Dehumanizing

Dehumanizing is more than just directing a few negative or derogatory words at someone; it’s the process of completely bringing them down through the use of creative vocabulary or images. The act of transforming them from a human being into something lesser. Such a tactic makes it much easier to attack, harm, or otherwise insult another person without having to feel the normal repercussions. That being said, while it can be used on a positive note, dehumanization is most often used in a negative context. While it’s often scoffed at when it becomes visible, those who know how to wield it correctly give themselves an incredible amount of leverage over others. Although it’s not something that I encourage, with a creative mind and the right vocabulary, both the person being dehumanized and the person doing the dehumanizing are put into an interesting role; one that can easily sway minds and create opportunity in the right (and wrong) places.

The problem with dehumanizing is that since so many people are consciously unaware that it’s happening, they’re easily persuaded and “bite” when a dehumanizing remark is made. That is, instead of casting such a remark aside, they buy into it and don’t realize they’ve done so, creating a powerful opportunity for the person doing the dehumanizing. While I find such a tool fascinating, it’s scary to think of the leverage it can have over an ignorant population.

For example: I was recently participating in an online game in which an individual on the other team was continually beating my teammates and I. After some time, frustrations started to flare and comments were made about this opposing player. No wonder this guy keeps beating us, look at his records, all he does is play all day! What a dork. This dude obviously has no life! And of course, it was easy to read the frustration behind such remarks, as continually losing was rubbing a sore spot on everyone. While such comments left little impact, it wasn’t until someone said He’s a creature with few social activities… a being that has little ambition and drive in this world, hence why he spends so much time in front of television playing these games. And yet suddenly, as if a light bulb went off, everybody was shocked.

While the previous comments garnered little response, this comment managed to bring a good deal of people on board the bandwagon of disliking this other player. Despite the fact that each comment was essentially calling this person a loser, it wasn’t until the last comment was made that other people bought into this mindset.

It that entire thing sounds silly, that's because it is. Although it seems like a rather rudimentary thing, the fact that such a remark could have so much influence over others is rather astonishing.

Yet WHY would such a comment as this one cause people who were previously opinion-less to suddenly have a negative opinion of this person? To understand that, we need to really understand what dehumanizing is, how it works, and how it’s used.

Dehumanizing is essentially using words or images to make a specific person or group of people look not human. I don’t mean physically look not human, but depicting them as something else, whether better or worse, than a human being. If you’ve ever been to a gym, you’ve more than likely heard somebody being referred to as a machine if they were able to lift a lot of weight. Wow, he’s a machine! Or sometimes ugly people may be referred to as an ape or a troll. While a wide range of creative vocabulary can be used, the overall mindset stays the same; transforming somebody from a human being into something that’s not a human being. While it sounds incredibly easy and almost comical to think that a few words could make that much of a difference, the power lies not in the vocabulary, but in those who allow others to buy into it.

If you have a girl who’s being called a troll, it’s one thing to see it as a simple attack on her character, but it’s a completely different issue when people start to dehumanize her because of it. While most people may dismiss such a thing, a few may indeed view her in a different light, and instead of seeing her as a female human being, will instead begin to view her as something ugly and rotten. If they make fun of her or call out nasty comments behind her back, what does it matter, it’s only a troll they’re talking to, right?

While both those examples may seem a bit minor, dehumanizing can certainly take place on a grand scale itself. One of the biggest examples of this is in wartime efforts, where government, military, and political figures will make major attempts to dehumanize the enemy as a means of getting citizens to buy into their efforts. If the enemy can be made to appear as some kind of monster or demon, something that instills fear into the public, then it’s certainly going to be much easier when it comes time to kill that enemy. People may get upset at the idea of killing a few thousand other human beings, but the thought of annihilating a bunch of savage beasts would in actuality probably get a lot of individuals excited. It’s not something that would be looked at with remorse or guilt, but an action that would bring about feelings of pride and courage. These people would be seen as heroes for fighting back such nasty savages, and it’s only natural that their actions would garner them a lot of support.

However, like many things in life, those who are consciously aware of what dehumanizing is rarely fall into the trap of believing it. Instead, it’s those who can’t understand it that actively find themselves involved in it. That’s where the actual power of dehumanizing techniques resides; in getting others to follow a certain belief pattern. It’s not so much about insulting or attacking a particular individual or group, but rather getting people to buy into what you have to say. Once this has happened it becomes significantly easier to control how others act or think, and so it’s no wonder that dehumanization occurs so frequently in this day and age, just as it always has.

While knowing is certainly half the battle, it’s also important to understand why some individuals are more susceptible to believing in dehumanization than others. Back to my example above about the video game, once the dehumanizing comment about the other player was made and I saw just how many people bought into such an idea, it became extremely clear to me that many of these people were unable to form their own opinions. While a lone ignorant mind isn’t usually too damaging on its own, when that ignorant mind is being controlled by someone else who knows what they’re doing it becomes an entirely different story. When someone is already misinformed or lacks knowledge about a particular person or group, it becomes very easy to have that individual buy into what you have to say. That isn’t to say everyone should be an expert about everyone else, but it’s generally those who are ignorant that easily buy into dehumanization and other such misconceptions.

Finally, if you truly think that dehumanization is just a thing found in textbooks, just watch the news or read the newspaper for a day and you’ll see a multitude of examples. That isn’t to say that claims made by either of those outlets are false, but it becomes MUCH easier to have your audience buy into what you’re saying when you can successfully dehumanize your target. Doing so provides not only a basis of misinformation, but also a means of authority over others.

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