Dehumanization & Hate Rhetoric through Propaganda
We are living in historic times here in America. We are fed propaganda in order to create discord between the people while certain political forces use authoritarianism to enforce laws and military actions against targeted populations as well as other people who get in their way. This means that they target certain groups of people and use emotional language or media in order to demonize them and make them seem subhuman. In terms of Immigrants, they often don’t call them people or use their names, but use words like illegal aliens, terrorists, rapists in order to make seem less human. They even use these terms when they aren’t relevant in order to control the narrative as well. It appeals to your emotions instead of purely stating the facts and makes it easier for the audience to disregard morality. No matter what else you label them they are people. They are human just like you or me. We both deserve love, compassion, and the right to a fair trial so why don’t they? They are human too.
Using Propaganda to Create Discord
Propaganda is also used to created discord amongst the masses. This strategy is meant to make us too busy fighting each other to realize what is happening while they use authoritarianism to gain control of opposing political forces or states. Like Minnesota. We are fighting to maintain the rights we established as a state and to protect Minnesota Citizens and Legal immigrants. Yes, Legal Immigrants do exist despite what the propoganda wants you to think. We also believe in treating all people humanely especially after George Floyd and the police brutality witnessed there.
In the Military they have use of force rules they are trained in. They are different abroad than domestically. SRUF. They use a Last Resort Rule and then the use of force must be proportional. They use the lowest level of force necessary. Warning-> Verbal Command->Non-Lethal. Physical Force is a last resort. If the police & ICE are also domestic, why do they not follow similar rules? Why aren’t they trained furthur to ensure they use an appropriate amount of force. We have undergone huge changes in our police force since the incident. Now, we are simply trying to prevent similar cases from occuring from any kind of Police or Military force and their interactions with people like you or me.
They also try to get disenfranchised populations to target each other. Right now they are targeting immigrants. Who is next? Trans, LGBT, Pagan, White Muslims, Neurodivergent..they are already attempting to create inhumane policies against us. We are much stronger together in solidarity than apart. It’s times like these when we need come together the most. It’s not easy, because you worry about your own safety or because it’s not happening to you right now it’s easier to ignore and appease those who are oppressing you.
Speaking Truth in the Face of Oppression
Today at our service at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Mankato, our speaker Chad Snyder did a sermon. It was called ‘A Talent For Truth’. While our Fellowship, is mixed faith and not inherently Christian, he spoke of an interesting passage in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25.
Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my talent on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
What is So Hard about Love & Compassion?
Love and compassion for those affected shouldn’t be hard to ask for regardless of political association. Respect and compassion are every human’s right regardless of your views on ‘illegal’ immigrants, Trans Rights, Feminism. In fact, this is a term used to make them seem less human despite the fact they are every bit as human as you or I. Would you like it if you were in their shoes? The rhetoric against them is meant to make you demonize them as people and think they don’t deserve human decency. They are in fact people and all people deserve their rights, respect, compassion, and a fair trial under a government that upholds honesty & integrity.
Sometimes it may be hard to have compassion for people who are part of a culture you don’t understand, but they deserve to be heard and life the life true to them instead of demonized. We fear what we do not understand. You may even be afraid to understand or show empathy, but at least keep an open mind. Be willing to learn about perspectives outside of your own. Maybe they aren’t as different from you as you think. If you won’t do that, at least don’t impose your beliefs on others or act like you know enough about them to demonize them. You can practice your believes without trying to control other people’s lives.
Empathy and Sympathy which are often hand in hand with compassion are learned traits. We need to educate and foster these in our society. Denmark has empathy classes for their children. They learn how to create a supportive & non-competitive environement. They learn active listening, how to identify and discuss emotions, and conflict resulution. Due to this, they have one of the lowest rates of bullying in europe are considered one of the top happiest countries. I honestly feel like all people should learn how to utilize these skills. They may seem like common sense to some, but if someone wasn’t raised in a diverse, compassionate environment it may not be so easy to them.
Love & Compassion Isn’t Always Easy
Those people who are quick to feed into the hate rhetoric and use it to bully may not have been in the right environment to learn those skills, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve love, kindness or compassion. In fact, maybe they are the ones that need it the most. It may sound corny, but love and compassion CAN change someone if it is paired with honesty & integrity. I believe being treated with honesty, integrity, respect, and compassion is a basic human right for everyone and people should be given the opportunity to change. People can be held accountable and brought to justice while still being treated with each of those values. We can’t fall into acting out the same behaviors we are trying to stop. Overgeneralizations & stereotypes aren’t good reasons to judge someone.
