1John5918
I'm struck by the amount of dehumanising language which is currently in use in the political landscape of the English-speaking world (and no doubt elsewhere), which is mirrored here on LT by both sides in the US ideological culture/identity wars. One poster regularly describes Democrats as "Demonrats", while those on the other side of the political fence frequently refer to "Trumpty-Dumpties", "cultists", etc. Terms like "right wing", "leftist", "socialist", "liberal", "progressive" have become terms of contempt rather than neutral political descriptions. A lot of it is probably done without really thinking about it, just following social media trends, perhaps even feeling it is humorous or satirical or clever to come up with such names, but I often feel there is an undertone of rage and hate in it.
Language is important. In war, it is common to find demeaning terms not simply to describe the enemy but to dehumanise them - it's much easier to kill someone whom you've come to think of as not quite a human being like oneself. After hundreds of years of being spoken of as sub-human, the lives of black people throughout the world still seem to be worth less than that of white people. Likewise, femicide and misogyny are not unconnected with demeaning language. Every modern genocide has been preceded by dehumanising language. For those who like to watch short videos, Stephen Fry - The power of words in Nazi Germany is well worth a look. In Rwanda, a relentless campaign was waged in the media describing Tutsis as "insects", amongst other things. In Sudan, various marginalised groups were described as "slaves", "animals" and "black (garbage) bags". It's a lot easier to slaughter an animal than a fellow human being, and disposing of cockroaches and garbage bags is surely everybody's duty. These days Muslims are routinely being described as "terrorists" (just as the Irish were in late 20th century Britain, black South Africans before the fall of apartheid, and anti-colonial freedom fighters throughout the world), and few people would disagree that society needs to unite against terrorists. Immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are described as "rapists" and "thieves", obviously a threat to all decent self-respecting natives (who themselves were of immigrant background, but no doubt their own ancestors were not thieves and rapists, not like the current crop, not like them). Language which was used to demean indigenous peoples a century or so ago when they were fighting to defend their land against foreign settlers is still being used about them now that descendants of the same settlers are the dominant culture in the land. And the list goes on.
All of this creates (or strengthens) an "us and them" mentality, instead of recognising that all of us, however different we are, are part of the same human race which should be struggling together rather than against each other. As I once heard from former Northern Irish fighters from both sides, "When I was a teenager I took up arms because my community believed we were under threat from the other community who wanted to destroy us". We need to defuse those beliefs about "the other" rather than thoughtlessly (or perhaps maliciously) reinforce them.
When I've occasionally raised the issue of hate speech here in passing, LT members on the political right in particular have ridiculed it; "Are you seriously suggesting that genocide is about to take place in the USA?" Well no, I wasn't, I was merely pointing out that such language is a precursor to genocide. But now it seems many people in the USA, on both sides of the political/ideological/cultural divide, are raising the spectre of a civil war in their country. So perhaps now is the time to start thinking again about the use of language, both generally on social media and here on LT. It'll be a lot easier to kill (and rape, loot and dispossess) a "demon rat" or a "cultist Trumpty-Dumpty" than a fellow human being, even though I may disagree fundamentally with that person.
Language is important. In war, it is common to find demeaning terms not simply to describe the enemy but to dehumanise them - it's much easier to kill someone whom you've come to think of as not quite a human being like oneself. After hundreds of years of being spoken of as sub-human, the lives of black people throughout the world still seem to be worth less than that of white people. Likewise, femicide and misogyny are not unconnected with demeaning language. Every modern genocide has been preceded by dehumanising language. For those who like to watch short videos, Stephen Fry - The power of words in Nazi Germany is well worth a look. In Rwanda, a relentless campaign was waged in the media describing Tutsis as "insects", amongst other things. In Sudan, various marginalised groups were described as "slaves", "animals" and "black (garbage) bags". It's a lot easier to slaughter an animal than a fellow human being, and disposing of cockroaches and garbage bags is surely everybody's duty. These days Muslims are routinely being described as "terrorists" (just as the Irish were in late 20th century Britain, black South Africans before the fall of apartheid, and anti-colonial freedom fighters throughout the world), and few people would disagree that society needs to unite against terrorists. Immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are described as "rapists" and "thieves", obviously a threat to all decent self-respecting natives (who themselves were of immigrant background, but no doubt their own ancestors were not thieves and rapists, not like the current crop, not like them). Language which was used to demean indigenous peoples a century or so ago when they were fighting to defend their land against foreign settlers is still being used about them now that descendants of the same settlers are the dominant culture in the land. And the list goes on.
All of this creates (or strengthens) an "us and them" mentality, instead of recognising that all of us, however different we are, are part of the same human race which should be struggling together rather than against each other. As I once heard from former Northern Irish fighters from both sides, "When I was a teenager I took up arms because my community believed we were under threat from the other community who wanted to destroy us". We need to defuse those beliefs about "the other" rather than thoughtlessly (or perhaps maliciously) reinforce them.
