CJ ✨ :
This is actually an example of political rhetoric called “animalistic dehumanization. It’s one of three main types of dehumanization (animalistic, mechanical, and moral disengagement) used by political campaigns as a common predecessor of large-scale abuse of human rights, including but not limited to acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and hostile political insurrections.
The most prominent example in recent history is H!tler’s n@zi propaganda in World War 2. Those of Jewish descent were referred to and portrayed as “rats,” “vermin,” “parasites,” “lice,” and “diseases.”
His followers engaged in moral disengagement by labeling the victims as dangerous, blaming the victims for the violence used against them, categorizing that violence as protection, and defusing responsibility by saying that his soldiers were “just following orders.”
Sound familiar? It should!
Trump supporters attempt to defend the administration’s actions by stating that Trump is “protecting our nation” by “defending it from degenerates, criminals, and monsters.” They say “if the immigrants came legally, it wouldn’t be a problem” and respond to reports of ICE victimizing, abusing, and murdering people by saying “well, that wouldn’t happen if they weren’t resisting arrest / attacking officers / being non-compliant and non-cooperative.” They praise the officers for “protecting our nation” and defend them by saying “but they’re just doing their job!”
But one could argue that dehumanization wasn’t the only reason the H0locaust able to happen. And they’d be correct! There were multiple other factors at play. Such as authoritarianism, economic pressure, increased tension between political parties, propaganda, governmental and institutional failures, armed conflict, the overall psychological stability and competence of political leaders and it’s effect on the decisions they made.
Does THAT sound familiar? It should, because we’re living in it. After all, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. 🫣
2026-07-17 22:33:37