Theolitics.blog

July 24, 2026

Certain members of our species Homo sapiens should be viewed as “unhumans.” That’s the idea advocated and hammered home in the 2024 book Unhumans, by Jack Posobiec and Joshua Lisec. 

Never heard of it? You should. Republican politicians keep repeating its themes, sometimes almost verbatim. The current Vice President of the United States endorsed it. Trump advisor Steve Bannon wrote the foreword. 

Defining “Unhumans”

Posobiec and Lisec propose that civilization is what makes a Homo sapiens worthy of the name “human.” People they view as opposing “civilization” are not worthy, in their minds, of inclusion in humanity and should instead be derided as “unhumans.” 

Bannon’s foreword states, “‘Unhumans’ simply refers to those Homo sapiens who seek nothing but destruction of human society, borne of grievance and misery and nihilism.” 

The authors themselves assert, “As they are opposed to humanity itself, they place themselves outside of the category completely…” (In this way, the authors blame the people they are dehumanizing, claiming the “unhumans” did it to themselves.)

The premise and aim behind the title is literal dehumanization of vast swaths of humanity. 

To be much more specific: the authors state that they mean people on the political Left. Communists, yes. Socialists. Radicals. Progressives, too. So… pretty much everyone who disagrees with them politically should be considered something less than human. 

I wonder if the authors chuckled when President Donald Trump reposted a video of someone stating, “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.” Trump shares video of supporter saying “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat” – CBS News After all, Democrats might not be fully human, right?

Dehumanization and Atrocities 

Anyone familiar with major themes of history will see why this label is problematic. 

Someone asked me recently, Have there been instances of dehumanizing language without genocide or atrocities? 

My thought was, Yes – but I don’t know that there have been genocides without dehumanization. 

History is full of examples of people who denied the humanity of their perceived enemies. 

• Stalin’s regime termed large groups in the Soviet Union “enemies of the people” and used various dehumanizing terms, such as garbage, swine, and half animals. (In case you are unfamiliar with Stalin, he presided over the deaths of about a million of his fellow citizens.) Stalin’s Genocides | Hoover Institution Stalin’s Genocides 

• Before murdering millions of them, the Nazis slandered and dehumanized Jews as a group, depicting them as disfigured or referring to them as various types of animals. The rhetoric was not accidental but a coordinated propaganda effort. Antisemitism | Holocaust Encyclopedia 

• In 1990s Rwanda, the majority commonly called a minority people group “cockroaches.” A horrific genocide followed. A Case Study Analysis of Dehumanization in Rwanda and Darfur 

• Here’s an overview of the stages of genocide, including dehumanization: Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | The ten stages of genocide 

Anyone concerned for basic human and civil rights, then, should be concerned about a coordinated effort to dehumanize.

American Reasons to Object

Should it be an American attitude to literally dehumanize our political opponents?  

Our founding documents assert a certain inherent, God-given dignity to all of humankind. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Either we ascribe to that belief from the Declaration of Independence, or we don’t. Either we all derive our significance from our Creator, or no one does. 

When a broad group of political adherents – roughly half of the country –  is deemed to be “unhuman,” then they must not be legitimate citizens, either. Suddenly, Constitutional rights are called into question. Americans, as well as any Republicans who called themselves the Tea Party or Constitutional conservatives, should see the red flag waving there. 

In fact, check out this quote from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller: “One of the hallmarks of left-wing violence and terrorism is its completely pretextual and disingenuous appeal to civil liberties in an effort to shield its own violence. This is the tactic that the left always uses to try to protect itself from facing criminal punishment. It is essential that we are wise enough and strong enough to understand that these appeals must fall on deaf ears.”

I’m still thinking through this statement. An “appeal to civil liberties… must fall on deaf ears” if invoked by someone on the Left accused of violence and terrorism? Does that seem an accurate summary? If so, then I would request clarification from Miller. In he speaking about the court of public opinion, or a court of law? Which civil liberties might he reject for such a person, and on what grounds? Would he reject those identical liberties for someone on the Right accused of violence and terrorism?

