From “How To Orchestrate A Genocide” by Raffie Joe Wartanian

From "How To Orchestrate A Genocide"
by Raffie Joe Wartanian

Say it with the right accent
So that it sounds acceptable

Do it in a suit and tie
So that it looks professional

Kill them in the dead of night
So that it seems accidental

A couple of days ago (at the time of this writing, that is), I saw a post on Instagram made by Alina Kharysava (@kharysava): How Propaganda Normalizes War. In it, Kharysava lists the “4 communication techniques that make you ignore v1olence(sic),” which include euphemisms, demonization, religion, and victimhood.

Raffie Joe Wartanian’s “How To Orchestrate A Genocide” adds to the conversation, showing how we can normalize a genocide in the twenty-first century. Or maybe not normalize so much as ignore what has been happening to the people of Palestine for decades.

To read Wartianian’s poem in full, please visit Poets.org.