Demonization

A post below expresses the observation that identity politics is behind most of history's great atrocities. The Holocaust, Trail of Tears, Cambodian Killing Fields, Armenian Genocide, Holodomor, Rwandan Genocide, etc. had their genesis in the notion that it was legitimate to demonize certain groups and therefore kill them. It is discouraging therefore, in the aftermath of a mass shooting, to find political opportunists advocating the demonization of others; the NRA, civil libertarians, Republicans, firearm owners etc. It is puzzling how the irony of the argument seems to evade its proponents, that demonization of others is consistent with the logic and motives of the shooters. It takes a measure of hatred to kill strangers for indiosyncratic grievances and it likewise takes a measure of hatred to demonize strangers because of their beliefs and political views.

It should be obvious that the way to address a crime in a grieving community is not to further divide that community and feed us-versus-them antagonism. Appeals to hatred are not effective means of conciliation, nor of understanding tragedy.

To be certain, when one confronts a political opponent in a restaurant, the confrontation is directed at demonizing the person, not any ideas they may have or interests they support; one does not publish the addresses of ideas in hopes that mobs will harass them, nor try to get ideas fired from their jobs These are personal affronts directed toward persons, not ideas. These tactics are tactics of demonization and the lineage of this tactic is an unhappy, and frankly evil one. Demonization must be recognized for what it is: targeted hatred. It should be called out and deligitimized as a political tactic.