compared to dogs, pigs, rats, parasites, or insects” (Haslam 2006). Moral justification tries to re-frame the action as a moral good (such as, “The ends justified the means”), while advantageous comparison introduces a moral relativism where you don’t have to meet your own standards of goodness, you only have to be better than your enemy (“What they do is much worse”). Sherry Hamby, Ph.D., is a research professor of psychology at Sewanee, the University of the South. Sometimes, the world can seem overwhelming, but there are ways to counteract dehumanizing forces and you can make a difference by being a force for humanism in your own community. These are just a few ideas. Human beings are losing their ability to communicate in person. The border patrol agents who are ripping children from parents and the neo-Nazi sympathizers who are advocating for racism are human, too. However, the most problematic versions of this are when soldiers, law enforcement officers, or other authority figures use their legal authority to abuse the public. In both types, the oppressed group is denied of any and all the moral standards that are applicable to humans. Speaking of objectifying, rape is another such instance that forces someone to go through an inhumane experience. A convicted criminal is issued a prison identification number, for example, which allows the guards and other authorities to maintain an impersonal relationship with inmates. The individuality of the victims is ignored, and so are the highly developed cognitive abilities mentioned earlier. The Rawandan Genocide, the Holocaust, and the ongoing plight of the Rohingya people, are just a few examples of the human capacity to persecute others for being different than ourselves. By dehumanizing the Hutus to animals, vermin, or disease, it made it easier to kill them, because they were considered as a … The detainees of the Abu Ghraib prison, or the GITMO, are some other examples of the same, where detainees were tortured and humiliated in various ways. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The dehumanization of the Jews led to treatment that was not fitting of an animal. These cookies do not store any personal information. 3 Reasons Doing Nothing Can Actually be Productive, 3 Myths Far Too Many People Believe About the Past. When Wiesel writes “We walked towards the station, where … Dehumanization can be unintentional, especially upon individuals, as with some types of de facto racism. The main purpose is to get people to accept or even engage in behaviors that they know are wrong. We now recognize the value of “emotional intelligence” for adults too, and that emotional intelligence can be learned later in life. Dehumanization often makes people think of soldiers fighting enemies in war and having to cope with their actions via dehumanization. The more authority and power you have, the more care you need to exercise in criticizing others. The Nazis had an abundance of practices to dehumanize the Jews including beatings, starvation, theft of possessions, separation of families, crude murders, forced labor, and much more. Distortion of consequences denies that the actions were harmful. It takes away the freedom of the oppressed in an unfair and inhumane manner. One of the first examples of dehumanization that occurs in Wiesel’s memoir is when he depicts the transport that takes him and his family from their beloved home of Sighet, Romania, all the way to Auschwitz. Wiesel is the author of the memoir Night, which mainly focuses on how Hitler’s power and hatred towards Jews make Eliezer and his family’s life miserable. On Facebook. From these ghettos, they were moved to concentration camps, where they were subjected to forced labor, various medical experiments, and the infamous gas chambers, that had resulted in a mass genocide, the likes of which had never been seen before. For example, when infants and children were taken from their parents, some officials pretended that this was not harmful as long as they were being fed. Zebel et al (2008): support for reparation policies towards Bosnian Muslims by Dutch participants following Srebrenica massacre Persecution. For those of you who are horrified by the dehumanization that has led to children being kept in cages at the border or terrorists mowing down civil rights advocates, it is important to not let that horror slip into dehumanization. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We need to do more to be sure that the full spectrum of humanity is represented in all settings. Elie is a Jewish boy from Transylvania who is taken to Auschwitz, where he is separated from his mother and sister. Dreams have been described as dress rehearsals for real life, opportunities to gratify wishes, and a form of nocturnal therapy. Similar is the case of the people of the Tutsi tribe of Rwanda in the African continent, who are compared to snakes and cockroaches by the people of the Hutu tribe. You do not want to support these websites with advertising income from clicking and sharing. © 2018 Sherry Hamby. Copyright © Opinion Front & Buzzle.com, Inc. This issue was a major reason that led the nation into a civil war. The Jews living in Germany were, at first, deprived of the respectable means to earn a livelihood, after which they had to face a racis… Although dehumanization is most associated with right-wing nationalism, others sometimes use dehumanizing language, too. People use dehumanization to justify greed, violence, and abuse. Threats of violence. The first is manipulation, political or otherwise. The news media is still wrestling with this challenge, but in this new world where even the most despicable views are easily accessed online, we all need to learn how to cope. “Dehumanization is … viewed as a central component to intergroup violence, because it is frequently the most important precursor to moral exclusion, the process by which stigmatized groups are placed outside the boundary in which moral values, rules, and considerations of fairness apply.” (Goof, et al. When you see the president or other politicians use terms like “animals” or, even worse, “infestation” (a term usually reserved for insects), they are engaging in dehumanization. Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Most of the Europeans colonies stand testimony to this fact. This is the same kind of contagion that can lead to increases in school shootings and suicides after media coverage. Dehumanization may be carried out by a social institution (such as a state, school, or family), interpersonally, or even within oneself. On stupid games. Third, tell a personal story about how you developed your own (loving and respectful) position. These patients were denied the cure that had developed during the course of the experiment, so that scientists could continue with their studies. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Dehumanization refers to the act of perceiving victimized subgroups as not completely human. The persecution of the Christians by the Romans is … Dehumanization involves redefining the targets of prejudice and violence by making them seem less human (that is, less civilized or less sentient) than other people. Dehumanization is not limited to political issues, however. Higher cognitive abilities are one of the factors that set human beings apart from animals. In this novel, the white men basically force the native to change religion. This is where the dehumanization turns from a prejudicial issue to a precursor … The dehumanization … Some moral disengagement techniques involve pretending that immoral acts are not really bad. For example, I recently attended a research conference on families where every single invited speaker was white. Some of them may be victims themselves, others may have grown up in families where they were taught to hate. Attacking infants and children is always punching down for adults, but so is attacking anyone who is less privileged than you are. Dehumanization In Night By Elie Wiesel. People who were mistreated as children can wall themselves off as a defense against that pain (physical and psychological). 4) Remember that the only true way to raise yourself up is by lifting up others, not running them down. During the time of a war, even the governments of the warring nations resort to this technique, by imbibing on the citizens of the respective nations that the people of the enemy nation have subhuman qualities, and paint them in evil colors to win over the support of their citizens in favor of waging the war. Victim blaming is a classic example of dehumanization, where the victim is blamed for an injustice done to them because of their perceived status or social class, be it … Even many self-professed humanitarians used dehumanizing (and inaccurate) terms like “superpredator” in the crime scare of the 1990s. It makes slavery, torture, and human trafficking possible. Strong people do not need to “punch down” to feel good about themselves. If you have others, please leave them in the comments! On most occasions, we have treated each other the way we are supposed to. Along with these, the victims are shown no compassion. Why Your Panic Attacks May Seem Random but Aren't, Concussion Can Affect How the Brain's Hemispheres Communicate, What It Really Takes to Become a Musician, How Gut Bacteria Are Linked to Mental Health, 5 Seldom-Recognized Consequences of Living With Chronic Pain, Psychology Today © 2021 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Frogs Living Near Loud Waterfalls Dance to Attract Attention, When and How Couples Decide to Call Off a Wedding, The Value of Going to Bed at the Same Time as Your Partner, it has been noted less often that it was not that easy to get them to do it, Hate Crimes Are More Common Than You Think, The Psychology of Genocide: Beware of the Beginnings, Dehumanizing Metaphors Lead to Dehumanizing Policies, Inhuman Treatment of Others Is a Thought Away. Although many participants could be compelled to give high electrical shocks to a “student” (actually a confederate who was not really getting shocked), it has been noted less often that it was not that easy to get them to do it. The manipulators do it to secure power or financial gain. Slavery in America was, again, based on ethnicity, where African-Americans were treated as slaves. When you see the president or other politicians use terms like “animals” or, even worse, “infestation” (a term usually reserved for insects), they are engaging in dehumanization. They may be afraid of experiencing feelings about other victims because that could open the floodgates to all of their bottled-up feelings. good example of thesis statement for dehumanization “Solo European travel requires independence which, in the end, bolsters personal confidence.” This is much more specific and targeted. The concentration camps at Auschwitz, Warsaw, and many other locations under German occupation had to witness the atrocities by the Nazi-Germans on the Jews.

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