When I've occasionally raised the issue of hate speech here in passing, LT members on the political right in particular have ridiculed it; "Are you seriously suggesting that genocide is about to take place in the USA?" Well no, I wasn't, I was merely pointing out that such language is a precursor to genocide. But now it seems many people in the USA, on both sides of the political/ideological/cultural divide, are raising the spectre of a civil war in their country. So perhaps now is the time to start thinking again about the use of language, both generally on social media and here on LT. It'll be a lot easier to kill (and rape, loot and dispossess) a "demon rat" or a "cultist Trumpty-Dumpty" than a fellow human being, even though I may disagree fundamentally with that person.
2lriley
>1 John5918: Good post. I know you’re right and at times I’ve been guilty of this too. It never really advances anything. I will try to be be better. If there is another world to go into after I pass I don’t want to go hating or having anger for anyone. As clean an exit as possible. That said I hope to hang around a little while longer.
3aspirit
Just so you know-- and this isn't in argument against your main point--the talk of a new Civil War has been going on fervently for several years now. That's part of why the attack on the Capitol building was a big deal.
It was surprising for those who had been watching Trump supporters prepare and advocate for civil war for years by stockpiling weapons and developing plans at how few people died immediately following January 6. The related "protests" at state capitols were not the big events that had been promised. (Did those even make national news?) Large groups of people from extremely conservative towns/cities like mine didn't riot all that much in the big cities, which was one of the many concerns for months that was ignored by mainstream news media even as there was a push across social media, likely influenced by hostile foreign agents. The vast majority of the Trump supporters who went to Washington, DC, to try to stop the election certification left their heavy weapons at home or in their vehicles. That might have been because they expected the US military to do the work for them, as they were told they were helping the actual Commander in Chief. Whatever their reasons, we all got lucky.
I was also want to point out that the problem with terminology is more complex than it might look like from a distance. Democrat is a dirty word in Republican circles without modification. That's been the case since I was a young child. Republican families for generations have defined voters who identify with the other major party as evil. As in, Democrats who don't at least support Republican policies and practices areSatan-supporting, going-to-Hell evil. (Spoiler tag for triggering religious content. It's making me flash back to moments I don't want to deal with at the moment, so there you go. Warning.)
If you look, it's usually not American residents who are bothering to use the dehumanizing examples in mixed spaces. They don't feel they have to. Calling someone by their possible party affiliation is considered insult enough. (Regular reminder: Roughly a third of eligible voters in the USA identify with neither party.)
As for it being "both sides"... I hadn't seen the same hostility in Democratic circles until the Trump administration took office, which is the same time anyone so much as suspected of being liberal was everyday being called names and told we should all die, be locked up, or otherwise "put in your place" by not only strangers but relatives and coworkers. Before that, voting and formal protests in official government spaces was considered the way to push back against what was seen as horrific activity by Republicans. (There really should have been more media exposure, too.)
The "us" against "them" (so much not-fun when your personal pronouns usually include them, by the way) mentality has been strong, especially when government-sponsored troll factories has had the strongest influences; it could be worse; but it isn't going to go away with any amount of admonishment. The lines will only shift, as they'll continue to exist as long there is so much to be angry about.
It was surprising for those who had been watching Trump supporters prepare and advocate for civil war for years by stockpiling weapons and developing plans at how few people died immediately following January 6. The related "protests" at state capitols were not the big events that had been promised. (Did those even make national news?) Large groups of people from extremely conservative towns/cities like mine didn't riot all that much in the big cities, which was one of the many concerns for months that was ignored by mainstream news media even as there was a push across social media, likely influenced by hostile foreign agents. The vast majority of the Trump supporters who went to Washington, DC, to try to stop the election certification left their heavy weapons at home or in their vehicles. That might have been because they expected the US military to do the work for them, as they were told they were helping the actual Commander in Chief. Whatever their reasons, we all got lucky.
I was also want to point out that the problem with terminology is more complex than it might look like from a distance. Democrat is a dirty word in Republican circles without modification. That's been the case since I was a young child. Republican families for generations have defined voters who identify with the other major party as evil. As in, Democrats who don't at least support Republican policies and practices are
If you look, it's usually not American residents who are bothering to use the dehumanizing examples in mixed spaces. They don't feel they have to. Calling someone by their possible party affiliation is considered insult enough. (Regular reminder: Roughly a third of eligible voters in the USA identify with neither party.)
