It has been done for years. Individuals who are angry at another person or who want to put another group down for whatever reason, call them an animal or inanimate object’s name to describe the focus of their anger. Even writing these words makes it sound like something children would do to each other. It comes across as a silly, immature activity. However, it is not. In fact, it is a dangerous practice.
When someone uses a name of an animal or object for someone, they take away their humanity. The process has a neurological component. We experience stronger “neural mirroring” which leads to empathy when people are seen as human (Simon & Gutsell, 2021). Their study also found that when we do not see the “other” person as “fully human” we have less empathy and less willingness to work together. They are not like “us” and aren’t afforded the same respect. We aren’t even aware it is happening, but it is easier to dislike, disrespect, and even engage in violence against someone who isn’t human “like us.” They are different and don’t deserve the same treatment as other humans.
Dehumanizing others has moved beyond the elementary school playground. It has moved into our conflicts at work, our treatment of others in communities, the way we see other countries and our politics. It is easy to see why people get “stirred up” when they think another person or group is not “like us” and is not worthy of being treated as another human. The process of dehumanizing others is robust. It detaches us from respect, empathy, compassion, and fair treatment.
In mediation, our goal is to help “re-humanize” the parties involved. We help the parties listen to each other, understand the other person’s position and interests, and even respect that they have a point of view. Once the “rehumanizing” occurs, empathy and compassion follow. People often say, “I didn’t know I was hurting you or how you felt.” “I didn’t realize you felt just like I did.” “We were both hurting each other.” It takes some time, but the transformation is dramatic. The energy shifts in the room and now there are two people working together to solve a problem who respect, even if they don’t agree, with each other.
Each of us lives in a world where we see dehumanization happening. What is important is that we recognize it and don’t fall prey to its trap. Labeling it means this dehumanization attempt can’t engage our “mirror neurons” to shut down. We realize that we may have differences, but we are all human and can work together.
On the playground, calling someone an animal name could cause a child to feel labeled and shamed. It causes pain and embarrassment. Often it requires an adult to intercede. However, we are the adults now. We need to intervene in mediation and in life to help heal both the person who has been injured and the person who has forgotten their common humanity. Sometimes, it is both sides who have forgotten who they are. Mediators are uniquely suited to the task.