The Ten Stages of Genocide

When we hear mention of the word genocide, we tend to think of historical examples such as the atrocities of committed by the Nazi regime in Germany, to the more recent genocides that took place in Bosnia and Rwanda. We may think of communist regimes such as Pol Pot, Stalin, and Mao which extinguished millions of lives from the earth.

Many have tried to grapple with the question of “how could we have let this happen?” Scholars have debated the origin of genocidal tendencies, looking into history for the blueprint so that in theory, going forward we would never allow genocide to happen on our watch again.

But apparently, that is easier said than done. Even in recent times, genocide is still taking place across the world, despite concerted efforts to combat it.

Most sensible people are horrified at the thought of genocide, and wonder at the depravity of leaders who engage in such atrocities. How could Hitler have gotten away with murdering millions of Jews, Pols and other “undesirables?” How did depraved men within those ranks go along with such evils?

In truth, what happened in the 1930’s Germany was not simply the act of one person at the top. It was a systematic concerted effort to persuade an entire generation of people to view the world through a particular lens. There was massive state propaganda aimed at persuading the minds of the populace and particularly of young people, to view their neighbors with disdain and ridicule. From there, the seeds were planted which made fear grow into an uncontrollable murderous monster, devouring those in its path.

In looking at historical examples of genocide, we can find certain patterns in the society that engages in genocide. In truth, mass genocide does not happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen just purely on the whims of a crazy dictator. It takes buy-in from a large portion of the population, and a systematic effort to disassociate normal rational human beings from their normal rational human responses to atrocity.

In order to prevent genocide from happening again, we must understand its origins and understand the process it takes to undermine normal human compassion. We must seek to answer the question of why it happens before we can enact meaningful stop-gap measures to ensure it does not happen again.

I believe that today, mass genocide is happening in our world, this time at an alarming rate, with many of the world governments participating. We are seeing the steps being put into place with the current world situation regarding the vaccine, and what we see happening between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. But before I get into that, we need to understand how genocidal tendencies begin so that we can enact meaningful measures to stop it in its tracks.

Here is a step-by-step classification of the actions and measures used to shed light on the how and why genocide happens.

THE EIGHT STEPS

In 1996, eight steps were identified as the process of how genocide begins. Each step builds in incremental stages upon the previous step.

The eight stages in this order are: Classification, Symbolization, Dehumanization, Organization, Polarization, Preparation, Extermination and Denial.

• 

However, in 2012, two more steps were added to the ranks, furthering an understanding of how genocide begins and works through its several stages.

The stage of Discrimination was added, noting that after the Symbolization stage of forcing people to “identify themselves,” the natural step from there is to discriminate against those who have been “outed” by having to identify a certain way.

The next step noted the addition of the Persecution stage. After Discrimination, the natural tendency to follow is that of persecuting those being discriminated against.

See the chart here:

• 

Now we can see a more detailed flow of the process that genocide takes.

The stages begin when people begin to see themselves as separate from others. Notably, this is also the process that war takes as well. War and genocide begin when we see others as separate from ourselves, no longer united in the common bond of humanity.

1. Classification is the beginning process of putting people into one or more specific classes for the purposes of emphasizing a separation of people in a society. By classifying people as “Us v. Them” separation is emphasized, rather than that which unites people. Societies which have an extreme separation of people are the most likely to have a genocide.

2. Symbolization is using names or symbols for a classification of people to more easily identify them as a group. The Symbolization stage emphasizes that all people in that group are the same.

3. Discrimination is the stage when a class of people in power create laws, customs, regulations, and use their political power to deny rights and opportunities to a particular group otherwise afforded to the rest of the members of society. This can include preventing members of the targeted group from having basic civil rights. This practice ensures that the dominant group has the power, often protected under cover of law, legitimizing the victimization of the weaker group.

4. Dehumanization occurs when one group denies the basic humanity of the targeted group, equating them with animals, vermin, insects, diseases, or lower life forms. This stage is a key stage in the process leading up to genocide, because it contributes to conditions that can overcome the normal human revulsion against murder. It becomes easier to commit murder of a person if that person is thought of as a vile creature, or a cockroach, rather than as a human being.

5. Organization occurs when plans are put in place for attacking the targeted class of people, usually by the state or government or members in that government. A government may use a paramilitary group to carry out genocidal attacks or killings, likely to provide some kind of cover for the state to deny responsibility for the attacks. During the organization stage, those involved in carrying out these attacks are trained, armed and inspired to carry out acts of violence.

6. Polarization happens when groups are further driven apart in society by propaganda. Polarization includes identifying and silencing the targeted group (through intimidation, arrests, violence, suppression of speech, etc.), any member of society who can actively work to stop the genocide. This is where media campaigns come in to play. Polarization is the targeting, silencing, berating, belittling those who attempt to speak out or speak up on behalf of the targeted group.

7. Preparation occurs when the government and media forces begin to take specific steps necessary to prepare society for the beginning of the violence of a genocide. This can include using euphemisms in public, usually within the media, to cloak or justify their intentions. Words such as “cleansing” or “purifying” a society, or creating fear in a society toward the victim group by saying such things as, “They are putting us in danger.” We can also see it with words such as, “If we don’t stop them, they will kill us.” This stage also arms and mobilizes perpetrators to be in a position to carry out violence.

8. Persecution occurs when the victims are identified and separated, stripped wholly or in part of power, property, membership in society, and are sometimes segregated by force into separate areas such as concentration camps, ghettos, detention centers or confined to a specific geographic region. Violence begins and this can include group massacres.

9. Extermination is the stage of mass killings and other measures taken by the perpetrators organized into paramilitary groups, police and/or other armed forces, to eliminate the victim group. At this stage, only rapid and overwhelming armed intervention can stop genocide.

