History shows us where Trump's rhetoric will lead | David Livingstone Smith

Quick Overview

Dehumanization, which the speaker defines as the act of ranking others lower than humans on a hierarchy, is highly gendered, manifesting in historical examples like the 17th-century justification of enslaving Africans and 20th-century Nazi propaganda depicting Jews as monsters, as well as contemporary rhetoric equating immigrants to animals, all serving to pave the way for violence.

Key Points: Dehumanization is defined as attributing to others the essence of a kind of being ranked lower than humans on a hierarchy. Historical examples of dehumanizing propaganda include the 17th-century text 'The Negro & Indians Advocate' by Morgan Godwyn and 1940s Nazi posters showing Jews as monstrous rats (e.g., 'Der Stürmer'). The perpetrator of the 1993 Hadereni pogrom stated Gypsies are 'not really people' but 'criminals, sub-human, vermin,' illustrating the concept. Contemporary political rhetoric, such as Donald Trump's statement that immigrants are 'animals,' continues this dehumanizing discourse. The most dangerous form of dehumanization is highly gendered, often involving monstrous or vermin imagery directed at specific groups. The speaker contrasts this with the need to 'see human,' citing an image of a woman to represent full humanity, which counters dehumanization.

Context: The video features a lecture by David Livingstone Smith, a professor of philosophy, who explores the concept and history of dehumanization. He argues that dehumanization is a mechanism used to justify violence and atrocity by conceptually placing targeted groups lower than humans on a hierarchy. Smith contrasts historical instances of dehumanization, such as those used against enslaved Africans and Jews during the Holocaust, with contemporary political rhetoric, emphasizing that this process is often gendered and manifests through monstrous imagery.

Detailed Analysis

The speaker defines dehumanization as the attribution to others of an essence placing them lower than humans on a hierarchy, noting this concept is ancient, citing the 13th-century image of the 'Jude Sau-Pig' and the modern artwork 'Pig Woman and Piglets' by Patricia Piccinini as examples of monstrosity depictions. He highlights that dehumanization is often gendered, citing the 17th-century pamphlet by Morgan Godwyn justifying the enslavement of Africans by calling them 'Creatures destitute of Souls' and 'brute beasts,' and contrasting this with the contemporary rhetoric of Donald Trump calling immigrants 'animals.' Smith also shows Nazi propaganda from the 1940s depicting Jews as monstrous rats, and a quote from a perpetrator of the 1993 Hadereni pogrom calling Roma people 'criminals, sub-human, vermin.' The speaker argues that dehumanization is not accidental but a deliberate ideological construction that makes extreme violence psychologically palatable. He contrasts this with the necessity of 'seeing human,' as shown by an image of a woman's face, arguing that recognizing full humanity in others is essential to prevent atrocities, whereas dehumanization leads to horrific outcomes like the Holocaust or the Wilmington massacre.