Perpetrators justify mass murder as defensive response to perceived existential threat

Evidence

Perpetrators of such violence typically see themselves as the victims and their aggression as a form of self-defense. Murder seems morally justified to perpetrators who are convinced they are in a life-or-death struggle against an implacable foe. The destruction of the Jews was, in Nazi eyes, “‘the battle of destiny for the German people’ … a matter of life and death for the Ger­ mans, who must annihilate their enemies or be annihilated” (Arendt, 1964, p. 52). The ideological model of scapegoating can help explain how and why sacrificial lambs are perceived by perpetrators as predatory wolves. — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide, 849

Categorization

• DEFINE: Operationalizes the chapter’s ‘sacrificial lambs dressed in wolves’ clothing’ image — victims perceived as predators.
• XREF: connects to: Mortality salience increases support for lethal violence against cultural enemies. — Jeff Greenberg and Spee Kosloff, Terror Management Theory: Implications…, 67; Perpetrators of ideologically motivated aggression rationalize it by recasting victims as threats — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 833; Perceived outgroup power plus malice lets mass murder self-justify as self-defense — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1587 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Perceiving a group as powerful and malevolent rationalizes extreme violence as self-defense #corroborates (1.00)
• Perceived outgroup power plus malice lets mass murder self-justify as self-defense #expands (0.95) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1587
• Mass expulsion requires both perceived threat and perceived lack of alternatives #qualifies (0.75) — Michael A. Reynolds and Thomas D. Grant, The Future of Europe and Its Muslims, 256