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STEMMING THE TIDE OF DANGEROUS SPEECH AND DEHUMANIZATION, BUILDING A PEACEFUL SOCIETY

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  “Dogs”, “Animals”, “Shithole”, “Cockroaches”, “Wacky”, “Not smart”, “Niggas”, and so on. These are ugly words to use on anyone . You know what makes them uglier? That it comes from the mouths of leaders or people of influence whose utterances or opinions can cause others to act in certain ways that will leave the society making up for the damages many years after. These are the same leaders who should act to keep flaring tempers under control , calm frayed nerves and be highly diplomatic. To know that they are the ones stoking the fear and hate is extremely concerning. Dangerous speech, is defined by The Dangerous Speech Project as “ any form of expression (speech, text, or images) that can increase the risk that its audience will condone or participate in violence against members of another group. ” Dehumanization, on the other hand, implies perceiving other people to be less than humans, and in many cases, referring to or treating them as such. In research works carrie

Gangaram Mahes, ever heard of him?

Well, I also didn't until very recently. He became popular for something very unusual. A cool guy who doesn't want to harm others, Mahes had only one problem: his appetite. He loved to eat good food. Who doesn't? Only challenge is, Mahes could never pay for his food. He would go to a classy restaurant, order the best and possibly most expensive meal on menu, finest liquor, desserts and all. He would finish eating, and when the waiter comes around with the bill, Mahes would say he is unable and unwilling to pay. They'll call the police, he'll be sent to prison on a short sentence, fed 3 square meals and given a nice bed to sleep on. As soon as he gets out of prison, he locates the next restaurant and repeats the very same thing. A serial eater, Mahes was arrested more than 3 dozen times on the same offence, nothing different. This year, please eat what and where you can pay. You don't want to find out the chances of 3 square meals and a nice bed in a Nigerian