The Link Between Social Class And Dehumanization

To dehumanize is to deny that other people have human qualities. In other words, it is to consider someone as “a smaller person”. In general, people dehumanize members of certain groups. This means that they consider some people to be “less human” because they are part of a certain group. In this article, we discuss the link between social class and dehumanization.

Although there are certain differences that “divide” people into different groups, one of the most important differences is social classes. They are a kind of social stratification, and are composed of people who have common social or economic characteristics. To a large extent, we can identify two social classes: rich and poor. And regardless of their own class, some people dehumanize one of those groups, or even both.

What does dehumanization consist of?

Dehumanization consists of believing that someone is not “human enough”. However, there are different ways to dehumanize: animalization and mechanization.

According to Hasam’s dual model, there are two forms of animalization (when someone feels that another person lacks typical human qualities). Depending on what qualities the person “lacks” according to the person who dehumanizes, it is called either animalization or mechanization.

On the one hand, animalization consists in denying that someone has qualities that are purely human. These characteristics are what distinguish us from animals. For example, cognitive ability, sophistication, and being civil.

On the other hand, mechanization denies the typical features of human nature that are not necessarily unique to other animals, such as having emotions or being nice. Thus, groups that “do not have” the typical human characteristics are compared to animals, while those that “do not have” human emotional characteristics are compared to inanimate objects such as robots.

Why does dehumanization exist?

You may be asking yourself what is the point of dehumanization. There are three reasons why people dehumanize others.

First of all, dehumidifying another group is a way of justifying violence against the group. When people think that members of a group are less human, it is easier for them to believe that they are right over its members. Thus, they justify the use of violence when this group does not behave as they should, according to their expectations.

Second, dehumanization maintains their “status quo.” There are groups with higher status and others with lower status. If another group is dehumanized, it will have a lower status, while the other will be superior.

Finally, dehumanization ignores ethics. We all have moral values ​​that govern our behavior, such as considering murder something wrong. However, these values ​​only apply to humans. So, if someone does not consider someone to be a person, it will be easier to use violence against that person, even if their values ​​say otherwise. This is why the Nazis thought that Jewish people were “cockroaches”.

The link between social class and dehumanization

Classicism is a series of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that are directed at people according to their social class / economic status. The goals are usually the rich or poor.

In other words, classicism is prejudice against the rich and the poor. Dehumanization is a consequence of classicism.

Poor people tend to be animalized. Those who dehumanize consider them to be animals and not humans. Some of the typical traits of those who dehumanize are that poor people are not civilized and do not have reasoning and sophistication. They are not considered capable of overcoming their precarious situation.

As for the rich, those who dehumanize them do not animalize. Instead, they mechanize them. It is not common to think of the rich as uncivilized or unrefined. However, it is possible to deny that they have kindness or the ability to have emotions. Thus, the rich people are considered cold and unable to feel empathy, just like machines.

In short, in the islands of those who dehumanize, the rich are machines and the poor are animals. In this way, the middle-class groups maintain their status. They treat the poor with contempt, like animals, and treat the rich with distance, fear and respect, because they believe that people with higher status are able to do anything to get what they want.