Institutional Aggression

Institutional Aggression

1. Genocide

   • Dehumanisation
     • Evidence for the destructive consequences of dehumanisation can be seen in many conflicts (Jews in the Holocaust, Boshians in the Balkan wars and tutsis in Rwanda). However, dehumanisation may also explain violence against immigrants, seen by some as 'polluting threats to the social order' (O'Brein, 2003). This claim is examined in more detail in the 'Real world application' above. Although human beings usually have moral inhibitions about killing fellow humans, this changes if the target group is dehumanised so that it is worthy of moral consideration. In Rwanda the influential Hutu- controlled 'hate' radio station RTLM encouraging Hutu listeners to murder their Tutsi neighbours, referred to ask 'cockroaches'.