Talking about dehumanization there are many definitions of this term and nobody can come to the final exact meaning of it, but it usually goes associatively along with discrimination based on stereotypes we believe are true. We judge people only by these and not by the person`s values of any kind and treat them accordingly. For example, there`s a great stereotype in all over the world that every Muslim person is a terrorist and is going to blow your house away, killing you and your family etc. It really sounds silly, nevertheless many people are afraid of them because of this issue. Lee Sheerer in his article draws our attention on the issue when a New York citizen has been charged for murder by pushing a Hindu man under the subway train because she thought he was a Muslim. She truly believed that she had been protecting herself. And this issue is not single-time and is real for all the other world, not only America. I know that the threat of terrorism is one of the greatest nowadays, but we should always remember that terrorists and friendly and kind people are of every nation. We have to see the person beyond the whole nation and treat him according to his own characteristics and not by the stereotypes. Another aspect of dehumanization is the elimination of person`s value in our modern life. Everything is digital and everyone is connected to the Internet, using social networking sites, finding people online, communicating online, seeing each other online. Cara Newlon in her article describes that nowadays young people evaluate their mood worse and worse while communicating with their friends using social networks. Such communication has become the newest form of “passive social interaction”. On the one hand it`s always easier to tell many things online without having any bad consequences like the same of the live conversation, but on the other, we should understand that technically we communicate with the electronic profile of the person and not the embodiment of it. We pay this price for the technological progress and everyone should think is he ready to pay with more of his emotions for the online communication. If we talk about personal live conversations we should agree that someone dehumanized in the life communications always have the low self-esteem. It`s obvious that if the person doesn`t value himself adequately, why should he not be considered and treated accordingly? Introverted and shy people with low self-esteem always get discriminated by the ones with the higher self-concept. There`s much works written by scientists and enthusiasts on the topic of increasing the person`s self-esteem. Even very much. Much more that is really needed. The reporter of Chicago Tribune, John Keilman, has his own thinking about such issue. In his articles he states that nowadays children and young people get too much attention and too high evaluation for the doubting achievements. He says, that children need to be valued adequately, allowing them to have some boost and the motivation for the further growth. He says: “When your daughter asks if she's smart, do you say you'll let her know after you see her report card?”. The answer is “Yes, you are really smart, my dear, but you need to keep on working and improving your knowledge”. This one doesn`t offend the child but still keeps him in good mood for the further work because the spoiled child is the least you want to see in your family because he will not be able to value himself adequately, concluding in some failure, thinking that he is the best. This scheme is also actual for the grown up people too, however they are harder to teach how to value themselves adequately.
Works Cited
Keilman, John. A downside to high teen self-esteem? 04 07 2010. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-07-04/news/ct-met-teen-self-esteem-20100704_1_self-esteem-jean-twenge-praised. 08 01 2014.
—. 'You're Not Special' episode much ado about nothing. 26 06 2012. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-06-26/news/ct-talk-keilman-praise-20120626_1_report-card-home-for-troubled-kids-special-olympians. 08 01 2014.
Newlon, Cara. Study: Millennials find technology dehumanizing. 22 10 2013. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/22/study-millennials-tech-dehumanizing/3151693/. 08 01 2014.
Shearer, Lee. Muslims face dehumanizing prejudice in U.S., scholar says. 19 10 2013. http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-10-19/muslims-face-dehumanizing-prejudice-us-scholar-says. 08 01 2014.
