Whether we hear about it on the news or experience it first hand, death and devastation are everywhere. Senseless killing and brutality seem almost normal. Bloody wars rage and terrorism continues, making most of the deaths we hear of today needless bloodshed. Senseless killing and inhumanity has themed whole periods of history and is still prevalent today. Pride and indifference often skew our perceptions of others and can lead to chilling realities and death rates.
An exploration of inhumanity relies heavily on our understanding of the word itself. According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, inhumanity is defined as “cruel behavior or treatment; the fact of not having the usual human qualities of kindness and pity.” This word perfectly
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Ancient Rome was famous for their acts of brutality and their power crazed leaders. According to History.com, innocent people were mauled by gladiators, fed to exotic beasts, and tortured mercilessly for sport. The rulers could sentence anyone to death without reason and no one could hold them accountable. Several of their rulers were mentally ill and ordered cruel sentences and incredible bloodshed. One of the most famous monsters was Nero, who ordered both his mother and wife killed and was rumored to have been involved with starting the epic fire that charred most of Rome and took six days to finally extinguish. Rulers like Nero showed the cruel behavior that stereotyped the ancient Roman Empire.
Similarly, Hitler ruled Germany from 1934 until he committed suicide in 1945. Hitler hoped to extinguish the Jews and treated all of his enemies with extreme brutality. It was not uncommon for families to be torn apart and individuals sterilized or gassed. Believing that he was the “privileged race”, Hitler made it his mission to get rid of all the lower classes. His shocking pride and disgusting thirst for innocent blood has given him a name that generations to come will recognize and mourn. Such inhumanity leaves its mark on nations and brands its legacy into the hearts of those