As for it being "both sides"... I hadn't seen the same hostility in Democratic circles until the Trump administration took office, which is the same time anyone so much as suspected of being liberal was everyday being called names and told we should all die, be locked up, or otherwise "put in your place" by not only strangers but relatives and coworkers. Before that, voting and formal protests in official government spaces was considered the way to push back against what was seen as horrific activity by Republicans. (There really should have been more media exposure, too.)
The "us" against "them" (so much not-fun when your personal pronouns usually include them, by the way) mentality has been strong, especially when government-sponsored troll factories has had the strongest influences; it could be worse; but it isn't going to go away with any amount of admonishment. The lines will only shift, as they'll continue to exist as long there is so much to be angry about.
42wonderY
>3 aspirit: I’m curious what part of the country you live in. I’ve lived in two heavily red states - West Virginia and Kentucky - my entire adult life and never experienced anything like that.
(Acknowledging that WV was for Kennedy, had a longtime senator Byrd and several democrat governors.)
(Acknowledging that WV was for Kennedy, had a longtime senator Byrd and several democrat governors.)
5aspirit
>4 2wonderY: Nothing like insults and threats? I'm curious how you haven't.
I poked around in political news from your states a little. Kentucky looks relatively nice compared to where the places that have police offices who not only attend Trump's rally but riot, refuse to condem the violence of peers against other people, and post murderous threats and/or racial slurs on social media. Keturah Herron's election was a huge accomplishment. My experiences traveling through Kentucky haven't been overall positive. Maybe if I had to be around people, Louisville would be a good place to visit? Although I think I'd still rather find a quiet camp site to enjoy the beautiful forest.
If you meant nothing like the larger political threats...
"'Patriot caravan' protesting Trump's election loss heads to Washington from Louisville" | Jan 5, 2021
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/01/05/trump-supporters-exi...
"Protesters, many armed, gather outside Kentucky state Capitol" | Jan 9, 2021
https://www.wdrb.com/news/protesters-many-armed-gather-outside-kentucky-state-ca...
I would say don't forget to read the comments and tweet responses, but the worst have been cleaned up by now, especially with the trend of closing accounts in the past year. You can no longer see what all was initially posted and shared. Some of the headlines and phrasing within the news articles have also been changed.
News media in West Virginia appears to be weaker. There's not much coverage from within the state showing up in searches. Even Facebook Pages show little activity. Hmm.
But look at the results!
https://facebook.com/onlyinvirginia/
vs. https://facebook.com/onlyinflorida/
Charming.
Oh, yeah, but the national news suggest something less idyllic in government...
https://wgntv.com/news/west-virginia-lawmaker-recorded-himself-storming-u-s-capi...
Derrick Evans has been suceeded in office by Josh Booth despite protest by petition. Interestingly, it's Republicans who argued who against the governor's pick. That's the opposite of what I've come to expect.
By the way, this all might look off-topic. I originally wrote a response to the question about where I am along with further explanation of how my experiences tie into political movements. That triggered a trauma response I'm working through. I'll be back to edit this post when I'm better.
I poked around in political news from your states a little. Kentucky looks relatively nice compared to where the places that have police offices who not only attend Trump's rally but riot, refuse to condem the violence of peers against other people, and post murderous threats and/or racial slurs on social media. Keturah Herron's election was a huge accomplishment. My experiences traveling through Kentucky haven't been overall positive. Maybe if I had to be around people, Louisville would be a good place to visit? Although I think I'd still rather find a quiet camp site to enjoy the beautiful forest.
If you meant nothing like the larger political threats...
"'Patriot caravan' protesting Trump's election loss heads to Washington from Louisville" | Jan 5, 2021
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/01/05/trump-supporters-exi...
"Protesters, many armed, gather outside Kentucky state Capitol" | Jan 9, 2021
https://www.wdrb.com/news/protesters-many-armed-gather-outside-kentucky-state-ca...
I would say don't forget to read the comments and tweet responses, but the worst have been cleaned up by now, especially with the trend of closing accounts in the past year. You can no longer see what all was initially posted and shared. Some of the headlines and phrasing within the news articles have also been changed.
News media in West Virginia appears to be weaker. There's not much coverage from within the state showing up in searches. Even Facebook Pages show little activity. Hmm.
But look at the results!
https://facebook.com/onlyinvirginia/
vs. https://facebook.com/onlyinflorida/
Charming.
Oh, yeah, but the national news suggest something less idyllic in government...
https://wgntv.com/news/west-virginia-lawmaker-recorded-himself-storming-u-s-capi...
Derrick Evans has been suceeded in office by Josh Booth despite protest by petition. Interestingly, it's Republicans who argued who against the governor's pick. That's the opposite of what I've come to expect.
By the way, this all might look off-topic. I originally wrote a response to the question about where I am along with further explanation of how my experiences tie into political movements. That triggered a trauma response I'm working through. I'll be back to edit this post when I'm better.
