SymbolizationSymbolization occurs without us even thinking. Our brains developed to seek out patterns and differentiate them. Unfortunately, the brain sometimes does this too well and will recognize patterns in individuals. This could be behaviors or features that someone has no control over.
During the holocaust, German propagandists would often over-exaggerate the features of Jewish people. This can been seen with the political cartoons of the time, depicting Jewish people as less than human. With large hooked noses and a curved hunchback, promoting the Jewish population as something different from the German people. Along with the dehumanization that comes along with this depicting, there is also a buzz word that comes to represent the victim. This allows people to forget they're talking about real people. Instead of talking about Jewish men and women, they're talking about "rats". Symbolization occurred on both sides of the war and is a key step of genocide. This can be related with today by seeing how often buzz words are used to describe a population. Maybe the most relevant term for where we live is "illegal alien". The term alien suggests the people entering the country are not from our world and not entirely human. This creates a Us vs. Them mentality, causing people to become more nationalist. In the worst cases, it can lead to violence and intolerance. |