Chattahoochee River
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
To be Dehumanized
I don't remember where I heard it, but a while ago I heard that for someone to completely break they have to be dehumanized. At the very beginning of the second chapter, that seems to be what was happening to the Jews - they were being dehumanized. All of their possessions were taken away and they were then treated like animals - if they were to run away they would be shot at "like dogs" and the author even compared their train car to a cattle car. I think this was a way for the Nazis to get inside the Jews' heads, to not only torture them physically but emotionally and psychologically as well.
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Dehumanizing is an interesting concept. I agree that the Germans were practicing this concept on the Jews, but I am not sure if it was to torture them even more, or if it was merely a way for the Germans to cope with what they had been tasked with doing. This is in no way meant to be sympathetic to the German cause, but the only way you could possibly terminate a whole is if you yourself have been dehumanized. The Nazi soldiers themselves have been brainwashed by Hitler to some degree. They no longer believe that the Jews are humans, and this in itself takes away the humanity the soldiers once had.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you bring up a good point about the Germans being dehumanized. I never even thought about that, and I think a lot of people tend to over look that because the Germans are the bad guys in this. I think people try to avoid looking at the events from their perspective because we subconsciously think it would be wrong or unjust to try to relate to the bad guys in a situation.
ReplyDeleteDehumanization is a key concept into recognizing genocide. According the Raphael Lemkin's Convention on the prevention and punishment of genocide Dehumanization is one of the six things metioned as a trait of genocide. I agree with both of you that it could be used as a tool for further torture of the Jews and to aid the Germans. I read somewhere that many German officers in charge of executing the Jews developed terrible post traumatic stress disorder and some even committed suicide.
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