Nobody likes “violence and terrorism.” But an accused person in the United States has rights under the Constitution. Those should not be withheld just because of the political beliefs of the defendant.

Christian Reasons to Reject Dehumanization 

A straightforward reading of Scripture shows that God conferred unique value on all human beings – without qualification – as creatures created in God’s own image – without qualification. 

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” – Genesis 1:27 

“The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.” – Proverbs 22:2 

It seems obvious that God made rich people, poor people, and in fact all people, in the image of God, with the dignity that implies. Denying the humanity of people whose politics we dislike – even very strongly – should not, then, be a Christian attitude. 

Promoting the Book

A few people who have promoted or endorsed the book Unhumans include:

• Vice President JD Vance, who wrote a blurb endorsing it
• Presidential adviser Steve Bannon, who wrote the foreword
• Donald Trump Jr.
• Tucker Carlson

And many others, not coincidentally, are promoting ideas inside it.

It’s Not Just One Book 

More and more often, Republican leaders are echoing the viewpoints of this book. White House adviser Stephen Miller is a prominent example, but only one of many.

Unhumans warns of those motivated by envy and resentment to destroy “civilization” and everything good and beautiful. In a eulogy for activist Charlie Kirk, Miller took time to scorn perceived political enemies: “You have nothing. You are nothing. You are wickedness, you are jealousy, you are envy, you are hatred. You are nothing. You can build nothing. You can produce nothing. You can create nothing.” Stephen Miller’s Hypocrisy Is Right There in His Speech – The Atlantic 

Never in my lifetime have I heard an American political leader refer to opponents in such a way, calling people “nothing.” It’s almost as if he thinks they are “unhumans.” 

Miller’s July 2026 speech at an international summit addressing political violence also shows clear ties to Unhumans.

Posobiec and Lisec: “Leftists operate from envy.” And, “On a base level, unhumans seek the death of the successful and the desecration of the beautiful. They want to smash civilization.” 

Miller: “The leftist looks at what is beautiful and what is good and what is natural and is filled with envy and hatred… And they turn those emotions ultimately into a desire to subjugate, to oppress, and to inflict pain and suffering.” 

FULL REMARKS: Stephen Miller Speaks at Global Summit on Political Violence at Security Summit | AC1E

Secretary of State Marco Rubio used similar language at the same event: “It is a poisonous resentment cloaked in the language of equality and justice and liberation, an overwhelming need to tear down what greater men have built, to wreck what is beautiful and what is right on behalf of people who are only filled with ugliness and have nothing else to offer the world.” Remarks at the Opening of the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism – United States Department of State

If you have the displeasure of reading this book, you will start noticing echoes of its rhetoric in speeches, posts, and memes.

Knowing Is Half the Battle 

I’m not sure it’s accurate, but the G.I. Joe cartoons of the 1980s told viewers, “Now we know, and knowing is half the battle.” So, know that this ideology is out there. Notice it coming up in rhetoric and propaganda. 

Know that it is completely out of line with foundational American values and certainly opposed to Christian beliefs about the nature of humanity. 

Doing Is Another Part of the Battle

Speak up when it seems appropriate (you don’t have to participate in the comments section of every post – use wisdom about your time!). Reject dehumanizing labels about your fellow human beings, from any part of the political spectrum.

And let’s offer a better way. Look for ways to reassert your belief in the dignity of all humankind. Share those ideas, yes, and also act them out. Serve others. Show that you care, and that they are worth caring about.

One thought along those lines: If we see people who are strangers, hungry, thirsty, unclothed, sick, or in prison, then we already have ancient guidance about what to do to show them they are valued and loved. (See Matthew 25.)

It’s a high calling. Let’s keep encouraging one another to pursue it.

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