Examples Of Dehumanization And Polarization

1. I chose dehumanization and polarization from the ten stages of genocide by Gregory Stanton. Dehumanization is the act of denying a group of people their humanity. They are often referred to as something insignificant such as a parasite, cancer, or leech. This process makes them seem less than human and not worthy of humane treatment. In addition, other means of identification such as badges and numbers are used in place of names to identify the group. In the context of Rwanda, Rwandan newspapers dehumanized Tutsis by labeling them as “cockroaches.” Hate radio stations dehumanized the Tutsis furthered by referring to them to other various repulsive animals that dissect other people and eat their internal organs. To slow or stop this …show more content…
The two reasons why we have not been able to stop genocide and why it has continue occurring in the world today is as follows: (1) the world has not developed the international institutions needed to predict and prevent it and (2) the world’s leaders do not have the political will to stop it. For the first reason, the UN Security Council needs to develop a system where it can predict where and when a potential genocide will occur and come up with techniques to prevent it. The staffs should be competent enough to detect early warning signs of genocide and efficiently communicate with UN officials on the matter. In addition, they should have a guide to assess early risk and factors relating to genocide such as ethnic diversity and history of conflict. Most importantly, there must be a way to combat the “us” vs “them” mentality, which is a factor that drives people apart and towards genocide. Reforming the UN Security Council will not be enough to intervene and prevent genocide. A permanent peacekeeping force must be established. The peacekeeping force must have the support of major military powers and be large enough to intervene and prevent potential genocides. Although reforming the UN Security Council, creating institutions to promote peacekeeping, and establishing a peacekeeping force may prevent a genocide, the world’s leaders must have the political will to stop it. By raising the public awareness about the world around them, they can urge political leaders to act. If the public were to know more about the condition of other countries and the risk factors that may lead to genocide, they may be able to pressure political leaders to intervene. However, accurate information must be conveyed to the public and policy makers from reliable news source. Some of the new approaches to preventing genocide is educating the public about genocide and promoting tolerance with other groups in society. In addition, grass roots approaches such as religious