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Dangerous Speech: A Cross-Cultural Study of Dehumanization and Revenge

In: Journal of Cognition and Culture
Authors:
Jordan Kiper Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6249-2432
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Christine Lillie Independent Researcher, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University Durham, NC USA

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Richard A. Wilson Professor of Law and Anthropology, School of Law, University of Connecticut Hartford, CT USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8724-6999
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Brock Knapp Surgical Resident, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University Washington, DC USA

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Yeongjin Gwon Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6974-337X
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Lasana T. Harris Professor of Social Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London London UK

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8503-3201
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Abstract

Dehumanization is routinely invoked in social science and law as the primary factor in explaining how propaganda encourages support for, or participation in, violence against targeted outgroups. Yet the primacy of dehumanization is increasingly challenged by the apparent influence of revenge on collective violence. This study examines critically how various propaganda influence audiences. Although previous research stresses the dangers of dehumanizing propaganda, a recently published study found that only revenge propaganda significantly lowered outgroup empathy. Given the importance of these findings for law and the behavioral sciences, this research augments that recent study with two additional samples that were culturally distinct from the prior findings, showing again that only revenge propaganda was significant. To explore this effect further, we also conducted a facial electromyography (fEMG) among a small set of participants, finding that revenge triggered significantly stronger negative emotions against outgroups than dehumanization.

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