Love and compassion for those affected shouldn’t be hard to ask for regardless of political association. Respect and compassion are every human’s right regardless of your views on ‘illegal’ immigrants, Trans Rights, Feminism. In fact, this is a term used to make them seem less human despite the fact they are every bit as human as you or I. Would you like it if you were in their shoes? The rhetoric against them is meant to make you demonize them as people and think they don’t deserve human decency. They are in fact people and all people deserve their rights, respect, compassion, and a fair trial under a government that upholds honesty & integrity.
This includes because they are an able cis white man of upper class or whatever label of priviledge. People should be judged for their actions not their race, class, ability, sexuality or gender. Or is that not what we are fighting for? We shouldn’t fall into dehumanizing people due to their priviledge and deem them irredeamable either. According to Mahatma Ghandi, “Eye for an Eye made the whole world blind” and we definitely need them to be able to see the problem in order to change for the better. Also, I think we should use proportional levels of hostility as well. Based on each person’s actions and how severe, because if we approach from a compassionate and loving perspective we may be able to reach more people. Now, I know we need to make waves to get attention and if they are using certain levels of force we need to defend ourselfs in those situations. It’s not easy to make big enough waves to disrupt the system enough to change it.
Spreading The Truth Can Foster Change
If we spent time trying to compassionately educate the masses on the facts of what is happening, we may be able to guide people to another path. If we educate and spread the truth to our children about diversity, perspectives outside of their own, empathy, compassion and emotional awareness that can also foster change. In our sermon at the UU today, Chad Snyder also spoke of Gandhi and his belief in the power of the truth. His movement was called “satyagraha” which means “holding to Truth”. He spoke his truth and spread it both to the masses and those in power without fear. The Truth cannot reveal itself it needs to be told by people like you and I. Also, Oppressors never think they are oppressors they need to be shown and told honestly by the people that they are.
Chad Snyder also said, “Many, many people across the country tell themselves that it seems like maybe it’s going to far, but it isn’t their problem or responsibility, and maybe it is needed to save us from some boogyman or ‘worse of the worst’, and there’s probably nothing we can do about it anyway. The people under attack fear that they are stuck in a story they can’t escape. None of that needs to be true. Radical, unrelenting, complete, and devastating sincerity, disrupts those stories. Makes room for hard truths.” Speaking the truth may come with consequences, but without the Truth we can’t learn and grow.
Watch the full unedited videos about what is happening in America right now and look at facts. What did or didn’t you see? Don’t try to find an excuse to believe the biases that either side of media tell you. What ACTUALLY happened based on what you can SEE? Is that a gun? Where were people standing? How many times did they get shot? If necessary turn off the volume and just watch. #EyesNotLies is a tag that people use now on videos they post to remind people to watch and make their own judgements without listening to what the media has to say about it. If you would like to see videos, check out Ice Out. People post videos of their interactions with Ice on here throught the country.
If you have any videos of ICE Activity please check out #EyesNotLies by M.A.R.C.H
Truth & Education Could Foster Love & Compassion
Not all people are exposed to diversity and so propoganda may affect them more in times like these. However, if we try to compassionately educate those who are ignorant to the truth and perspectives outside of their own, we may become more tolerant and compassionate with the truth. Part of my childhood was spent growing up in rural Minnesota. Many people in these areas have lived in a bubble most of their lives and aren’t exposed to much diversity and only to the rural christian small town culture. Our schools don’t properly educate on history, culture, diversity, or disability and study abroad is rare for public schools. Over the years they have become a bit more diverse, but hardly. We live in a culture that teaches us to look the other way in regards to homelessness or crime and when we do look it’s in judgement instead of compassion.
We live in a culture that glorifies capitalism & media and whatever they market as the ideal. Ideal color of skin, sex, relationships, gender roles, ect. Our Media & Film Industry are stuck in a cycle of promoting harmful stereotypes and skewed representation. Based on what your average person is exposed to, it may be easy to feed into the hate and discrimination if they don’t know the truth. When I went on my D.C. Trip in High School, people would laugh at driving through Ghetto Areas that weren’t actually all that Ghetto and comment and laugh at homeless people in judgement. These perspectives are learned from somewhere. Media, Film, Propoganda, Small Minded People around them, Fear. We need to expand minds. Knowledge is power and those in power know it. That’s why they try to manipulate it and create division between the people who don’t have power. It’s like that scene from ‘A Bug’s Life’ where the grasshopper talks about the ants being able to overpower them with number. Truth, Education, Love and Compassion are their enemy. ‘Woke’ isn’t a bad word. I wonder who turned it into a bad word. Not the ones in power.
Some More Great Ghandi Quotes:
“Hate the sin, love the sinner.”
― Mahatma Gandhi“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
― Mahatma Gandhi“Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:
– I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
– I shall fear only God.
– I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
– I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
– I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”
― Mahatma Gandhi“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Leave a Reply