Essentializing a group’s being strips them of moral membership

Evidence

The formulation (‘being the way they are’) at line 379 is telling in this context. One can read this as an extreme comment, an essentialist ‘theoretical rationalization’ (van Leeuwen and Wodak, 1999 ). It is not just the characteristics of Romanies that are essentialized, but also their ontological ‘being’ in the world. Valeria reduces them to the essence of their essence. This portrayal of Romanies excludes them from moral membership in the wider social and political community. It alters, transforms, their individual and collective worth in the eyes of their fellow human beings. — Cristian Tileagă, The Nature of Prejudice, 535

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Directly relevant to the sacrifice article’s theme of how groups get placed outside the moral community — here the mechanism is essentialized ‘being’ rather than ritual exclusion.
• XREF: connects to: Society coopts the mother’s influence by sanctifying her as guardian of morality — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 369; Volunteers frame political talk as morally exclusionary of ordinary less-eloquent people. — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”: The work of avoiding…, 102; People excuse immorality from in-group members arbitrarily defined — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 102 (+1 more)