Episode 49: When We Stop Seeing People as People: On Authoritarianism and Dehumanization

In this episode of Let’s Talk About the Deep Stuff, Sean Kneese shares his thoughts on the growing normalization of hate, dehumanizing rhetoric, and the erosion of basic civil liberties. He talks about the danger of propaganda, the abuse of power by public figures, and why these issues go beyond politics and into basic human decency. Sources: I didn't go much into Stephen Miller in this episode but he's important to look into to understand the racist roots of Trump's immigration policy and what's really gong on here, Here's a link to info on him: https://uproxx.com/culture/stephen-miller-high-school-hostile-minorities/ Another U.S. citizen detained by ICE for 3 days not mentioned in episode- no phone call allowed, no charges: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/disabled-veteran-detained-immigration-raid-speaks-out/ Stories mentioned in podcast: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/u-s-citizen-detained-by-ice-agents-in-downtown-los-angeles-speaks-out/amp/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLgR9tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHsxrXKzKAzRyqWtL1XlEzbbGrOuAQP5O1CYOicPRrrITfYS6ixY6l5mkctek_aem_dVCboNCqoByyeMBK6K7hvA https://migrantinsider.com/p/ice-has-deported-at-least-70-us-citizens?fbclid=IwY2xjawLgR_xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqcDq9s1D2uVJtzwQyHfcFOFKAzz08KkVPDx45DqQtGWd_ZfkPVvO0Y5HJeh_aem_Ab37ZKd7oR-6qrj3oJjb9Q https://belatina.com/lulac-warns-sexual-predators-targeting-immigrant-women-impersonating-ice-agents/?amp&fbclid=IwY2xjawLgewlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHnuKgs1jqq4eLVSSrWx99wKlN8XWAWuUQbrntaL_nlf2Wi0-prp-W_nHbPV__aem_V0JKj2rQGDns2EOS7zgBDQ https://www.ntd.com/dhs-us-citizen-detained-for-obstructing-arrest-of-illegal-immigrant_1069448.html https://www.latintimes.com/trump-ally-slammed-saying-alligators-everglades-detention-center-are-guaranteed-least-65-586091 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5396985-trump-homan-immigration-detainments/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/07/12/donald-trump-threatens-revoke-rosie-odonnell-citizenship/84803705007/ https://www.ncai.org/news/ncai-condemns-ann-coulter-s-we-didn-t-kill-enough-indians-violent-and-shameful-hate-speech-targeting-tribal-nations https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/a-surprising-number-of-americans-believe-these-6-false-claims-about-immigrants-here-are-the-facts/ https://www.visaverge.com/healthcare/giant-bugs-intense-heat-and-hospital-struggles-at-alligator-alcatraz/ https://www.visaverge.com/healthcare/giant-bugs-intense-heat-and-hospital-struggles-at-alligator-alcatraz/ https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5366178/trump-deport-jail-u-s-citizens-homegrowns-el-salvador https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-discriminating-against-blue-states-sets-up-historic-crisis https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-enemies-from-within-5c4a34776469a55e71d3ba4d4e68cf62 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-fcc-chair-goes-after-pbs-and-npr-with-twin-probes/ar-AA1y9oKI https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-fcc-chair-goes-after-pbs-and-npr-with-twin-probes/ar-AA1y9oKI https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mamdanis-nyc-primary-win-sparks-surge-anti-muslim-posts-advocates-say-2025-06-27/?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/we-are-nyc-rabbis-who-support-zohran-mamdani-heres-why/?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/brad-lander-zohran-mamdani?utm_source=chatgpt.com It turns out Thomas Jefferson NEVER said dissent is the highest form of patriotism. That quote has been misattributed to him and never verified so my mistake on that, but my opinion on that still stands. While Jefferson didn’t literally say ‘Dissent is the highest form of patriotism,’ the sentiment still holds—and his writings absolutely support the right and duty to challenge unjust power.. : https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/dissent-highest-form-patriotism-spurious-quotation/ https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fifth_amendment https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/06/01/defend-say/ The Voltaire quote i mentioned is actually from Evelyn Beatrice Hall, so my mistake on that too. But once again, still something I strongly believe in. https://www.vox.com/politics/419040/zohran-mamdani-racism-islamophobia-nyc-mayoral-race?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/minnesota-state-lawmakers-shot-search-underway-suspect-local-media-reports-say-2025-06-14/?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Buffalo_shooting?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-06-15/political-violence-is-threaded-through-recent-us-history-the-motives-and-justifications-vary?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/22/political-violence-extremism-america?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250616-trump-orders-deportation-drive-targeting-democratic-cities?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/buffaloshooting-onlineplatformsreport.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://...