Psychological scientists Martin Reinmann and Philip Zimbardo came with an idea as to why we are capable of horrible acts.

In their 2011 paper," The Dark Side of Social Encounters", the authors states that two process are more important deindividualisation and dehumanisation.
Deindividualisation happens when we perceive as anonymous.

Dehumanisation happens when we stop seeing others as human beings. The authors explain dehumanisation as a "cortical cataract", a blurring of our perception. we stop being able to really see people
a dramatic example of dehumanising was seen in Hitler's genocidal propaganda, where he described Jewish people as "untermenschen" - subhumans.

The Nazis also compared other groups they targeted to animals, insects and diseases.
In 2015, British media personality Katie Hopkins described migrants arriving in boats as "cockroaches".

The Nazi media described people their masters wanted to eliminate as rats and cockroaches.

Donald Trump compared refugees to Snakes.
The oversimplified grouping of an imagined enemy is echoed over and over in politics, partly because it is so catchy.

With a bit of help from a leader and some inspiring rhetoric, harmful ideologies readily flourish. Many are prone to being influenced by such poisionous imagery
I am quoting from this book, which is a fascinating read to understand contemporary times
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