Has all the negative campaigning and fear-mongering, put America on a dangerous road. We expect elections to be tough and we expect candidate to be put under the microscope. But is it getting more sinister than a bit of hardball politicking? According to a model developed by Genocide Watch, the USA could be halfway to mass slaughter.
Genocide Watch is the coordinator of the International Campaign to End Genocide. It has studied genocides in Nazi Germany, Rwanda and Yugoslavia, to name just a few.
It has compiled an 8 stage process by which societies get from stable and cohesive to mass murdering genocide. And, judging from the hate we've been seeing in some quarters of the campaign, the USA is halfway there.
1. CLASSIFICATION: "All cultures have categories to distinguish people into “us and them” by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality"
This happens in all countries and all cultures, to a degree. It is how we differentiate and make sense of the world. However, in Gov Palin's hands, this classification looks a little more divisive - as she showed at a rally in Clearwater, Florida :
"This [Obama] is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America... I'm afraid this is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country."
2. SYMBOLIZATION: "We give names or other symbols to the classifications. We name people “Jews” or “Gypsies”, or distinguish them by colors or dress; and apply the symbols to members of groups".
In the current climate, probably the worst symbols that can be attached to anyone are Terrorist, Muslim and Anti-American. Obama and his supporters are increasingly being accused of both.
Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann talked on MSNBC Hardball about how Obama and his supporters are Anti-American and support terrorists. She has been widely censured for this attack, but nonetheless, it will resonate with many people on the right. Video below.
And the message is clearly getting out to votes. At a Palin rally in Ohio, supporters described Obama as "related to known terrorists", "a nigger", "a Muslim" and "not a Christian"
3. DEHUMANIZATION: "One group denies the humanity of the other group. Dehumanization overcomes the normal human revulsion against murder. At this stage, hate propaganda in print and on hate radios is used to vilify the victim group."
Waterboard Obama Official Campaign Slogan
Obama not WorthySimilar attacks come from respected members of the base. "Barack Obama is not even worthy to shine the shoes of John McCain," Deborah Johns, one of Fox News Channel's favorite military moms, said this week, adding that he would be "nothing more than a modern day Robin Hood."
Aborted Obama And in an article entitled "Former Fetus Barack Obama" , Ed Whelan, writing for the National Review has suggested that if Roe vs Wade had been law when Obama had been conceived, then he may well have been aborted. Hanging Obama Racist Ohio resident Mike Lunsford, hung an Obama effigy from a noose in a tree. Lunsford said that the display was not political, but racist. "America is a white Christian nation", he said, "and we should have a white Christian president". Video below: 4. ORGANIZATION: "Genocide is always organized, usually by the state, often using militias to provide deniability of state responsibility" Whilst we've not seen any organised violence, this last week there have been reports and accounts of Palin supporters attacking members of the media . This is unsurprising, given that the McCain/Palin team have consistently taken swipes at the so-called "gotcha media" and liberal left-leaning newspapers and TV stations.
In Elko California , a pro-McCain supporter tried to shoe off an Obama supporter sitting on the far side of the parking lot holding an Obama sign. "Get out of here, you bastard," he shouted. "You people [the media] are in the tank for Obama." In the third presidential debate , John McCain cried foul about congressman civil rights leader John Lewis comparing his rallies to those of 1960's segregationist George Wallace. This doesn't stop him continuing his hateful spin.
Whilst McCain has made some attempts to denounce the behaviour of "fringe" supporters, he rejected any suggestion that there was a more systemic hatred. "I'm not going to stand for people saying that the people that come to my rallies are anything but the most dedicated, patriotic men and women that are in this nation and they're great citizens."
We have not seen any systemic evidence of the final 4 stages, below.
5. POLARIZATION: "Extremists drive the groups apart. Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda."
6. PREPARATION: Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious identity. Death lists are drawn up. Members of victim groups are forced to wear identifying symbols.
7. EXTERMINATION: "The mass killing legally called “genocide.” It is “extermination” to the killers because they do not believe their victims to be fully human."
8. DENIAL: "It is among the surest indicators of further genocidal massacres. The perpetrators of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses."
Unstoppable Force? Nope.Am I suggesting that the USA will actually descend into Genocide, or that fascism is coming to America "wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross"? No. Of course I'm not. Whilst all this is ugly, I believe that it is ultimately the result of election fever, which has gone too far. It will taper down next year as people come to terms with it (esp. if Obama wins).
I also believe that the vast majority of Americans are better than this. They can see through the bullshit and expose it for what it is. The plethora of news outlets, blogs, youtube and twitters ensure that the public discourse cannot be dominated by one narrative.
Racists for ObamaAnother mitigating factor is the emergence of backlash groups, defying their own stereotypes and doing what they think is right.
Politico features an article on the phenomenon of people who, on the one hand, openly declare themselves racists, yet on the other, are voting for Obama because they see him as the better choice.
It is clear is that the economy is over-riding prejudice. People don't have the luxury of making choices based on extraneous issues. This has been identified as the Fireman scenario - your house is on fire and there's one guy who can put it out. He just happens to be black.
Other backlash groups include Rednecks for Obama , Veterans for Obama, and Women Against Palin. Hockey Mom's Against Palin, whose YouTube video, below, has had over 400,000 hits in one month.
Lingering HatredThe biggest danger is that the dehumanisation of Obama and his supporters may affect a minority of people, who are left burdened with an over-riding sense of injustice and loss, which they cannot reconcile.
They may continue to harbour deep unease, fear and hatred which will not subside over the coming months. These people will continue to believe the lies and propoganda that they have been fed and see any attempt to correct their beliefs as further justification for their anger.
My concern is that someone will take matters into their own hands.
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