

"You can't see his face, but he can see you." Playing upon our fear of the unknown

[Racism]

Prejudice & the Uncanny Valley: Dehumanizing Real People

Unlike dolls, robots, and zombies; people living in the world are fully human. How then can we respond with hatred and distrust, acting in ways that show we believe them to be less than human? Throughout history there are ugly examples of people dehumanizing other ethnic groups. Recall, for example, slavery of blacks in America or Hitler's concentration camps for the Jews. Here, we'll take a look at how the uncanny valley concept might explain how people can be persuaded to act with violence and fear of other ethnic groups.

Recognizing Differences: It's the Way our Minds Work

How do you tell the difference between an Asian and an American Indian? Observation of visible differences are important as we identify our friends and decide how to respond to strangers. In learning to categorize, children often name things incorrectly until they learn to see physical differences.

Visual prejudice is a natural response that keeps us from danger or discomfort



"Wouldn't want these people as your neighbors, would you..."

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Many people become uneasy around handicapped people, those who are very ugly or very beautiful, or people with a different cultural background. We may overcome this uneasiness by making an effort to know and interact with the individual. Our initial fearful response of the unpredictable is lessened by familiarity and interaction.

When a group is portrayed as less-than-human, the stage is set for violence

Propaganda often takes psychological advantage of our natural uneasiness to incite fear and violence toward other racial groups. When political leaders portray another group as disgusting, less-than-human, and a threat; then the stage is set for violence. Take for example the U.S. propaganda against German soldiers; faces ugly as zombies and distorted to look like rabid animals.

Racism

Racism and prejudice stem from the fact that we can see visual physical differences in other people. Just as we confidently call a wide range of colors "blue" even if they are more accurately named "teal" or "navy", we can lump people together based on general physical characteristics.



On the signpost: "One-way road. Hurry, Hurry. The Jews are our misfortune."

"One can tell from his eyes that he is a deceitful person"

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An example from Germany

The boy goes on.'One can also recognize a Jew by his lips. His lips are usually puffy. The lower lip often protrudes. The eyes are different too. The eyelids are mostly thicker and more fleshy than ours. The Jewish look is wary and piercing. One can tell from his eyes that he is a deceitful person.'"

-from How to Tell a Jew, an anti-Semitic children's story book published in Germany prior to World War II

Overcoming Psychological Reactions

Every era of human society has examples of dehumanizing groups of people to justify or incite inhumane treatment. Slavery, German concentration camps, the war in Bosnia, and the Hutu/Tutsi conflict in Rwanda are just a few of the most current examples. Whether the dehumanization ends in massive violence or just small prejudicial behaviors, it is important to recognize this subconscious emotional response and find ways to overcome it.

The same psychology that makes us empathize with a robot or project love onto a doll will enable us to keep humans out of the uncanny valley. Familiarity, knowledge of people as individuals, and prolonged interaction with others outside our social group will foster empathy and reduce the effectiveness of racial propaganda.



"A selection of articles on English decadence, English perfidy, English tyranny, and other aspects of the national character."

Prejudice as seen in the uncanny valley response has a much different meaning when applied to human beings rather than robots.

Just as people interacting with Japanese created android Repliee unconsciously forget she's not a woman, personal interaction helps overcome initial fear or uncertainty in dealing with someone that's different from us.

The foundation of the National Socialist worldview is the knowledge of human inequality. No one will likely disagree with this as long as we stick to physical appearance. It is obvious that the "red skins," the "yellow people," the Negroes and the whites are very different. And all whites are not the same. The careful observer can find differences in physical size and shape. The color of the eyes, hair, and skin also varies greatly.

-from Hitler Youth Handbook, conveying racial thinking to young boys

Even though the ability to differentiate based on physical appearance is a natural and useful skill, we must always be careful of falling into prejudice. The negative response illustrated by the uncanny valley has a different meaning when applied to human beings rather than robots or other non-living things. Real people aren't supposed to fall below human on the uncanny valley graph, but through propaganda, uncertainty, or fear they can be put there.

MORE ON PREJUDICE AND RACISM:

World War II Propaganda, Cartoons, Film, Music, & Art

German Propaganda Archive. Calvin College.

Bauer, Elwira. Trust No Fox on His Green Heath and No Jew on His Oath. Nuremburg: Sturmer Verlag, 1936.

Nuremburg: Sturmer Verlag, 1936. "Germans were portrayed in subhuman stereotypes, usually as apes or other animals." War, Journalism, and Propaganda by Carl K. Savich.

Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Ferris State University.