The process that ends in committing atrocities, begins with de-humanizing people.
It begins with thinking in terms of "those people".
"Those Muslims, what the hell is wrong with those people, what kind of god do they believe in that would condone something like this?"
"Those refugees, what the hell is wrong with those people, why don't they stay and fight ISIS instead of coming here?"
"Those conservatives, what the hell is wrong with those people, don't they care about all the innocent people trying to escape from the insane shit ISIS is doing to their countries?"
"Those liberals, what the hell is wrong with those people, don't they know it's dangerous - and impossible - to let everyone enter the country that wants to? Don't they care about our safety?"
"Those Americans, what the hell is wrong with those people, don't they care that they're killing far more civilians than terrorists here?"
"Those Christians, what the hell is wrong with those people, what kind of god do they believe in that would condone something like this?"
"Those people. To hell with those people."
And here's the thing about "those people":
Pretty quickly, we stop thinking of them as people.
And something that isn't a person can't have valid concerns, or needs that matter as much as ours.
Something that isn't a person can't love or be loved, or have people of their own.
Something that isn't a person can't have any common interest to which we might appeal.
Something that isn't a person can be treated as harshly as necessary to protect "our people".
Something that isn't a person can be attacked and destroyed with a clear conscience - even MUST be destroyed if it's a possible threat to "our people".
Something that isn't a person, and yet is human-shaped, is a monster.
And we've seen enough monster movies to know that the only possible response to a monster is to destroy it. Stake it through the heart, smash the head with a blunt instrument, set it on fire - quickly, before it starts killing real people. Our people.
In fact, better barricade ourselves in with our people and fire at everything human-shaped that approaches the door, in case it MIGHT be a monster.
Better still, let's go destroy the monsters in their nest, before they get a chance to come for us and our people.
And we'd better just assume that all of "those people" are monsters and therefore must be destroyed. Just to be safe.
And once we're at that point, we're willing to do anything, willing to destroy even ourselves, in our zeal to destroy "those people". After all, it's now necessary, even noble, to die in the effort to protect "our people" from "those people".
Allahu Akbar!
For God and country!
It starts with forgetting that "those people" are ALSO "our people".
Even when some of those people have done unforgivable things that must not be allowed to continue.
Even when many of those people are saying horrible things they have no right to say.
Even when many of those people have started to think of our people as if we're the monsters.
My people - all people - even if you think of me as "those people":
It starts here.
Do we have the courage to stop it here?
© John M. Munzer
