When it comes to the internet, a lot of things get taken incorrectly or seen in the wrong way. Among many of those things, genocide is something that most commonly gets taken out of context by internet users. People do not know how to spread their information correctly, and sometimes that will end in misconception from false rumors.
Genocide is an internationally recognized crime where acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. These acts fall into five categories: killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. There are a number of other serious, violent crimes that do not fall under the specific definition of genocide. They include crimes against humanity, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and mass killing.
Denial is also something that occurs online. These deniers manipulate historical facts and spread false rumors to water down or completely change the story so they do not seem wrong, and also use these occurrences as an excuse to be bad people. Freshman Natalie Crowner says, “I’ve seen so much about [ genocides ] online – it’s crazy.”
Most spoken out about online is the current ongoing genocide in Palestine. Misinformation is scarily common online since it is mainly teenagers being pressured into speaking out about something they cannot really do anything about – though, people of all ages still speak out.
Every genocide is unique, but most genocides share some things in common. Just as there were key conditions that made the Holocaust possible, there are identifiable risk factors for genocide today. Genocides have continued to happen since the Holocaust. For example, genocide occurred in Rwanda in 1994, and at Srebrenica in Bosnia in 1995. The specific factors that led to genocide in Europe, Rwanda, and Bosnia were vastly different. In each case, however, recognizable risk factors and warning signs were present. All those who organize and carry out genocide rely on the active help of countless officials and ordinary people as well as those who stand by, witness, and sometimes benefit from the persecution and murder of their neighbors.
The word “genocide” did not exist prior to 1944. It is a specific term coined by a Polish-Jewish lawyer named Raphael Lemkin who sought to describe Nazi policies of systematic murder during the Holocaust, including the destruction of European Jews.
Junior Abigail Brown says, “I don’t usually get engaged in this kind of stuff, but I’m glad others are.” Even if others cannot do much, even one small mention can really make a difference for those who are struggling. Their existence is known, and being more outspoken about these things shows who can find it in themselves to really care.
One that specifically died down after time was the attention brought to the genocide of transgender people. Early 2021, they had reached stage seven of genocide – extermination. Transgender genocide or trans genocide is a term used by some scholars and activists to describe an elevated level of systematic discrimination and violence against transgender people. Around this time was when a ton of anti-trans bills began to be passed in the U.S, and it was impossible to live anywhere in the U.S at this point in time. While the American public may have a broader understanding of the experiences of people who are transgender, non-binary and gender-nonconforming, violence against these communities — in the form of killings and prejudiced American policy — has continued to rise. Senior Nicholas Anderson says, “I don’t know why they can’t just let people live. We’re all human.”
It is the unfortunate truth that no matter how much it is wanted; people can never agree on anything. A review of cases of fatal violence recorded from 2016 to 2021 illustrates how anti-transgender violence is intersectional, with risks shaped by race, gender, class, and other factors. During this period, at least 88 percent of the transgender people killed in Florida, 91 percent in Ohio, and 90 percent in Texas were people of color. So, no matter how many transgender people can live in a state, said state will always find a way to make their living as torturous as possible.
During the month of April, as we observe commemoration days for four genocides, we also take the opportunity to raise awareness about all genocides, including those being perpetrated today. Sophomore Liam Andy says, “Remembrance is important.”
Scholars have noted that denial is the last phase of genocide. Indeed, all of the events commemorated in April and others like them have been minimized, denied, or distorted by the perpetrators and their protectors, a process that often begins as the persecution is taking place and which can last for generations after.
Whenever you get the chance, take the time to remember all the lovely lives that have been lost to the devastating events of genocide. It is free to be kind and respectful!
