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Demonizing the enemy

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The Demonizing the enemy, Demonization of the enemy or Dehumanization of the enemy is a state propaganda technique which promotes an idea about the enemy being threatening evil aggressor with only destructive objectives. Demonization is the oldest propaganda technique aimed to inspire hatred toward the enemy necessary to hurt them more easily, to preserve and mobilize allies and demoralize the enemy.

Contents

Basic criteria

Because of the frequent misuse of the term demonization, it is deprived of its potential to be analyzed. That is why Jules Boykoff defined four criteria of enemy demonization:

  1. Both media and state employ frames to portray inherent nature of so-called enemy mostly in moral terms.
  2. The character of the opponent is depicted in a Manichean way, as good against evil.
  3. The state is the origin of such demonological portraying.
  4. There is no significant counterclaim from the state.

History

The demonization of the enemy has been routinely conducted throughout the history. Thucydides recorded examples of enemy demonization in Ancient Greece.

Phillip Knightley believed that demonization of the enemy (first enemy leaders and later enemy individuals) became a predictable pattern followed by Western media, the final stage being atrocities.

During the Second World War, propaganda documentaries that contained enemy demonization and flag-waving patriotism were prepared by the US State Department and other state institutions of the United States and distributed, after being approved.

Personification and demonization

Demonization of the enemy can be much easier to conduct if the enemy is personalized in one man, such as Kaiser Wilhelm II was demonized by the Russian popular media in World War I.

Consequences

I hold it to a sign of great prudence in men to refrain alike from threats and from the use of insulting language, for neither of these things deprives the enemy of his power, but the first puts him more on his guard, while the other intensifies his hatred of you and makes him more industrious in devising means to harm you.

The strategy of demonization of the enemy unavoidably leads to a vicious cycle of atrocities, which was elaborated by many authors including Carl von Clausewitz. Demonization of the enemy makes diplomatic solution impossible and inevitably leads into the war or worsening of relations. Depicting the enemy as particularly evil inspire feelings that make killings more easy.

The portraying one's enemy as demonic has bad consequence in treating the whole population or political apparatus associated with some enemy group or leader as equally demonic. Also it results with tendency to reduce more complex motives to simple promotion of pure evil.

References

Demonizing the enemy Wikipedia