Dehumanization is the Tipping Point, the Antidote is Connection--Resolution Falls on Us

If you have followed me in any capacity, it should be clear that I hold leftist ideals, though I no longer participate in politics. I believe that housing, food, communication, and the ability to move freely through the world (among many other things) are basic human rights that should be awarded to us all. I used to believe that such progress was possible under America’s democratic system. I went to law school to find my place in that story. I did not want to be a lawyer, but I wanted to work in politics… because I still believed the established system was the only way to legitimately drive change. What I discovered was that our system was not designed for change, and any time too much progress is made, the system is designed to backtrack.

This democracy was not founded on freedom for all. Our Constitution was literally drafted with exclusion in mind. Only rich, white men were ever considered in its contents while black slaves built the buildings in which the white men gathered, indigenous tribes were obliterated both literally and culturally, and women were the property of the men making the rules we all continue to live by. The foundation of this "great" democracy was poured with genocidal malice, yet we accept it as the platinum standard. Why? Do we REALLY believe this is as good as it gets? Sounds like a great narrative to feed the masses to prevent revolution.

As such, I see nothing to be political over. Politics is nothing more than the system sustaining itself through the appearance of an internal battle over good and evil fueled by sharp party divisions that are perpetuated by the media (which is also part of the system). The system, as a whole, has to go. And until that happens, progress will remain stagnant.

We are currently in free fall. We are locked into this nightmare, folks. Even if we manage to elect our way out of this regime (which we will not because these whackadoodles have already told us we won’t have future elections; it’s time to believe them the first time they speak), we still have all of the cultural issues to resolve. Tensions are high, and those in power are pushing us towards internal collapse on purpose. They want us at each other’s throats so we will take each other out. And let's be clear, IF a civil war were to happen in this country, it would not be an organized war. It would not be one army against another. It would not be blue states vs red states. There would be no enemy lines, no enemy territory. It would be neighbors taking out neighbors. Family taking out their own. We are living amongst each other. It’s all up for grabs. I’d imagine, if we got to that point, if the hostility and hatred escalated so far that such a conflict broke out, it would be reminiscent of Rwanda.

Frankly, your safest bet in that scenario is being part of a deeply entrenched, supportive community. I have said since day one of this regime, you should be building your community, and you should be doing it now—fast. Whether you like it or not, developing ties to those with whom you currently disagree, but who do not YET wish to kill you is perhaps the single-most important task.

If you’ve studied genocide at all, you know that dehumanization is a critical milestone on the path towards destruction. It is what allows humans to “exterminate” other humans without a second thought. This is an imperative step for genocidal power because they know that when we see another as human, when we are connected to each other’s lives in meaningful ways, we are less likely to participate in that person’s demise. Without dehumanization, genocide is not possible.

If you are thinking, "well, how can I be friends with THEM," I hear you. I've been there. It's a matter of morality. At the same time, it is crucial to remember that the media works (and has been for decades) to push specific agendas based on one's location. Their propaganda is working overtime to demonize the “other” in all of our eyes.

Those in urban centers are fed information about the hicks, rednecks and racists in rural America. This propaganda is not quite as potent as the right-wing ecosystem. It is not designed with genocidal intent, unlike the dehumanizing propaganda pumped into rural areas. But most folks in urban centers did not grow up in rural America. They do not understand the culture and have concluded they do not need to because those folks are “inferior” and uneducated (and, yes… that’s how they are perceived)—exactly as the system intended. That’s really all the system needs to maintain the strategic division.

Likewise, those in rural America are fed a narrative that their economic collapse and lack of recovery after the recession was due to excessive financial assistance funneled into the urban centers… it was given to black folks “leeching the system.” They are told that their manufacturing jobs were stripped from them and handed to immigrants. Corporate greed and machine automation are actually to blame, but after watching your entire town collapse into poverty and crippling drug addiction, the emotional appeals of the propaganda machine strategically offered them a target for their anger. Many of these folks are dirt poor, have been dirt poor their entire lives. They come from generation after generation of disparate poverty. They want relief, and they want it at all costs. Without real-life access to diversity, or even just a different perspective, this shitstorm of emotions divulges into rage and hatred for those they are told are to blame. This is perfect for the system because, now, it can deliver any message about any minority group, and it will be internalized and embodied. It doesn’t even need to make sense because these silos are operating on pure survival mode, pure emotion. Any progress that had been made over the years (and, yes, there was progress towards equality and inclusion) is now obliterated.

For years, folks have believed that we can simply counteract this propaganda with stated facts. But this clearly has not worked. This is not because these folks are “too stupid” to get it. It’s because propaganda is fucking powerful and our media ecosystem has evolved to the point where we are pummeled with it everywhere we look. The only antidote to that propaganda is actual, real-life, human connection that creates enough cognitive dissonance to eventually break through the messaging.

This is not to say there is not real bigotry here. I am not saying you should tolerate racism, sexism, and the like. But we need to be clear about who/what the true culprit is. This system built on white supremacy and patriarchy has perpetuated and reinforced these issues because it is the only way to sustain itself. And that system will never be the one to end its own propaganda campaign. It will never bring us together. We either choose to bridge the split ourselves, or we live in this hate-fueled state until it takes us all out for good.

I understand this issue as I do partly due to my education, but mostly because I DID grow up in rural America. I DO have loved ones in “hick towns.” I do not agree with everything they believe, but I understand how they got there and I have patience for their evolution. It doesn’t happen overnight. I know what it is like to grow up around that mentality, and I know what it took for me to deprogram… and I grew up in a progressive home with family who were deeply and actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. If I struggled to break the curse… y’all, we have some work to do. It’s hard to change when all you have are the same 300 people around you reinforcing the propaganda strategically funneled into your silo. Propaganda packs a powerful punch when there is no access to diversity. And no, that is NOT their fault. We do not choose where we are born. We do not choose the culture in which we are raised.

I actively invest my energy in these relationships because, wouldn’t ya know, when they have actual exposure to different perspectives, they are capable of change. And, frankly, they have changed me, too. My heart has softened to THEIR struggles and humanity—something I didn’t even realize was an issue. I’ve concluded that most people are decent humans with good hearts. They want to do the right thing. They believe they ARE doing the right thing based on the information they are fed.

I have spent many years doing this work, though I didn’t understand how crucial it was until recently. This work is slow. It is daunting at times. It is exhausting. And there are only so many of us with actual connections to these locations. The work falls on those of us who left our hometowns and found a different, more cultured worldview. We are the only access these folks have to an alternative perspective. If we don’t do it, no one will, and here we shall remain.

The vast majority of people, on both sides, sneer and scoff when they hear of my work. They’d rather hate. That’s easier than compassion. Easier than understanding. Easier than holding space for another’s lived experience. Easier than getting your hands dirty and doing the work. But I believe in the power it holds for creating long-term, sustainable cultural change that can outlast the bullshit politics everyone else is focused on. It needs to be the people against the system. That’s the only way we get free.