4. Project your own actions and plans onto those you demonize. Think how Israel always says Palestinians deny their right to exist, while denying that Palestine or Palestinians actually exist.
They constantly say of Palestinians, "They want to drive us into the sea," while working full-time to drive Palestinians into the desert, as they are doing now. Israelis say, "Palestinians teach their children to hate us," while teaching their own children to hate them.
Projection is a well-known psychological defense mechanism; countries and individuals do it all the time. Think of Americans accusing Russia of meddling in their election,, while they go around the world subverting elections in other countries, including Russia.
5. Never stop propagandizing yourself, your people, or the world. Tell stories and don't worry about facts, like the claims that UNRWA was involved in the October 7 attacks, evidence-free claims that led to the de-funding of the #1 relief operation in a Palestine under siege. Censor platforms that challenge your story.
Becoming a nation of monsters isn't easy. You need to go through the above steps, and you need a philosophy that tells you being a monster is a good thing. Racism is a good start, but not enough by itself.
The Americans and Israelis have such a philosophy, often called neoconservatism. According to Canadian history professor Shadia Drury, the neoconservatives dominate US and Israeli foreign policy. Neoconservatives call for dominating the world and teach that lying is a good thing, because ordinary people can't handle the truth. This explains the constant lying their governments and media do.
When your people become monsters
Can monsters ever become human again? Maybe. When the British Empire collapsed after World War 2, they seem to have accepted a less dominant role in the world. The apartheid government in South Africa fell, they went through a reconciliation process, and nothing horrible happened. Maybe the Afrikaner monsters decided they were better off being humans.
So, it could happen. But I notice the UK and South Africa and Nazi Germany only changed because they had to. More powerful forces beat Germany down in a massive war, and used crippling sanctions to shut down South Africa's economy.
Could something like that happen to the US and/or Israel? I don't know, but maybe the world can come up with something. In personal interactions, I try to focus on the dehumanization and demonization parts. Do they really believe the people they dehumanize have no motivation? Is the other really subhuman or supremely evil? How did they come to these beliefs? Where do they think all these monsters come from?
Sometimes it works.
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Bio - David is author of three books on health and numerous articles on social and environmental issues. He is an active member of Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area
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