HIA Poland Fellowship 2015

Hate Speech, Prejudice, and Stereotypes: What Remains?

by Nina Gabryś and Elliot Mamet

What we call the beginning is often the end

And to make and end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from. 

- T.S. Elliot

As we embark on our own beginning on the 2015 HIA Fellowship in Poland, we can’t help but notice that a glaring inconsistency runs through the heart of Warsaw. It is a place of beauty. We have been struck by the thoughtfulness of its parks, by its earnest national sites, by sunsets that linger on. Yet Warsaw is also a place of catastrophe, with a haunting past that never quite stands still. It is almost unthinkable that Warsaw’s Jewish population decreased from 3.3 million before the Shoah to 7,000 today. This city of such joy and splendor carries with it an almost unbearable burden.

This burden is carried on by Varsovians of today. The city has been rebuilt, but its memories remain broken. The fight of the Polish people is move on without forgetting. If one is to live in a place like Warsaw, to walk each day over ground that has witnessed the unspeakable, one must act to protect minorities with a fervent resolve. Righteous action—and its corollary, a conscience—is so desperately needed.

To act with conscience means to eschew hate speech, prejudice, and stereotypes. On Monday morning, in a lively discussion led by Dr. Michał Bilewicz, the HIA Poland Fellows learned about the state of these triple phenomena within Poland. The research outlined in Dr. Bilewicz’ presentation is startling. For example, hate speech is quite common within Polish society, and especially among young people. It is commonly spread through word-of-mouth, alongside the Internet and television. Roma are the most hated people in Poland, but Arabs (ranked second), Jews (ranked third), and LGBT persons are not far behind. For a country with a past like Poland, these findings are especially unsettling. Warsaw was last destroyed because of war; a war provoked by hate speech, prejudice, and stereotypes embedded in culture. Seventy years later, these social diseases live on. They remain a major obstacle to dialogue.

In his 1922 work Public Opinion, Walter Lippman argues that the stereotype becomes an instrument through which tradition is transmitted. It follows from his argument that stereotypes are not created, but inherited; somehow inscribed in our culture and identity. Humans co-create them on a daily basis, always trying to describe ourselves in opposition to the “other”. Many people in a society aspire to realize a “stereotype free reality.” Yet the two of us don’t think this is entirely possible. Redefining all the stereotypes in our society is almost impossible, for no matter how hard humans try, cognitive shortcuts will remain present in social life. All we can do instead is evoke new thinking, transforming existing ‘truths’ to challenge and rethink the way we cooperate with one another.

The stereotypes to which we cling make us feel secure. It is almost impossible to call into question something that constitutes your identity. When one identifies as a Pole or as an American, it is always through comparison to some nameless other. Our identity is formed through borders between ‘we’ and the one on the outside. To change this arrangement is to destroy the very fabric of our social order. Thus, to question stereotypes is to make you rethink your very heritage and to question yourself entirely.

The two of us suggest a variety of tactics to fight prejudice, stereotypes, and hate speech. First, we recommend cultural exchange and contact between peoples of different backgrounds. Programs like HIA allow diverse peoples to understand other histories, and to see others as people, not just as members of a group. Second, we suggest that societies staunchly protect a realm of unfettered public discussion and debate. It is through frank and open exchanges characteristic of a pluralistic society that hateful opinions can best be combatted. Third, in our own lives, each of us should examine our own personal prejudices and stereotypes against another. Overcoming our own shortcomings is necessary if we are to combat the distasteful speech of others. With these strategies, we might together seek new beginnings as we attempt to combat and overcome injustice, and to realize the beauty in the cities in which we live.