The Simple-and Horrifying-Power of Words
The previous entry, "Questions about Reconciliation," included a question that Paul Rusesabagina asked about the Rwandan genocide:
What caused this to happen? Very simple: words.
A seemingly simple list called the "Ten Commandments of the Bahutu," from the Bahutu Manifesto of 1957, was republished in 1990 in the bimonthly newspaper Kangura. This text inflamed preexisting prejudices, fears, and economic and political conditions in order to promote ethnic cleansing. Kangura was one of the media tools that used words to incite hatred and call for the murder of all Tutsi people. The influence of this form of propaganda was so significant that the founder of Kangura, Hassan Ngeze, was tried and convicted of "genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, incitement to commit genocide by direct and published channels, and crimes against humanity (persecution and extermination)" (p. 2).
In this American election season, the lessons of Rwanda remind us to be vigilant about the ways that simple words can incite divisions, inequities, and hatred among neighbors, communities, and nations.
Comments
I think the difference between the U.S. and Rwanda in regard to internal conflict like this is that Americans have much more to lose. Americans can talk tough and say horrible things about other Americans, and with the ability to say these these anonymously and be read by many others online, this has intensified. But when it comes to actually hurting others, Americans usually have much more to lose than they have to gain, so it doesn't happen.
If the American underclass or a particular demographic group ever gets to the point where they believe they have nothing left to lose, that's when it will become dangerous in this country. Let's hope we can diminish the gap between rich and poor and eliminate racism so that worst case scenario never has a chance to happen.
Posted by: John Bernard | October 17, 2008 4:26 PM
As I read this blog entry, I couldn't help but remember a frequently played exchange between Sen. John McCain and a supporter who made the following comment at McCain's October 10th town hall meeting in Lakeville, Minnesota. She told McCain, "I can't trust Obama. I've read about Barack Obama, and I don't trust him. He's an Arab."
McCain grabbed the microphone from the citizen and responded by saying, "No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He is a decent family man--citizen that I happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about. He's not. Thank you."
At other McCain/Palin campaign events, when Gov. Palin is talking about Senator Obama, people in the crowd can be heard crying out "terrorist" and "kill him!"
With incidents such as these, I sometimes think about how close the U.S. is to a situation where there will be no order because people will act on these allegations and taunts without really considering how dangerous these actions are. We are much closer to Rwanda than most of us think.
Posted by: Thalia Santos | October 16, 2008 5:47 PM