Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 4: Take responsibility for the face of the world
The signs of hate are in every society, I believe. If subtle signs go unchecked, if leaders or the majority of the community don’t act to reject intolerance and objectification, the hate seems to spread and grow more emboldened.
How we stop playing the game is to reject it outright, if possible. In Jane’s example above, good leadership and a strong community of open-minded, tolerant and diverse citizens can handle hints of racism easily by rejecting the ideas of racists. This doesn’t stop the racism within individuals, but it’s still a clear rejection.
Rejecting racism in communities where hate is more blatant and supported by the leadership is of course more difficult. Leaders who stoke fear and hate want their followers to rage. Often those who don’t support the leader become angry and intolerant of the hateful leader and followers. Here, citizens become the worst versions of themselves. How to stop playing the game in this scenario takes more effort, but possibly by not reacting to the hate and, as Susan mentioned, by taking the high road, the game can start to fall apart. This would mean trying to connect with the other side. Trying to listen to them and to show them you’re human, so that they will stop objectifying you as “them” and maybe even listen to you in return. I think this touches on deradicalization and combatting disinformation, where developing trust and meaningful relationships can lead to players refusing to play the game.