10. Denial is the final stage that includes the physical means and measures that perpetrators use to cover up evidence and intimidate witnesses to commit genocide. There are often legal measures to arrest and punish individuals inside a state or nation who bring attention to the genocide. Often there are diplomatic measures to deny a genocide even occurred in the global politics of the state or government. Denial can also include working to provide proof that the charge or evidence of genocide is a hoax or an exaggeration, or that it is merely the political agenda of those opposed to the perpetrators accused of genocide.

• 

Many people are beginning to see parallels and the warning signs of genocide beginning to form and happening again today. Based on the ten steps identified above, we can see the systematic steps being taken to create an “Us v Them” mentality among the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated. This was step one.

In Step Two, we see people being forced to show their vaccination card, to separate themselves from those who are unvaccinated.

For Step Three, we see blatant discrimination happening even now, across the world with citizens not being allowed to participate in normal society. Bars, restaurants, gyms, and a host of other businesses are not allowing the unvaccinated to engage in commerce or participate with their businesses. Social groups are ostracizing the unvaccinated. People are being banned from normal society based on their vaccination status.

In Step Four, we see the dehumanization of unvaccinated persons, being called names such as “super spreaders” and other euphemisms designed to dehumanize the victim group and empower the control group.

At Step Five, we see the governments organizing to create policies to further victimize the unvaccinated. In the USA, governments are pressuring employers, the military and others to enforce mandatory vaccination, and to pressure the unvaccinated to comply with mandates. It is important to note here, that in step five, the governments know they do not have explicit rights to act overtly, so the pressure is on “middle men” –employers, etc. to do the dirty work for them.

For Step Six we can see very clearly the full-on assault from the major news media and social media to spread fear propaganda far and wide, and to further polarize and divide the populace into separate camps–the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated. The media and social media are pushing fear, division, hate, segregation, all designed to turn the population against the unvaccinated.

Entering Step Seven in Australia, and also in Canada to a lesser extent, we see the movement and preparation to move people to detention centers, camps, and other means of segregating the unvaccinated away from the rest of society. We saw reports in Australia in August, 2021 that upwards of 24,000 children rounded up without parental input or consent, placed into a stadium and forcefully vaccinated against their will.

Step Eight will further devolve into more persecution, murder, theft of property and deprivation of civil rights.

This will inevitably lead to Step Nine, in which full-scale extermination takes place, with the governments in Step Ten, denying having committed crimes against humanity.

What is the Remedy?

I believe that we can stem the tide of genocide and prevent it from gaining a foothold any further. But we must begin to act now to save humanity from ourselves. I believe that the solution is much simpler than we may think. I contend that if we counter the first six steps, we will not need to worry about the downward spiral to Step Ten.

The first thing we must begin to do is to counter each step’s narrative starting with Classification.

We must do everything we can to see ourselves as part of the whole. I am not separate from my neighbor. We must focus on unity, rather than separateness.

Do what you can to have empathy for others.

Do not segregate

For the Classification Step:

Do not see others as different from you — we are all brothers and sisters of the human race, no matter our physical differences. We must see each other as part of ourselves.

Do not classify people into categories. There is no black/white, gay/straight/, vaccinated/unvaccinated. Yes people have different viewpoints, but the idea is to not label others as a way to belittle them for their choices or who they are. Respect people’s choices, even when you disagree.

For the Symbolization Step:

Do not request “proof of vaccination” from anyone. Respect people’s choices and their rights to privacy and medical freedom. Respect privacy laws.

Discrimination:

Do not ban, punish, block, shame, forbid entry or refuse service to anyone based on Classification. This includes businesses, community organizations such as singing groups, municipalities, etc. Do not discriminate against anyone based on classification, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Dehumanization:

Do not dehumanize others by calling them names or equating them as sub-human based on Classification. Resist the temptation to dehumanize others by calling them “super-spreaders” or equating them with lower life forms for being unvaccinated.

And finally, stop believing the news media without asking questions. The news media is there for ratings, and they know that FEAR gets good ratings. Know that much of what they are saying is designed to keep people in FEAR so that their ratings go up.

Much of what the news media is peddling has little to do with the truth. In fact, they are suppressing truth while trying to say that the truth is actually misinformation. Always view the news media with a heavy dose of skepticism.

If you want to know something, source information from people who are in that field of expertise. Don’t just listen to “approved” experts. Find doctors whom the media discounts and ask questions. Seek to understand their message and then ask yourselves whether they are telling the truth or whether the media is lying about them.

A good rule of thumb that has seldom proved me wrong is to take what the news media says and then go seek out the opposite in order to find the truth. Oftentimes, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Sometimes the truth is directly opposite of what we are being told by the news media.

Proceed listening to the news media with caution. Remember, they are in it for the ratings, not for altruism or goodwill for humankind.

I truly believe that if we begin by countering the first Six Steps to Genocide, we can avert a very detrimental and dark path that humanity is currently on.

Begin to love others and treat them as you would like to be treated. Talk to them, open up and share ideas. Have friendly debates. Drop antagonism over disagreements, and begin to see the humanity behind the walls of separation.

Seek out information for the Truth’s sake. It may not be what you want to hear. Truth seldom is what we want to hear when we consume a steady diet of lies.

Don’t believe the media. Seek Truth in all things.

There is no Us v Them.

There is no Vaccinated v Unvaccinated.

There is only humanity.

We are not separate.

We are one.

We must begin to deconstruct the Steps to Genocide. The time is now. We must begin. The future of the human race depends on what we do in this now moment. Will we live in fear or break the bonds of fear and take our lives back?

It’s up to all of us.