| Polarization is at its most problematic when we dehumanize people —when we forget that the people we judge, criticize, and disagree with are actually as fully human as we are. This dehumanization can manifest in an obvious way, such as apartheid, slavery, police brutality, or genocide. But some level of this kind of prejudice exists in all of our minds. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll see that we habitually dehumanize others for many reasons. For instance, if people have political views that we consider narrow-minded or backward, we may have trouble seeing them as wholly human. If they don't believe in climate change or evolution, we may unconsciously disqualify them as fully developed members of the human race. We may condemn people for their behavior or criticize them because they smoke or drink or wear what we consider tacky clothes. Even such minor differences in our habits and preferences can cause us to feel fundamentally separate from others. |
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Paul DiSegna
December 18, 2019