Recently, while listening to the radio, I have rediscovered a French song, “Né en 17 à Leidenstadt” (“Born in 17 in Leidenstadt”) by the singer and songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman. I hadn’t heard this song since I was a child and, at that time, I certainly did not understand its meaning. The song, translated into English, goes as follows:
Leidenstadt is the name of a fictitious German city, which means “City of Misery.” The author reflects upon what he would have done himself, who he would have become, if instead of being born in 1951 in France of Jewish parents, he had been born in 1917 in Germany and grew up in the post-World War I era, nourished by humiliation and hate messages. Would he have been able to resist the propaganda of the Holocaust and World War II, or would he have been a perpetrator instead?
The general culture may label perpetrators as “psychopaths” because of the horror and incomprehensibility of genocide. People often struggle to understand how anyone could commit such heinous acts. Consequently, they try to find an explanation that seems simple and straightforward, such as labeling perpetrators as “evil” or “monsters.” Such a process of categorization and simplification provides a sense of psychological distance and emotional safety, allowing people to avoid confronting the painful realities of genocides.
While it is true that some individuals who commit genocide may exhibit psychopathic traits, such as a lack of empathy and remorse, it is important to understand that genocide is a complex phenomenon with multiple contributing factors. Restricting genocide perpetrators to a simple label overlooks the broader historical, economic, political, and social context that brings people to participate in a genocide or other mass-extermination events. It is fundamental to remember that in the same context and with a similar life history, we never know what we might be capable of.
Taking a neuroscience approach, we have seen throughout the book that several neurocognitive mechanisms are involved in prosocial actions, such as empathy, guilt, and agency. However, we have also seen that many processes at play before and during a genocide can easily blur those mechanisms. For example, genocides often involve hate propaganda, a dehumanization process, and other forms of psychological manipulation that can influence individuals to participate in violence. Genocides are also often the result of long-standing conflicts, of increased categorization of “us” versus “them.” These tensions can fuel hatred and violence. Furthermore, we have seen that when people decide to obey the orders of an authority, their prosocial mechanisms are also altered. People experience less empathy for the pain of their victims, they feel less guilty, less responsibility, and less agency – an effect that impacts their ability to take the full consequences of what they are doing.
While it is important to hold genocide perpetrators accountable for their actions, it is also crucial to take a nuanced and interdisciplinary approach to understand the complex dynamics that contribute to the commission of genocide – including unconscious neural activity. We can then use this knowledge to develop interventions that promote empathy, moral courage, and independent thinking. Understanding is the key to preventing.
And especially in times of deep despair, the study of the rescuers who helped those targeted by genocide reminds us that another choice is possible. Regular citizens, like you and me, actively worked to protect and save members of targeted groups during genocides, often at great personal risk. Those people come from diverse backgrounds, with no single factor reliably predicting their actions. Some rescuers were motivated by their religious or moral beliefs, while others were driven by a sense of empathy or a desire to protect. They resisted the dehumanization and demonization of the targeted group, and rather saw them as human beings deserving protection. Whatever guided them, they showed that resisting the influence of propaganda and group pressure is possible. Humans can decide to act ethically and courageously.
As inscribed on the medals given to the Righteous, “Whosoever saves a single life saves an entire universe.”
