Memoria [EN] No. 23 (08/2019) | Page 39

Professor Śpiewak agreed with the importance of the utopian element of mass murder, but stated that it cannot explain the concept of hatred itself. He quoted Aristotle’s three characteristics of hatred: that it is a permanent feeling; that it is directed towards a group, rather than an individual; and the pursuit of elimination. Śpiewak also added a fourth element: a fixed belief. Hatred is fixed, he said, and embedded in certain ideologies. These are particularly dangerous when they are left unchallenged, and in contemporary society, people are not being encouraged to think differently. Professor Śpiewak gave the example of Eichmann during his trial in Jerusalem, who stated that he never heard any opinions different to his own.

What about fake news, disinformation and indoctrination, and how people are influenced by them? Are there any ways to prevent the spread of such poison?

Professor Śpiewak replied that “the only principle of security would be what we call the act of thinking itself.” People who analyse information, he said, are the ones who can defend the truth, reflect upon the world, and hold people accountable for what they say and think. Ultimately, he added, the real counteraction to the spread of these elements is common sense. It is also important to engage with other people who do not hold the same opinions. Finally, Professor Śpiewak commented upon the development of mass communication tools such as Facebook, where information spreads quickly and is often over-simplified. Ideologies of hatred are more easily disseminated through such media, he said, particularly when such complex phenomena are reduced to basics.

Father Desbois emphasised that there is not always pure ideology or pure hatred in the minds of those who commit atrocities. Many members of ISIS, for instance, are attracted to murder, but they are also lured in by the promise of money and sex. Desbois gave the example of a 16-year-old who had joined ISIS and earned himself a large house, marriage to a slave and a sex slave. He initially stayed in the group because “he was somebody”. Therefore, mass murderers need an incentive to continue with their work, and to feel powerful from doing it. Father Desbois says that he stresses to his students at Georgetown University, “It could be you. It could happen to anyone,” and one does not need to be a fanatic to take part in such crimes.