Feeling powerless to change the world, or even to influence the people in my immediate circle of acquaintance, let me at least take this opportunity to demonstrate those textbook psychological defense mechanisms you can read about in any reference.
Let's start with the one healthy (therefore absent) defense mechanism:
Assertiveness:
"Assertiveness is the emphasis of a person’s needs or thoughts in a manner that is respectful, direct and firm. People who are assertive strike a balance where they speak up for themselves, express their opinions or needs in a respectful yet firm manner, and listen when they are being spoken to. Becoming more assertive is one of the most desired communication skills and helpful defense mechanisms most people want to learn, and would benefit in doing so."[1]
So, an assertive reaction from a Muslim to the recent attacks could have looked like this:
“This is bullshit! we can’t have thugs with machine guns on the loose in the streets of Paris, regardless of context. You don’t like a cartoon, you file a goddamn lawsuit! That’s what hate speech laws are for.
Let us Muslims look into what’s causing an alarming many of us to go Rambo, and make amends if it turns out we should, no holds barred.
Meanwhile nobody dare take this out on me. I’m part of the solution, not the problem. I need reassurance that the international society won’t punish me or people like me for this. It would be unfair to hold me responsible for events and actions that are out of my control."
If only the world worked that way. Alas, there was no such post in my FB feed. Instead I saw countless posts that employ one or more of the following problematic defense mechanisms:
1- Denial
“Islam is a religion of peace” is still alive and kicking on FB despite having ventured well beyond “broken record” status and well into “head in the sand” land. It always amazes me how that argument brings any comfort to mainstream Muslims who know very well that Islamic text clearly calls for violence in some (admittedly not all) situations, and that that is the pretext for every single murder committed by Islamic terrorists.
Also present in the denial portfolio is the usual "The world is trying to frame us” argument. I stumbled upon circulating posts questioning the reality of the attacks, or the footage, or the identity of the suspects. Basically: Question everything to avoid having to face the horrible truth.
Take for example this post, claiming some reported footage as staged:
Or this post, which makes the even bolder claim that the entire attack was staged. I've heard so many similar 9/11 conspiracy theories and they never fail to amuse.
2- Blame Game
When the teacher asks little Billy why he stuck a wad of gum into Mona’s hair, he might reply that “Tommy did it too” or that “Jennie once stole a cookie from the cookie jar” or that “I’m not the only one who does naughty things”. Normally you’d expect adults to be able to explain their actions independently of the actions of others, but Nooo. When cornered, people might resort to blaming anybody else for anything else in a desperate attempt to avoid facing the blame themselves.
Like clockwork, as soon as disaster struck, and the leads started pointing to Muslim terrorists, my FB feed exploded with posts blaming the usual suspects for the usual crimes against the Arab and Muslim world. Israel, America, U.K, strikes against Iraq, Sudan, Gaza, the works. Many posts were recycled. I think they keep them handy for whenever a new terrorist decides to go nuts. Other posts were remastered, with captions that mention the new attacks, implying that an action justifies a reaction, or that the West was to blame for instigating.
This post for example comes from a renowned Arab cartoonist. It tries to shift focus away from the Paris attacks by appealing to the continued suffering of the people of Palestine. As if the suffering of Palestinians is somehow good grounds to overlook the attacks in Paris:
This post for example comes from a renowned Arab cartoonist. It tries to shift focus away from the Paris attacks by appealing to the continued suffering of the people of Palestine. As if the suffering of Palestinians is somehow good grounds to overlook the attacks in Paris:
3- Over Compensation
"Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other arenas. By emphasizing and focusing on one’s strengths, a person is recognizing they cannot be strong at all things and in all areas in their lives. For instance, when a person says, “I may not know how to cook, but I can sure do the dishes!,” they’re trying to compensate for their lack of cooking skills by emphasizing their cleaning skills instead. When done appropriately and not in an attempt to over-compensate, compensation is defense mechanism that helps reinforce a person’s self-esteem and self-image"[1]
This is best exemplified by the trending hashtag #JeSuisAhmed - emphasizing that one of the of the murdered policemen was Muslim. As if “some of us are cool” is a good way to address the complaint “too many of you are stirring trouble!"
4- Projection
"Projection is the misattribution of a person’s undesired thoughts, feelings or impulses onto another person who does not have those thoughts, feelings or impulses. Projection is used especially when the thoughts are considered unacceptable for the person to express, or they feel completely ill at ease with having them. For example, a spouse may be angry at their significant other for not listening, when in fact it is the angry spouse who does not listen. Projection is often the result of a lack of insight and acknowledgement of one’s own motivations and feelings."[1]
Take a look at this post, which amazingly got resurrected back into life this week from earlier this year. Accusing France of taking steps to limit freedom of speech… textbook projection :)
5- Displacement
"Displacement is the redirecting of thoughts feelings and impulses directed at one person or object, but taken out upon another person or object. People often use displacement when they cannot express their feelings in a safe manner to the person they are directed at. The classic example is the man who gets angry at his boss, but can’t express his anger to his boss for fear of being fired. He instead comes home and kicks the dog or starts an argument with his wife. The man is redirecting his anger from his boss to his dog or wife. Naturally, this is a pretty ineffective defense mechanism, because while the anger finds a route for expression, it’s misapplication to other harmless people or objects will cause additional problems for most people."[1]
Take a look at this post, which recently resurrected the (admittedly heinous) murder of the (admittedly awesome) Arab cartoonist Naji Al Ali. But this murder took place back in the 80s! Apparently this week, out of the blue, some Muslim friends suddenly felt compelled to decry the murder of cartoonist, um, Naji Al Ali. How dare they murder a cartoonist! Down with the murderers of the cartoonist, um, Naji Al Ali!
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