‘Want to know about bullying and dehumanization? ‘Want to know how dehumanization progresses and all the ways bullies try to dehumanize you? Here are all the details!

Dehumanization is dangerous because, when bullies dehumanize you, they label you as sub-human and not worthy of the same rights and considerations as others.

And, once people began looking at you as sub-human, it removes any conscience they might have had before. Therefore, it only makes it much easier for them to abuse you. In fact, even though you’re another human being like they are, they may think that mistreating you is necessary and justified.

Therefore, in this post, you will learn all about bullying and dehumanization. Also, you’ll learn the ways bullies dehumanize you.

Once you learn this crucial, even life-saving information, you will be able to take steps to protect yourself from it. You will also be able to act when you witness it happening to someone else.

This post is all about bullying and dehumanization so that you will recognize it when it happens to you or someone else.

Bullying and Dehumanization

Bullying and dehumanization go hand in hand. Your bullies make you sub-human so that it can be easier for them to abuse you without feeling guilty about it.

What is Dehumanization?

Dehumanization is when everyone else sees those who are not like them as less than human. When people see you as subhuman, they feel that you’re undeserving of the same rights and consideration as everyone else.

For instance, Nazis in 1930’s Germany saw the Jews as less than human. Therefore, it was easier for them to brutalize and kill them.

Dehumanizing you is what bullies will try to do to you if they’ve selected you as their victim. Realize that bullies are abusers and bullying is abuse. And it can only happen if the abuser views their victim as inferior to the rest of the human race.

Dehumanization always starts out subtle.

Bullies and their supporters will analyze you, picking out your differences. Then, they will use those differences to place you in the “other” category.

They then single you out. They may start by leaving you out of social functions and gatherings. Also, they may hurl subtle insults at you that others barely notice. Then slowly take the insults up notch by tiny notch.

Bullying and Dehumanization:

Here are 10 ways they dehumanize you.

1. They spread rumors and lies about you.

And they will repeat those lies over and over. As the old saying goes, “A lie told once remains a lie. But a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth.”

Bullies do this to convince others outside the bully-victim relationship to look at you the way they do. In other words, they want everyone else to view you as defective and morally bankrupt.

Although spreading rumors and lies about you hasn’t reached the level of dehumanization yet. It’s the starting point on the path to it.

2. They demonize you.

How bullies demonize you is through smear campaigns. As this happens, they stir everyone else’s emotions into a frenzy to induce anger and hostility toward you.

Bullies see you as a threat to their power. Therefore, they demonize you to drive you to the bottom of the social hierarchy.

And the smears grow more vicious until they’ve succeeded in turning everyone against you.

3. They place you in an undesirable category of people.

Your bullies may place you in a category of people to make you less of an individual. It’s a psychological fact that de-individualized people seem less than human.

Therefore, you become less protected by social norms against abuse than those viewed as individuals.

For example, your bullies may take away your individuality by placing you in the mentally unstable category. They know that the majority of people view the mentally imbalanced as the least human compared to other categories of people.

In fact, those who suffer from mental illnesses are seen as less human than even hardened criminals. It’s the sad truth.

Once they do this, it becomes easier to justify their brutal atrocities against them.

4. Bullying and Dehumanization:

Everyone grows to hate you.

Moreover, when the bullies demonize you, bystanders and others may turn against you.  As time goes on, they may develop the same feelings of hatred toward you.

And it only progresses until your bullies have alienated you from everyone. Then, it becomes easier for them to frame you as the evil monster that must be destroyed.

5. They classify you as “the enemy.”

Bullies convince themselves and everyone else that you’re the enemy.   They do this by assigning negative characteristics to you. Moreover, they convince everyone else that you’re void of any morals and decency.

You may be innocent. In other words, you may not have done anything to provoke anyone. However, that doesn’t matter. Bullies and everyone else see you as their enemy

. Therefore, they will categorize you as sub-human to justify abusing you. They will make the abuse seem reasonable and necessary.

This is how dehumanization works.

Once your bullies succeed in portraying you as morally and ethically inferior, evil, and sub-human, they then classify you as the enemy. And once they deem you as an enemy, it becomes much easier for them to brutalize you.

Everyone else will also think that bullying you is acceptable. Again, they may look at it as necessary. 

6. Bullying and Dehumanization:

They Strip you of your most basic human rights.

