Blog # 5 – Conclusion

This blog series began with the question “is there danger in the words we use?” and at the conclusion it appears yes there are dangers in words we choose to use.  Words are a reflection of inner beliefs, and are re-enforcement of these feelings, that can modify how we view the society in which we live.  Words allow us to distance ourselves from others and act towards others in ways that are unjust and immoral.  If we are to live together peacefully as a society we must see the bonds that connect us, and not use words to cut those bonds.

Yes, individually education and self-reflection seems to be how we can best humanize those we encounter on a daily basis and how we can improve our world.  A question that still lingers is how do we change social commentary that is exceedingly popular in our media?  Dehumanization of groups, races, and religions in the news is ratings gold by feeding into our fears and hatreds.  While a person can change how long can change last the message in society it constantly challenging it?

To follow up this series it seems arguing for accountability in the media is a way to bring about social awareness of the words we use.  The news media needs to rededicate itself to moral standards, investigating news, and being unbiased.  Selling of fear, playing on insecurities, and creating conflict should not be considered “freedom of the press” but marketing of corporate news product.  An area I was unable to cover in the blog is the inaccuracy of the news reporting of “illegals”, which is a falsity promoted within media for ratings that creates dehumanization of a group of people resulting in hatred and inhuman acts of cruelty.  Undocumented individuals are not violating criminal law in most states, but civil law, thus the term “illegal” is false and leading.  The video “Actions are illegal, never people” touches on several points in the future I would like to explore about the words we use.  

Works Cited:
TEDxTalks. "Actions Are Illegal, Never People: Jose Antonio Vargas at TEDxMidAtlantic 2012." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 13 July 2016.

Blog #4 – It is not history, it is now.

Initially, this portion of the blog was to examine past injustices carried out by “civilized societies” in recent history of the last few centuries.  The topics could have included the fate of the American Indian, treatment of immigrants here in the United States, genocide in the Eastern Europe, and of course Nazi Germany.  All these are instances where human suffering and death were carried out right in front the public of the day, not hidden, due to the power of dehumanization within a society.  Sadly, recent events present examples that allow the debate to be focused on current events, and not pulled from the history books.  The shooting deaths of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and the five Dallas police officers are examples of dehumanization at work within today’s society.  This blog is an examination of a single element of these events, not judgement of these events.

When a police officer shoots a citizen it is easy to dismiss such incidents as the actions of a “bad apple.”  Dr. Philip Zimbardo discusses that such incidents don’t require a bad person, but it requires a bad situation, a bad choice, based on bad influences.  Good people do bad things to others because they have been able to detach themselves from a human connection to them.  Part of the role of a police officer is being able to identify dangers to the general public, this means police officers look at generalities not always people.  This dehumanization process is often found in racial profiling in which an officer attempts to identify criminals based on criminal profile.  Writer Janet Chan in her article for the Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice wrote the following about racial profiling;

“…three mechanisms through which racial disparities in police treatment can happen: through prejudice, through cognitive bias and stereotyping, and through race-based deployment. While prejudice involves conscious intent, cognitive bias and stereotyping can be unconscious biases based on false assumptions about the criminality of ethic groups, while race-based deployment is an organizational or local practice that may or may not involve individual intent and consciousness.”

The language a police officer uses, both internally and verbally, when profiling dehumanizes the suspect.  Police officers in these situations don’t see person, but instead see a “perp”, “suspect”, or even more simply “the bad guy.”  By dehumanizing the person, the police officer becomes morally capable of behavior and actions they would never consider against another person.  The flaw is in the system that teaches and re-enforces this type of language and thinking, not in a few “bad apples” as society later views these police officers.  This video demonstrates how changing they system keeps the good apples from going bad, by seeing the people of the community not the stereotypes.

Word Count : 457

Works Cited

Chan, Janet. "Racial Profiling and Police Subculture." Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, vol. 53, University of Toronto Press, 2011..doi:10.3138/cjccj.53.1.75.

TEDxTalks. "The Importance of Mindset in Policing | Chip Huth | TEDxTacoma." YouTube. YouTube, 2015. Web. 13 July 2016. 

Blog #3 …And then there is PC Talk

In this blog series what is free speech, freedom of the press, and the evils of dehumanization have been explored.  This creates the need to examine the opposing sides of the issue of the language of dehumanization.  While nobody will truly argue that dehumanization is a good thing it can be argued that it is the lesser of two evils when pitted against censorship often popularly referred to as “political correctness.”  It must also be examined if “political correctness” is a negative force that will destroy society or if the movement is beneficial to society. 

Within American society there are popular terms applied to censorship to include “political correctness”, “big brother state”, and “socialism.”  Each of these terms are hyperbolic in a sense, taking the listener to an extreme emotion rather than a rational discussion of the topic.  What is the concerns of political correctness and the dangers it creates within society?  Politically conservative columnist Tim Wildmon wrote “Political correctness is the practice of refusing to acknowledge the truth or the facts of a situation because your words may be considered offensive to some people. This is not the same as being purposefully rude or hurtful although some may interpret it that way.” (Political Correctness: Dangerous Abandonment of Common Sense).  In his assessment words that dehumanize should be protected because they are words of facts, he says “Facts and statistics don't create a false "stereotype." However, stereotypes are the basis of dehumanization of groups within society and are historically dangerous.  This is Jon Stewart talking about political correctness within the political system within the country (note some adult language used). 

NPR Commentator Gene Demby wrote an article examining research by Cornell University that shows the positive aspects of political correctness.  The findings he reported were “The researchers' takeaway: By imposing a PC environment, they had made it easier for men and women to speak their minds in mixed company. They had "reduced the uncertainty" that can come with interacting with someone from the opposite sex.” (What Research Says about the Consequences of PC Culture).  Basically, the PC culture removes the bully in the room who prevents the inclusion of all within a group.  Words of dehumanization are toxic within society and are a roadblocks to advancement.  They take groups of people and isolate them devaluing not only their ideas but rob them of their humanity.  This research shows that thinking about what you are going to say is more productive than words without thought. 

Both authors agree that political correctness impacts communication, they clearly disagree on if that impact is positive or negative.  I think it is better to choose your words carefully rather than try to defend poorly worded arguments.  In my next blog I will take a look at historical outcomes of the use of dehumanizing language. 

Word Count: 468

Works Cited:
Demby, Gene. "What Research Says About The Consequences Of PC Culture." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 13 July 2016. 

"Political Correctness: Dangerous Abandonment of Common Sense." Political Correctness: Dangerous Abandonment of Common Sense. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 July 2016.

"Jon Stewart Donald Trump(NEW)." YouTube. YouTube, 2016. Web. 13 July 2016.