The Moral High Ground and Social Media - The Justification of Hate
Increasing the distance between the [combatants]—whether by emphasizing their differences or by increasing the chain of responsibility between the aggressor and his victim allows for an increase in the degree of aggression. —Ben Shalit The Psychology of Conflict and Combat”
In Lt. Col. David Grossman's book - On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society - he explains the further removed a combatant is from his enemy, the easier it is to attack and kill without emotion, without sympathy and most importantly, without remorse.
According to Lt. Col. Grossman, "the enemy combatant as 'sub-human' is what psychologists call 'in-group bias.' By devaluing those who are not of our 'tribe,' they are viewed as threats. That bias is manipulated with propaganda and indoctrination, which motivates and justifies the 'tribes' hate and actions towards another clan." In other words, dehumanizing the enemy places the attacker on the Moral High Ground, justifying their attacks and releasing them from remorse for their actions.
In essence, the "moral high ground" is the virtuous warrior's mentality
In today's world, and in the context of Moral High Ground, we call - and see - our enemies as despicable, stupid, and hateful. On the Right we are called names like Redneck, Snowflake, Radical, Extremist, Racist, Zealot, Bigot, Nazi, fascist, fanatic, Trumptard, etc... to degrade and dehumanize us, to give themselves - not only a reason to attack - but to do so without guilt. They are attacking a "tribe," not individual people. They are attempting to destroy "them," not human beings we see and interact with every day. They are "fighting the good fight" against the evil horde. And they do it from afar, never face to face, never seeing the pain, the hurt, the frustration, the anger, and the impotence - but still revelling in those outcomes.
And nothing supports the process more than Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram (though there are others). Social Media affords its users the opportunity for close-up, vicious, and cruel attacks and bullying while cloaking those attackers with a sense of anonymity, that anonymity is the "distance" between enemies needed to ambush and ravage without remorse. We say the most heinous things to someone we would never say face-to-face.
Today, in the age of the 24-hour news cycle - most of which is nothing more than purposely biased opinions meant to feed upon the prejudice and fears of their followers - these same tactics are not only supported but encouraged - all in the name of ratings. This is the propaganda. This is the indoctrination. This is the true enemy of our country.
As stated earlier, 'emphasizing their differences' allows for 'an increase in the degree of aggression.' This is how you push people to believe they're on the Moral High Ground, that they are the virtuous, decent, and righteous ones fighting against the perceived flood of immorality and radical extremism.
And once there, lookout, because that Moral High Ground is now occupied by a completely different animal - a seething, diseased, and grotesque infection known as Hate.
When someone believes they are high atop the matchstick that is the Moral High Ground and they add in the gasoline that is Social Media, the combustion is explosive, laying waste to everything in its path. Social Media encourages and embraces Hatred for your opponent. It applauds you. It cheers you on. It empowers your worst base instincts and commends them as Justified. Cruelty is a virtue. Viciousness is a strength, and the pain inflicted is a just reward for the defeated.
We have run off the rails.
We are down a dark and deep spider hole. Hatred has taken us there. The media encourages it. Social Media unleashes and justifies it.
It's time we all take a look within. Is this who we want to be? Is this good versus evil? Or is this the lost and weary owned by the unrelenting media? In the end, the responsibility is ours.
There are no victims here.
We act with free will. We can continue to be cruel, dehumanize and attack, or we can eschew the "Moral High Ground," push back against all media, and begin to interact with each other as rational, free-thinking human beings. We can still disagree, we can still fight for what we believe to be right, but the hatred? Is that who we are? Is that how we want to be remembered?
The decision is ours to make.
Update: September 10th 2025
The decision is no longer ours to make. It has been forced upon us by a sniper on a rooftop at a small college in Utah. Using ammo with words like "fascist" etched into the brass ammo casings, among other babblings, Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated - in front of his wife and two small children - at an outdoor "question and answer" gathering at Utah Valley University. The 31 year old was, as President Trump said - "... a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people."
The Democrat left has been swallowed whole by an intense and seething hatred, pushed by the constant call to violence by social media, main stream media and unfortunately, Democrat politicians who have called for and applauded physical resistance.
A terrible darkness has fallen over our country now, covering us in a pall of divisiveness not seen since the 1960s. I don't know how we will find our way back.
Pray for us. Charlie would have.
Comments
Post a Comment
Please be civil. Discuss, don't attack. Keep it clean.