You know what’s the best way to train a soldier? Drill into his head the fact that his enemy, is just that–an enemy; not a living, breathing human with a backstory, relationships and dreams.
You also want to know what’s the best way to feel good about putting a murderer in the chamber or on the chair? Tell yourself, and everyone else that he’s a cold-blooded killer.
The best way to rile up morale against those who want to have an abortion? Tell the world that they are nothing more than baby killers.
The best way to deal with people with that strange attraction towards others of the same sex? Call them names.
How about the best way to dismiss someone else’s choice for president? Explain away that said person is a liberal. Or a conservative. Or tag them with whatever social consciousness you want to group them with.
You want to know what’s the best way to deal with a living, breathing, tied to family members and friends, person with a unique set of beliefs that simply don’t align with yours?
Box them in. Make them concrete. Tag them with names.
Make them the enemy. They might as well not be people anyway.
1 response so far ↓
ggw_bach // June 5, 2009 at 10:55 am |
concepts become concrete and black and white. In truth, nothing is fixed forever, not even a name or label. Which makes me wonder about the use of ‘real names’ in the western world. We didn’t choose them, our parents had little idea of what we would become; perhaps the Indigenous practice of Renaming upon adulthood would be appropriate. Nmaes, labels, nouns — useful, but not infallable. Language can be so deceptive.