4 ms·

Almost everyone (including really terrible people) don't want people killed. That is why it is often necessary to de-humanize the enemy. We give them labels,

Almost everyone (including really terrible people) don't want people killed. That is why it is often necessary to de-humanize the enemy. We give them labels, make them not worthy of the protections of civil society, and then it is justified if they die. Because they are not people anymore.

playtriot 6y ago
That's not quite it either, the truth is actually worse. We know the other side are people, the fact that we insult them acknowledges that. Think of hitler youth forcing a rabbi to scrub the pavement on their hands and knees. The cruelty is intentional, not based on seeing them as less than human.
hehehaha 6y ago
That’s just not true. We have nearly an entire human history to prove otherwise. The only reason why we stopped killing each other is due to nuclear bombs.
- xnx 6y ago
  You should reread he parent comment. I think you agree. It describe the steps as: 1) Dehumanize the enemy 2) Kill/eliminate the inhuman enemy (no longer considered to be people)
  - loopz 6y ago
    Now we have: 3) Trump designated target as well. Doesn't matter which side you think you're on then. At some point they come for you: Must-see new video shows Capitol riot was way worse than we thought https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/chris-99178053752 https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/chris-99178053752 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/09/media/reliable-sources-january-8/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/09/media/reliable-sources-ja...
vladTheInhaler 6y ago
I think your comment is being misunderstood. I interpreted it to mean that most people don't naturally have the capacity to kill others who they identify as equals, and that's why many extremist groups take steps to other their targets. I get the sense that people are reading it to mean that the rioters at the capital hadn't been radicalized like this. Or that dehumanizing people in that way is somehow okay. Perhaps you can clarify. I tend to believe that, thankfully, most people don't have the capacity for extreme violence at a moment's notice. It takes intense conditioning. The US military started to emphasize this [1](paywalled) after it was discovered that even during combat, while people were shooting at them, most soldiers didn't try to kill their enemy or even fire their weapon [2]. So it seems like the highest priority is to re-humanize the "normies" and "communist antifa spies" or whatever nonsense phrase these extremists are using. I have *absolutely* no idea how to do that, but it must be done. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/killing-does-not-come-easy-for-soldiers/2017/10/13/6008e742-ae26-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/killing-does-not-com... [2] https://www.historynet.com/men-against-fire-how-many-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-at-the-enemy-during-the-vietnam-war.htm https://www.historynet.com/men-against-fire-how-many-soldier...
ipython 6y ago
That’s no longer the case. Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi were called out specifically on Parler posts. Then again I would also say you’re correct as the people engaging with that violent and vitriolic content probably don’t consider them actual humans.
apta_ 6y ago
Exactly, and both sides are guilty of that: https://cdn.cnsnews.com/styles/article_big/s3/2021-01/Arthur%20Chu_1.jpg https://cdn.cnsnews.com/styles/article_big/s3/2021-01/Arthur...

playtriot 6y ago

That's not quite it either, the truth is actually worse. We know the other side are people, the fact that we insult them acknowledges that. Think of hitler youth forcing a rabbi to scrub the pavement on their hands and knees. The cruelty is intentional, not based on seeing them as less than human.

hehehaha 6y ago

That’s just not true. We have nearly an entire human history to prove otherwise. The only reason why we stopped killing each other is due to nuclear bombs.

xnx 6y ago
You should reread he parent comment. I think you agree. It describe the steps as: 1) Dehumanize the enemy 2) Kill/eliminate the inhuman enemy (no longer considered to be people)
- loopz 6y ago
  Now we have: 3) Trump designated target as well. Doesn't matter which side you think you're on then. At some point they come for you: Must-see new video shows Capitol riot was way worse than we thought https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/chris-99178053752 https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/chris-99178053752 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/09/media/reliable-sources-january-8/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/09/media/reliable-sources-ja...

vladTheInhaler 6y ago

I think your comment is being misunderstood. I interpreted it to mean that most people don't naturally have the capacity to kill others who they identify as equals, and that's why many extremist groups take steps to other their targets. I get the sense that people are reading it to mean that the rioters at the capital hadn't been radicalized like this. Or that dehumanizing people in that way is somehow okay. Perhaps you can clarify. I tend to believe that, thankfully, most people don't have the capacity for extreme violence at a moment's notice. It takes intense conditioning. The US military started to emphasize this [1](paywalled) after it was discovered that even during combat, while people were shooting at them, most soldiers didn't try to kill their enemy or even fire their weapon [2]. So it seems like the highest priority is to re-humanize the "normies" and "communist antifa spies" or whatever nonsense phrase these extremists are using. I have *absolutely* no idea how to do that, but it must be done. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/killing-does-not-come-easy-for-soldiers/2017/10/13/6008e742-ae26-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/killing-does-not-com... [2] https://www.historynet.com/men-against-fire-how-many-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-at-the-enemy-during-the-vietnam-war.htm https://www.historynet.com/men-against-fire-how-many-soldier...

ipython 6y ago

That’s no longer the case. Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi were called out specifically on Parler posts. Then again I would also say you’re correct as the people engaging with that violent and vitriolic content probably don’t consider them actual humans.

apta_ 6y ago

Exactly, and both sides are guilty of that: https://cdn.cnsnews.com/styles/article_big/s3/2021-01/Arthur%20Chu_1.jpg https://cdn.cnsnews.com/styles/article_big/s3/2021-01/Arthur...