Demonizing the Other, by Frances E. FitzGerald

A bumper sticker reads: “God bless everyone. No exceptions.” 

But humanity does make exceptions. My late father-in-law, a World War II veteran, gave my husband a German belt buckle that reads, “Gott mit uns,” German for “God with us.” Maybe the Nazis, too, believed God blessed everyone—everyone except Jews, Communists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and anyone else considered “socially deviant.” 

Nazi Germany created more than 40,000 concentration camps, in which 11 million prisoners died (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; DoSomething.org). And they were certain that God was on their side.

The camps are gone, but the attitude isn’t. It’s “us” and “them.” “Us” is upright, moral, and part of the correct version of the correct religion. “Them” is misguided, possibly insane, or just plain evil. We’re convinced that God loves “us” far better than “them.” 

Aren’t we seeing this on the political and international stages? Our Michigan Governor Rick Snyder suspended the acceptance of Syrian refugees because of his fears over terrorism (“Many in State are Outraged”). Just before Christmas, a colleague pointed out that many of the same people who wanted to turn away Syrian refugees were also putting up a Nativity scene of a middle-eastern couple trying to find shelter. 

Presidential Candidate Donald Trump went even further, suggesting Muslims register with a government database or carry IDs that label their faith (Walker, 2015). More recently, Candidate Ted Cruz advocated an increased police presence in Muslim neighborhoods (Chan, 2016). 

Clearly, the Nazis were not the only ones who demonized entire populations.

We see a similar dynamic among certain religious organizations. The American Family Association (AFA), for example, has published a list of its perceived enemies: Homosexuals, Muslims, President Obama, Congressional Democrats, Native Americans, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (Southern Poverty Law Center, n.d.) The Westboro Baptist Church—known by its slogan, “God Hates Fags”—is even worse. Besides condemning the LGBT community, they’re not crazy about Jews or Catholics, either (Southern Poverty Law Center). 

Fortunately, most of us do not embrace these extreme beliefs, beliefs that stir up hatred, intolerance, and violence. Plenty of Catholics, other Christians, and non-Christians embrace inclusiveness and acceptance, heed their better angels, and believe we have far more to unite us than divide us. Pope Francis is particularly inspiring. He writes, “I trust that …celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with…other noble religious traditions; may it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination” (Pope Francis, 2015). If only our world leaders would take this message to heart.

I wish I could say I’m free of the “us” against “them” thinking. I’m not. It’s no coincidence that almost all my friends vote the same way I do, make similar jokes about political candidates of the rival party, put the same bumper stickers on their cars’ fenders. We also think we’re good people and that our biases are justified.

Yet, I want to dissolve the stereotypes that fuel my political prejudice against “them” Because if we—each of us—you and me—don’t stop dividing “us” and “them,” we face the risk of repeating the same, destructive mistakes we have failed to learn from.

References

11 facts about the Holocaust. (n.d.) DoSomething.org. Retrieved from https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-holocaust

American Family Association. (n.d.) Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved from https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/american-family-association
Chan, M. (2016, March 27). NYPD counterterrorism chief slams Ted Cruz's plan to patrol Muslim areas. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/4273226/nypd-ted-cruz-muslims/

Many in state are outraged, but governor says safety is a key concern after attacks in Paris (2015, November 16). The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/11/15/snyder-suspends-efforts-settle-syrian-refugees/75825736/
Pope Francis. (2015). Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Libreria Editrice Vatincana. Retrieved from https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.) Nazi camps. Holocaust Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005144

Walker, Hunter. (2015, November 19). Donald Trump has big plans for “radical Islamic” terrorists, 2016 and “that communist’ Bernie Sanders.” Yahoo News. Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-has-big-plans-1303117537878070.html

Westboro Baptist Church. (n.d.) Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved from https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/westboro-baptist-church