Kerby Anderson

What does it take for normal people to start slaughtering others? A commentary in the Jerusalem Post with the title “The Genocide Mechanism” showed how demonization could lead to genocide. The writer talked about “a very specific kind of demonization.” The example he used was Rwanda.

In 1994, the majority Hutu population was able to massacre some 800,000 Tutsis. The violence was unimaginable: neighbors slaughtering neighbors, mostly with machetes. The estimates are about 9,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered every day. How does something so awful happen?

The answer is demonization. The Hutus were taught that the Tutsis were “cockroaches and snakes. Tutsi women were portrayed as cunning seductresses who used beauty and sexual powers to conquer the Hutus.” There were also warnings on the radio that the Tutsis were about to attack them. So, they needed to attack first to protect themselves.

Step one was to dehumanize the enemy with all sorts of false statements. Step two was to present a clear danger. Then you merely need to convince people that they need to act in their own self-defense. The commentary explains about how this type of demonization has been used by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority that describe Jews “as loathsome and dangerous animals.”

Could something like this happen in this country? We would hope not. But you do see some similarities. Look at how the Left portrays President Trump, Republican members of Congress, and even conservative speakers on college campus. They are the equivalent of Hitler. They are not worthy of any respect, and they represent a clear and present danger to various sectors of society. They want to put people in detainment camps or even march them off to gas chambers.

This is a reminder that hateful words and demonization can lead to horrific acts against other human beings.