There were many efforts of the slave masters to dehumanize the enslaved people. One of which is that they were treated like property and nothing else. They were robbed of education. Without education, slaves were unable to read and write. Being illiterate basically means they can never earn their freedom. Privacy was basically non-existent as a slave. Salve marriages were scrutinized to every detail. “In slavery, marriage and other intimate ties among slaves are highly scrutinized and subject to arbitrary legal and conventional proscriptions.” Douglas tries his best to take his wife out of the public eye. Slavery knows no privacy. Even their community groups were not protected. This definitely affected Douglas growing up. It led to him fighting for freedom and privacy for all.

The act of dehumanizing has been around for a very long time. Slavery was seen in many civilizations from the earliest times. However, even in modern-day, the practice of dehumanizing is still very real. Some instances I have seen is the disregard for certain ethnic groups in other countries. An example would be the “re-education” camps in China. Where they house Muslims in China and subject them to abuse and propaganda just because of there different cultures and beliefs. Many have blasted the Chinese government on these camps. Dehumanizing is all over the globe. It is evident in the United States. Immigrants are one example. Some people might not view them as equals and that they don’t contribute to society. They get a bad stigma and are subjected to racism. Especially if they don’t speak English. There have been many incidents around the country where people were attacked for speaking another language. Many of which have gone viral.

Very recently, due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, many East Asians have been a target for attacks. Both verbal and physical attacks. President Trump constantly phrases COVID-19 as the “Chinese Virus”, which contributes to the stigma behind the virus and Chinese people. One of the more shameful attacks is one where a group of people attacked an elderly Chinese man. The video has gone viral for its cruelty. People on the subway have been sprayed with cleaning products claiming they have the disease. All of these fit under that umbrella of racism and dehumanizing. It is unfortunate that people still dehumanize each other.  All of these situations usually stem from fear, misinformation, racism, and the power of superiority over others.