Either All of Us Are Human, or None of Us Are

Human beings have survived and thrived by forming in-groups. This instinct is so central to our lives that we’re often willing to risk everything to protect our group. But here’s the problem: other in-groups can be seen not just as different, but as threats—or even as less than human. And once we’ve stripped another group…

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Will We Mend the Tears?

According to the latest FBI report on hate crimes, such crimes have reached the highest level since the government began tracking them in the early 1990s. This is the insidious effect of dehumanization. It propagates the notion that certain groups are dangerous, justifying harassment, oppression, and violence against them. Although most people exposed to dehumanizing…

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Shocking But Not Surprising

We are all filled with grief at the shooting that took place at the Q Club in Colorado Springs. What happened there is shocking. It is, grievously, not surprising. In high school we had three bullies in my class. They had a group of followers who actually did most of the damage. One week, they…

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