Juergensmeyer has done it again. Yet another chapter in his book that develops great ideas (not all of which I agree with) that turn quickly into discussion. One of the many topics was the demonization or satanization of the enemy. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of demonizing someone or some group? Was it religion? In class, we discussed that many countries first think of religion and how the enemy is dehumanized and/or demonized in some way or another.
"Some enemies have to be manufactured...The demonization of an opponent is easy enough when people feel oppressed or have suffered injuries at the hands of a dominant, unforgiving, and savage power." (174-175) As religious violence turns into religious war, a certain amount of demonizing is necessary in order to complete the task. Killing is a sin outside of war, but defending against a "sub-human" or demon collective who, in your frame of mind, has initiated the conflict is a different story. You do not think of the demon group as individuals. Rather, you think of them as an Enemy of God as they do not agree with your beliefs. It is all about point of view and creativity to justify your actions. The result is a reason for your emotion, a cause for your hatred. It places all the blame on the "other" as the problem and you come out of the process without fault. Religious fervor is fueled by competition and camaraderie. Sound familiar?
Back to my initial question. You may not have answered "religion" but may have responded "sports." The first thing I thought of was my experience with sports and the fierce competition against other athletes who desired to win just as much as I did. The best rivalries in sports are between teams that have a long history of close competition that are wrought with hatred and desire by the athletes and the fans. One such rivalry is the Yankees, Red Sox in baseball. Both teams despise the other and would rather lose 10 games to the Cardinals (My team still hanging on in the playoffs) than lose 1 game to the bitter rival. The demonizing works in exactly the same way. Hate the other as a collective demon group and place the blame of all the problems on them as the competition ensues. The funny thing is that many players have played for both the Yankees and the Red Sox (one example is Johnny Damon) and the individual receives some taunts but the overall focus of the emotion is still upon the collective team.
Sports can be a religion for many Americans. In class, Professor Staub suggested that the human condition needs the competition and rivalry that religion and sports provide. It is interesting how different parts of the world put their focus in different areas of life to assuage this need. What does this say about the U.S.?
This point of Juergensmeyer also stood out to me. Especially when we made the comparision in the context of sports, it seemed easy for most of us Americans (at least for me) to break down and understand the idea of demonizing the enemy. For example, every since I was a kid I grew up knowing the rivalry between the Eagles and Cowboys. As an Eagles fan living in Philadelphia, it was the norm to hate the Cowboys. Although I seemed to just accept this fact as a child, I remember feeling the power and intensity of it when I went to an Eagles v. Cowboys game. Standing aside thousands of other Eagles fans, I could feel the animosity between the two groups and the powerful disgust each side felt against the other. If I could feel this as a child at a sports game, I can only imagine the intensity in feelings between religious groups in a struggle that has lasted thousands of years.
ReplyDeleteAll well put, and an interesting point. Have to admit, my initial reaction to Prof. Staub's discussion prompt was more serious- continued characterization and jokes about Jews, racism, etc. I found it interesting that our class focused on sports, but couldn't help wondering if it was maybe because a.that was truly our only clear exposure to demonization, b.that was the only exposure we personally read as such demonization, and/or c.perhaps people other than myself were also thinking of more serious things, but sports was a lighter topic choice (whether chosen consciously or subconsciously)... if that made sense...
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