Dehumanisation and the Holocaust

Dehumanisation and the Holocaust

All the Jews had to wear all the same clothing so that they could be

recognised as Jews. Gentiles who saw these people in these clothes

knew that they were Jews and they could treat them how they liked not

as humans as to the Gentiles the Jews were not humans. This is

dehumanisation because they are not being treated as humans by wearing

those clothes they are labelled as Jews, and not humans. This made

such atrocities 'easier' to commit as they were being labelled as non

- human and Jews so a picture is put into their heads that they are

not human so it doesn't matter how they feel.

The Viennese anti- Semitic picture paper depicts the Jew as a

world-devouring vampire. They are dehumanising the Jews by describing

the as "world- devouring vampires" whereas they are completely human

and are not at all vampires. They have never done anything wrong to

any Gentiles and aren't doing anything wrong, just believing something

different to everyone but this does not mean they are world- devouring

vampires. This made such atrocities 'easier' to commit as an image of

a world- devouring vampire is being put into their heads, instead of

normal human beings.

The picture of a railway straight track going directly through the

arch of a building represents a factory, mechanical, going straight in

and straight out, they don't have a choice of where they are going.

This was where the Jews were taken and they don't have a choice

whereas they should have a choice of where they want to go, but they

are forced to go directly in or out, which is not human like. This is

dehumanisation. This made such atrocities 'easier' to commit as they

are not being treated as humans, and so it is as though you can do

anything to them, as they are not human.

"From now on you are all numbers. You have no identity. You have no

place or origin. All you have is a number. Except for the number you