Who are the people most often despised? It is the ones we can't see ourselves in...the one's we can dehumanize (lack of empathy or social connectedness). The following is a hypothetical thought experiment on dehumanization that includes first justice default and then intentional dehumanization. It is meant for learning purposes and highlights a worst case scenario simply to see what that looks like in a modern society. It has a positive end result but we have to get through the ugly first so as to understand the risks we face when systems are skewed by poor ideologies. It applies to no particular race, religion or politics but simply the embodiment of hate worthiness based on in and out-group dynamics. It also doesn't need to apply to a specific country or place but of corruption and dysfunction.
In this learning example a group of people could financially gain by exploiting hate and their social connections with a few corrupted officials within the local court system. Intentional rumors were spread, people bullied, corrupted officials targeted, children were put in harms way, they stripped the victims of their honor and rewarded themselves financially through aggression and misapplicaiton of the law. In essence there was a default in justice and intentional dehumanization. The boldness and surety of their exploitation of minorities and preexisting bigotries helped discover a much larger network of clan corruptions (good old boy networks) that warped the local justice system. Judges were aware but opted to appease social connections and pre-existing ideological bigotries versus their duties.
When we pull back the curtain/fascade we find the Wicked Witch of the West (the embodiment of evil out-group members and sometimes minorities are seen) had a beautiful soul and had a history of protecting the weak, those in need and doing good for society and the nation even when it wasn't popular (The herd does things for external praise or money but better people do it for principle and wisdom). When the mirror reflects back you find that the Fair Maiden is actually an ugly ogre who lies, cheats, encourages flying monkeys, and manipulates to get their way. The victims have no recourse because they are viewed similar to animals and were judged heuristically with extreme prejudice (extremism). The choices how to view someone not based in fact or objective opinion but in how we view "the other" based in the own imageries in our head. The Treachery of Images
All find and dandy as long as the hate narrative is the only narrative spread and critical thinking doesn't enter the arena. This time the principles are more important than all the actors and it makes no difference who is and who is not rewarded except that it is a sign of how a clan based system functions ( people have complained that some are immune and certain people protected.). Correcting inspires people to believe in the dreams of our founding fathers/mothers and why they launched a nation built on freedom. The proclamation of good moral conscious has been posted on the alter where rights have been sacrificed to the gods of hate. An essential question being if there are any recourses for such blind injustices?
It's not about getting people in trouble but it is about something much higher and nobler. Feel free to do what your conscious, or lack thereof, tells you. Its bigger than that! It's about correction and protecting future victims of dehumanization and ensuring corruption and hate does not take one more step toward creating pitable people (People we are willing to collectively punish). The clan walked openly and publically along a dark path until the supporters of democractic morality challenged them to better choices and a brighter future. We owe it to the people that sacrificed before us and those who sacrificed after us to hold the liberty torch to guide our path as high as we can. The Road Not Taken
Each generation is the caretaker of the next. Left for the dead the perpetrators did not count on the power of persistance, purpose and belief because of the greater calling of liberty for future, victim rights, and not justify that which is unjustifiable (retaliation is the chosen method for silencing those who want to strengthen our justice system through integrityand accountability.) We still stand bruised, bashed, belittled but bold to protect the rest of you. Some of them truly hate the rest of us and they won't correct no matter how much harm they have caused so we will need to stand together to encourage a better world and higher functioning system. We can do that in a peaceful way by sharing stories just like this to ensure a counter narrative is heard/not herd. The only reward you will receive is the satisfaction that you did not buckle under pressure and you did the right thing where others couldn't even muster the capacity to do their jobs or fulfill their promised oaths. Your time to relieve current generations in this generational to generational mission of preserving life, encouraging liberty and helping people find a path to happiness is coming so get ready and be better than we were in preserving freedom and health of the nation.
My advice to the diverse youth who want their rights and want people to treat others fairly and civily in alignment with our core purpose as a society (i.e. social contracts and beliefs of fairness and freedom.).....Your time to put your mark on our future is near. Read our Constitution, understand human and civil rights, freedom of speech and religion, learn, develop and grow, treat each other well, and stand firm against the tidal wave of those who seek to rob you and your children of their futures. Become experts, serve your communities, become doctors, officers, lawyers, judges, artists, politicians and employ your God given talents to the cause of We the People.
Above is what is called a narrative based on an alternative logic that is a counter to the rhetoric of hate and corruption. It has a more powerful message and connected conclusions that benefits the most amount of people through power with (vs. power over) and purpose. Stories, heroes, challenged, risk and eventual triumph help us understand what we should be doing and inspire others to strengthen our democracy and minimize the impact of those who erode our freedoms. It is incumbent on our leaders and leaders to support our freedoms and think long term by the decisions they make today. This example is one of which a few dehumanized certain members of the population and didn't have the moral conscious to correct and thus opened a dichotomy of justice systems at a time when the polls show general mistrust of the institution. It is important to think about how to restore that trust for the rest of us to ensure that bigots, clan members, and general corruption do not become our guide. If they can take one person's rights they can take anothers and while that may not represent the whole they have no/little backstops to correct. Who is more correct, the ones who promote hate, violence and corruption or the one's who speak out against it? Sociology and Narratives
*This is a hypothetical example for learning purposes. It is meant to highlight a thought experiment on a default in justice and then intentional dehumanization through the undermining of human/civil rights and legal recourse. It helps us explore solutions where serious missteps were taken and no corrections despite the knowledge of the wrong. Take with a grain of salt.
No comments:
Post a Comment