The Cost of Cruelty: How Dehumanizing Rhetoric Harms Us All
"The future is not written—it is woven from the choices we make today. Let us weave a legacy of justice, healing, and hope." - Mary Coughlin
The Cost of Cruelty: How Dehumanizing Rhetoric Harms Us All
Words have power. They shape our perceptions, our policies, and, ultimately, our world.
Yet, in today’s political landscape, we are witnessing a dangerous trend—language that strips people of their dignity, reducing real human struggle to cheap sound bites and lazy stereotypes. We hear politicians mock those experiencing poverty, implying that anyone on food assistance must be lazy, that struggling families are somehow undeserving, that suffering is a personal failing rather than the result of a system that often sets people up to fail.
This isn’t just political theater. It’s harmful. And it’s a lie.
The Myth of the "Lazy Taker"
The image of the so-called "welfare queen" or the "able-bodied freeloader" has been used for decades to justify cuts to social programs. It’s an old tactic, dressed up in new rhetoric. But here’s the truth:
The majority of people on food assistance programs like SNAP are children, seniors, disabled individuals, or working adults who don’t earn enough to cover basic needs.
Many people experiencing poverty work multiple jobs and still struggle to put food on the table. Wages have not kept up with the cost of living.
Healthcare costs, housing instability, and caregiving responsibilities force many into economic hardship through no fault of their own.
Poverty is not about personal failure. It’s about policy failure—low wages, inaccessible healthcare, skyrocketing rents, and a social safety net that is constantly under attack.
When We Dehumanize, We All Lose
When leaders use rhetoric that paints struggling people as lazy, as burdens, as less-than, they are doing more than just scoring political points. They are giving permission for society to look away, to harden its heart, to believe that those who struggle somehow deserve their suffering.
This kind of messaging breeds contempt instead of compassion, division instead of dignity. And it seeps into policies that have real consequences:
Cuts to food assistance that leave children and families hungry.
Barriers to healthcare that force people to choose between rent and medicine.
Policies that punish instead of support, making it harder for people to climb out of poverty.
Dehumanization doesn’t just harm those in poverty—it erodes our collective humanity. When we buy into these stereotypes, we lose sight of the fact that any one of us could face unexpected hardship. A job loss. A medical crisis. A family emergency. The line between stability and struggle is much thinner than we like to believe.
Choosing Compassion Over Contempt
So what do we do? We refuse to let cruelty shape the conversation. We push back against false narratives, we amplify the truth, and we center compassion in our politics, our policies, and our personal interactions.
Speak up when you hear dehumanizing rhetoric. Challenge the myths.
Vote for policies that support dignity, not shame. Food security, healthcare, and fair wages aren’t handouts—they’re human rights.
Engage in conversations that restore humanity to the people these narratives harm. Stories change hearts more than statistics ever will.
At the end of the day, the question isn’t whether some people "deserve" support. The question is: What kind of society do we want to be? One that punishes people for being poor? Or one that ensures no one has to suffer the indignity of hunger or homelessness?
The answer should be clear. Because our humanity is only as strong as our willingness to see the humanity in others.
Words shape worlds.
Let’s choose justice, dignity, and humanity—every time,
Mary
P.S.: The way we talk about people shapes the way we treat them. Let’s challenge harmful narratives and build a future rooted in dignity, justice, and truth. Share this post, spark a conversation, and let’s REIMAGINE what’s possible—together.
