Ritual Defamation: What It Is And How It Is Used To Punish Dissenting Opinions
People are very diverse, and this is evident in our opinions. Everyone sees the world differently and, as a consequence, thinks in a particular way, causing absolutely no one to completely agree on all the topics that can be discussed.
However, there are certain opinions and ideas that are considered unquestionable within a society. These ideas, if contradicted, can generate a lot of controversy, so much so that the person who has been critical may even be attacked.
Ritual defamation is the attack carried out on someone who has expressed a socially questionable opinion This phenomenon has been gaining special importance, especially in the face of criticism of political correctness. Let’s delve into this idea.
In July 2017, an engineer named James Damore, a Google worker, disclosed a particular memo within the company that, perhaps unknowingly, would generate a harsh controversy. The document, called “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber” was a criticism of pro-diversity measures of the company that, according to Damore, represented an ideological bias towards the left of the company, believing that it had a negative impact on its performance.
James Damore indicated in this text, originally shared on the internal Google+ platform, that gender differences in the technology sector were not due so much to discrimination against women (which he did not deny existed) but rather to their own characteristics. biological characteristics of each sex, influencing psychological traits. Damore said that women, being more empathetic and sensitive to stress and anxiety, do not tend to choose jobs that require a lot of responsibility, unlike men who are more systematic and resistant to tension.
As might be expected, these opinions caused a lot of controversy and led to Damore’s dismissal, and he was accused of violating Google’s code of conduct. The manifesto ended up transcending the media, generating widespread public rejection and harassment towards Damore He also gained some support and even obtained the services of the renowned lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, going to court accusing Google that, through its pro-diversity policies, it was actually discriminating against certain groups, especially whites, Asians, men and conservatives.
Regardless of how controversial and criticizable James Damore’s opinions may be, this case serves to exemplify a very curious and, at the same time, unfair social phenomenon: ritual defamation. His case is a clear example of this phenomenon, of how values, opinions and beliefs are controlled in societies. If someone does not agree with what is socially accepted, with what is established as “politically correct” in a given place and time, he or she runs the risk of being socially rejected, without having committed any crime or serious moral failure.
Laird Maurice Wilcox, American social researcher, describes ritual defamation as the destruction or attempt to destruction of the reputation, status, character or position in the community of an individual or group through improper, malicious or unfair speech or publication Defamation can be used in retaliation for the victim’s attitudes, opinions or beliefs (real or unfounded), with the intention of silencing or ending their influence and discouraging supporters of that fringe idea.
Ritual defamation differs from simple criticism or contrary opinion towards something in nature and degree, because this phenomenon is much more aggressive, organized and skillfully applied by an organization or representative of a special interest group. The idea is to put an end to the dissident opinion, with that idea that has questioned a taboo subject within society, a position that, regardless of whether it is intrinsically good or bad, is perceived as socially unacceptable and whoever has uttered it must be attacked.
Characteristics of ritual defamation
Despite its name, ritual defamation It is not called that because it follows a religious or mystical doctrine nor because it is perpetrated only by religious groups or against other faiths It is considered a ritualistic phenomenon in that it follows a predictable and stereotyped pattern that encompasses a series of elements, just as would happen in a ritual. These elements are the following.
1. Violation of a taboo
For ritual defamation to occur, the victim must have transgressed a taboo by expressing or identifying with an attitude, opinion or belief socially perceived as prohibited or politically incorrect. It is not necessary for the individual to carry out a specific action, simply It is enough that they participate in some way in the communication or expression of the socially rejected idea
In a case of ritual defamation the method resorted to is an attack on the character of the victim, offering nothing more than a superficial challenge to the particular attitudes, opinions or beliefs expressed.
3. Denial of any debate
A fundamental aspect of ritual defamation is avoid participating in any type of debate about the veracity of what the victim has expressed The main objective of defamation is censorship and repression, directly condemning the individual for their opinions and not giving them the opportunity to debate the matter.
4. Public person
The victim is usually a person visible to the public and, consequently, vulnerable to public opinion. Any profession that has a minimum of work facing the public can fall into this category, such as writers, school teachers, civil servants, businessmen. although it may also be the case that the person attacked is a sincere citizen who has given his opinion by coming forward.
5. Involvement with others
Often attempts are made to involve others in defamation to turn them against them, usually those close to them. For example, workers in a public company in which one of her colleagues has said something objectionable may be invited to report her colleague or ignore her.
6. Dehumanization of the victim
For ritual defamation to be fulfilled, the victim must be dehumanized to the extent that there comes a time when It is not conceived as a person but as an offensive attitude, opinion or belief what he said.
7. Pressure around the victim
It is very common to pressure people close to the victim, harassing and humiliating them. If the victim has children, they may be mocked and ridiculed because of their father or mother’s opinions. If it is a co-worker, the organization may be forced to fire him due to pressure on the entire company (a case similar to Damore’s). If the victim is a member of a club, the club will be harassed by saying that they share the same controversial opinion for not having thrown him out.
8. Rejection of any explanation by the victim
In a context of ritual defamation, any explanation that the victim can give about what they have said or done is considered irrelevant. The fact that you try to claim the defense of the truth for a value, an opinion or belief that is not socially accepted is interpreted as a challenge and the only thing it will do is aggravate the situation further.
Often, ritual defamation is not a matter of being wrong or right, but of being seen as having expressed an opinion interpreted as “insensitive” or of not adhering to social taboos. This practice is universal, since it is not specific to any specific value, opinion or belief, nor to any particular sociocultural group. This means that any person and any idea can be subject to a situation of ritual defamation, The only thing that makes a difference is whether the society in which such an opinion has been held considers it incorrect or not
The power of ritual defamation lies entirely in its ability to intimidate and terrify others, finding within it elements of superstitious beliefs, such as cursing and spells. It plays on the unconscious fear that most people feel, the fear of being rejected by our community, being socially abandoned, and isolated from support systems. The fear of saying something that others don’t like can keep us silent.
But this phenomenon has some weaknesses. Being motivated primarily by emotional impulses, defamers can end up showing great exaggeration and obvious malice towards the victim, which causes their strategy of destroying someone for having expressed an opinion they do not share to fail. This can also occur if you have not properly planned the attack against your victim, or have underestimated their influence and the support they had.
As in all propaganda and disinformation campaigns, ritual defamation is carried out by manipulating words and symbols. It is not used to persuade or convince of a noble idea, but to punish the person who does not share it and therefore is not a legitimate strategy. This strategy is used to harm, intimidate and destroy an individual for having transgressed a taboo, avoid discussing their point of view and condemn them to ostracism, a strategy that is not acceptable in a fully democratic and free society, not even when the opinion is attacked. It is socially questionable.