And because your bullies paint you as a diabolical enemy, they believe that the abuse they inflict on you is an obligation. They’re not bullying you. They’re only reacting to an evil enemy. And once they’ve framed you as the enemy, their perspectives of you only become more rigid.

Naturally, most people believe that everyone has the same basic human rights. And those rights should be protected.

Most believe that everyone deserves to be treated fairly and justly – that every human being deserves dignity and respect.

In this country, the majority of people believe that everyone deserves the ability to meet their own needs. Also, they know that everyone has the right to make their own choices.

Even criminals have the right to a fair trial. Also, they have the right to be safe from inhumane punishment for their crimes.

However, in your bullies’ eyes, you’re on the outside of humanity. So, you don’t qualify to receive fair treatment. Moreover, they feel they should block you from any resources to meet your basic needs.

For example, bullies may call around to employers and tell them not to hire you. Why?

Because, again, they do not believe that you are worthy of humane treatment. This is especially dangerous because it puts you at risk of human rights violations, such as physical beatings and even murder.

7. Bullying and Dehumanization:

They feel less guilty for abusing you.

Once others begin viewing you as subhuman, it becomes much easier for them to treat you in ways they would never treat another fellow human being.

Any social restraints that once kept them from abusing you will disappear. Therefore, it will only increase the likelihood that the bullying will get out of control.

It’s hard to believe that even kind people can turn evil. But, in cases like this. It happens.

This is what dehumanization does. It removes any limitations of abusing you. Therefore, it strips you of your rights to personal safety.

Moreover, people begin doing things to you that they never would have done before. This is how good people turn evil.

8. They Accuse you for the same things they’re guilty of.

Once your bullies have succeeded in alienating you from the rest of the school, workplace, or community, they then compare their moral virtues with yours.

In other words, they view everyone else as innocent while viewing you as sickeningly evil. In that, they only deny, downplay, and ignore their evil actions while viewing anything you do as evil or having ulterior motives.

For example, when people mistreat you, others may believe that it’s justified and necessary. However, if you dare to defend yourself against their abuse, they only see it as evidence that you’re a bad person.

Even though you’re the one they’re abusing, they don’t see it that way.

Your bullies and their flying monkeys project their faults and bad behavior onto you. For instance, if your bullies are highly aggressive, they will accuse you of being highly aggressive but not them.

However, see this for what it is. Bullies do this to protect their self-image. Also, they do it to tighten the bonds in their group.

As a result, it only increases their animosity toward you, and the fight intensifies. Therefore, it makes it even easier for them to dehumanize you.

9. Bullying and Dehumanization:

They seek to eliminate you.

Their thinking only becomes zero-sum. Your bullies and their supporters must either destroy you or be destroyed.

Therefore, they up the ante and decide that the best thing for them to do is to annihilate you.

In other words, they want you gone! Down through history, dehumanization has caused many murders and genocides.

It’s because the ultimate goal of dehumanization is the elimination of its target. Dehumanization has paved the way for the taking of many innocent lives.

Realize that they see you as expendable.

10. Once they’ve eliminated you, they’ll deny that they ever bullied you.

After you’re gone, your bullies and everyone else will deny they ever bullied you. Also, they will search for another victim because that’s just what they do.

What can you do to protect yourself?

You probably won’t realize it until it’s already gone too far. Therefore, the best thing to do is to leave the environment and never look back.

You must go where you are safe. And the farther away you move, the better. However, tell no one where you’re going or that you’re moving at all. In the age of social media, it’s just best not to reveal where you plan to move.

Just pack your things and disappear. Your bullies will probably wonder where you went. They may hunt for you for a while. But your enemies won’t find you. They won’t know where to look.

Realize that this doesn’t mean you’re a coward. You are not running from them. You are going somewhere where you can live in peace. Therefore, what you are doing is smart, not cowardly.

Do what you must do to ensure your safety. You’ll be so glad that you did!

This post is all about bullying and dehumanization so that you can recognize the patterns and get out before they have a chance of doing real damage to your psyche.

Related posts you’ll enjoy:

1. Easy Targets for Bullies: 6 Groups of People Bullies Love to Target

2. Bullying and Power: 2 Categories of Power 

3. Using Your Enemy’s Attacks Against Them: 5 Ways to Counter Bullying