Language of Hatred and Ways to Counter It: Linguistics, Psychology, and Legal Anthropology Introduction: Language of Hatred as a Tool of Dehumanization Language of hatred (hate speech) is not just offensive lexicon, but a systematic discursive violence aimed at constructing the image of the "other" as an enemy, inferior, or dangerous group. Its goal is not so much to express the speaker's emotions, but to dehumanize the object of hatred, justify discrimination or violence, and mobilize "their" group. From a scientific point of view, this is a complex phenomenon lying at the intersection of sociolinguistics (language as a social action), political psychology (mechanisms of prejudice formation), and legal sciences (balance of freedom of speech and protection of dignity). 1. Structure and Mechanisms of Language of Hatred: How Hatred Discourse Works Language of hatred is realized through a series of linguistic and rhetorical strategies: Essentialization and Generalization: Attributing negative, immutable, and biologically/culturally determined traits to the entire group ("All [members of group X] are aggressive/lazy/crafty by nature"). This is a denial of individuality, reducing a person to a label of the group. Dehumanizing Metaphors and Zoomorphism: Comparing people to parasites ("cockroaches", "mosquitoes"), diseases ("virus", "cancerous tumor"), and animals ("herd", "cattle"). These metaphors, as shown by historian of discourse Victor Klemperer in his analysis of the language of Nazis ("LTI"), prepare public consciousness to justify violence, as parasites are exterminated and diseases are treated radically. Conspiratorial Narratives: Constructing a myth of a secret, omnipotent, and malevolent conspiracy by a group ("world conspiracy", "global conspiracy"). This creates an image of an enemy that is both weak (as "parasite") and incredibly strong, justifying excessive measures of "protection". Appeal to "Natural" Order and Purity: Rhetoric of defending "traditional va ... Read more