The Relationship Between Social Class And Dehumanization

Dehumanization refers to denying that other people have human traits. In other words, dehumanization means seeing someone as “less human”. In general, this form of discrimination is shown against members of certain groups; that is, we consider some people to be less human and less dignified because they belong to a certain group.

While there are numerous factors that cause different groups to form, one of the most important is social class. Social class is a form of social stratification in which a group of individuals share a common characteristic that binds them together in a social or economic way. So we can broadly distinguish two social classes: the rich and the poor.

How do we dehumanize?

Dehumanization consists in believing that someone is less human than we are. However, it has been established that there are different forms of dehumanization. In concrete terms, we can highlight two forms: animalization and mechanization. Depending on which human traits we reject, we animalize or mechanize.

“Dehumanization, although a concrete historical fact, is not a predetermined fate, but the result of an unjust order that leads to violence among the oppressors, which in turn leads to a dehumanization of the oppressed class.”

Paulo Freire

Animalization, for example, consists essentially in denying those traits that are exclusively human. These are the qualities that set us apart from animals. For example, our cognitive ability, sophistication, or being civilized. On the other hand , the concept of mechanization encompasses behavior according to which we deny other properties that are typical of human nature but not necessarily unique to animals, such as warmth and emotionality. In this way, those who are denied their human characteristics are compared to animals, and those who are denied even that nature are compared to inanimate objects such as robots or automata.

Functions of dehumanization

What is dehumanization for? You could say that it fulfills three main functions. The dehumanization of a group primarily serves to justify violence. Assuming that the members of a particular group are less human than we are, we are more likely to convince ourselves that we have certain rights over the members of that group. This is a better way of justifying the use of force if these people do not behave as we would expect them to.

As a second point, dehumanization legitimizes the so-called “status quo”. There are groups who enjoy a better status than others. Another group, on the other hand, that has already been dehumanized and is therefore less valued, has a lower status. This strengthens superiority.

“It was so terrible that it was no longer terrible, but inhuman.”

 F. Scott Fitzgerald

The third point is that dehumanization stifles morality. We all have moral values ​​that govern our behavior, such as the belief that “it is wrong to kill”. However, these values ​​only apply to us humans. When we no longer regard a person as human, it is easier for us to use violence against them, even if our values ​​would normally prevent us from doing so. Just think about how the Nazis compared the Jews to cockroaches.

Dehumanization according to social class

Classism is a set of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that relate to other people as a result of their membership of a particular social class or their socio-economic status. We can refer to both disadvantaged and preferred social classes. In other words , classicism is the distinction between rich / worthy and poor / unworthy. One possible consequence of classicism is dehumanization.

In the case of the poor, animalization occurs. The poor are viewed as less human and placed on a par with animals. Typical traits that they are deprived of would be politeness, the ability to see things rationally, and sophistication. The poor are seen as animals who do not have the ability to escape from their situation on their own.

As for the rich, there is no animalization – but sometimes mechanization. We don’t usually assume that the rich are uncivilized and lacking in sophistication. However, we tend to deny them properties such as warmth or emotionality. Thus, we would rather the rich as a cold, emotionally and empathielos consider. Like machines.

In summary, one can say that the rich are viewed by the classists as machines and the poor as animals. Only the middle class would retain their human status. The consequences of this are that the poor, like animals, are treated with contempt, which justifies the heinous behavior of the superior group. However, we treat the rich with distance, respect or fear because we assume that they would be able to do anything to achieve their goals.