Why are we so quick to “otherize,” to take away the humanity of those who are responsible for violence? Is it some sort of existential denial of our own human capacity for violence? An evolutionary adaptation that allowed our ancetors to defend themselves without getting caught up in the cognitive dissonance of human ethics and our actual behavior? A rationalizing of our own vengeful desire for violence against those others? A form of revenge itself?
I don't know.
But what is the difference, then, between our own actions based on our view of those others as “less,” and their view of us as “less” based on any wrongs they perceive we have committed against them? We view our perceptions of harm as real, and so do they.
As long as we still find it acceptable to dehumanize those whose actions we don’t like, we feel hurt by, we’ve not rejected violence; we’ve only re-categorized violence as acceptable against non-humans, “inferior” humans. You can’t reject violence against yourself if you can write-off the violence you condone against others you view as inferior because they’re doing the exact same thing.
But why?
But why?
It is sadly ironic, isn't it? I think that's why it's so important to have due process and to follow it no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I mean, there are times when I read about truly horrible things someone has done to someone else, and it infuriates me. And I admit, I do know the feeling of wanting eye-for-an-eye type "justice" and feeling like somehow that would make everything better, but I know it really wouldn't fix anything, and I hate that those feelings come up. No one feels that they "started it," so where would it end?
DeleteAnd how do we get people to follow due process no matter what? I keep reading about cases of teenagers who are tried as adults (or who might as well have been given the outcome), as if they must be irredeemable, as if there's no person who themselves are likely victims of some awful background behind whatever it is they've done.
It just upsets me. But I am I just dismissing people's feelings as irrelevant? And if so, is that OK here?