Thank you for reading Dedicated to the Proposition that All Men are Created Equal . This post is public so feel free to share it. Over the weekend former President Trump hit the campaign trail in New Hampshire. In an alleged speech supposedly honoring veterans Trump went into a pathological screed reminiscent of Adolf Hitler. Following the remarks of Stephen Miller, confirmed last week that Trump and his team were planning to build camps for millions of people who he round up using the military, Trump went full Hitler.
Yes, the language we engage in has consequences. Hitler was the prime example, and these images were fed to the public, creating an avalanche of hatred towards "scapegoats".
Using insulting images to diminish a person's humanity is a long-standing technique used by villains in classic literature. Othello, prompted by the lies of Iago, loses his mind and kills fair-skinned Desdemona, his beloved wife. We know that Othello (the Moor), has lost all power of reason and can no longer fight off the sexual falsehoods spurred by his jealous lieutenant (IV. 1.263). Othello has become the 'monster, and a beast' he described earlier in the same scene (IV.
Anything that dehumanizes, provides an excuse to eliminate those we target as being undesirable.
But we must be careful not to engage in hyperbole, which actually dilutes our own powers of reason.
We must be careful not to be so self-righteous, that we fail to recognize the motivation for those who engage in mob rule are being manipulated by the evil intentions of a power-hungry tyrant.
This desperation and fear of losing voice and power, leads to the nullification of the rights of others. We must recognize the power of our own minds, and strive to maintain a sense of proportion., even as the tidal wave of hatred is cresting. The fear of a loss of our own momentum must not result in a lowering of our own standards. We cannot permit ourselves this indulgence.
Shades of the Rwandan genocidal preachers using the term "cockroach".
Yes, the language we engage in has consequences. Hitler was the prime example, and these images were fed to the public, creating an avalanche of hatred towards "scapegoats".
Using insulting images to diminish a person's humanity is a long-standing technique used by villains in classic literature. Othello, prompted by the lies of Iago, loses his mind and kills fair-skinned Desdemona, his beloved wife. We know that Othello (the Moor), has lost all power of reason and can no longer fight off the sexual falsehoods spurred by his jealous lieutenant (IV. 1.263). Othello has become the 'monster, and a beast' he described earlier in the same scene (IV.
Anything that dehumanizes, provides an excuse to eliminate those we target as being undesirable.
But we must be careful not to engage in hyperbole, which actually dilutes our own powers of reason.
We must be careful not to be so self-righteous, that we fail to recognize the motivation for those who engage in mob rule are being manipulated by the evil intentions of a power-hungry tyrant.
This desperation and fear of losing voice and power, leads to the nullification of the rights of others. We must recognize the power of our own minds, and strive to maintain a sense of proportion., even as the tidal wave of hatred is cresting. The fear of a loss of our own momentum must not result in a lowering of our own standards. We cannot permit ourselves this indulgence.