Arguable the most controversial subject in human history is what truly defines the human species. Through the growth and evolution of the species, humans have displayed destructive behaviours within society that differentiates this genus from all others. Practiced by the unique act of genocide, humans have embraced a love for brutality against opposing social groups and the annihilation of fellow man. The institutions within the species’ society encompass unsurpassable expectations that have resulted in the self-destruction of millions. Humans have collectively destroyed the Earth’s natural resources through over use and depletion, making it impossible for the environment to remain sustainable; therefore, characterizing humans as the uniquely destructive species that they have come to exist as today.

Genocide is a form of destruction unique to the human species that has been repeated throughout history as the yearning for power and the love of cruelty surpasses human controversies. “Genocide is often waged by one group against another and not the other way around. It is this unprovoked brutality that stems from human nature that is truly frightening” (Dimijan, 2010). This brutality was noticeably witnessed in World War II Germany during the Holocaust when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler exterminated more than 6 million Jewish men, women and children. The Nazis, who came to power in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community (Wright, 2009). The Jewish population never upheld such a threat and therefore became the victims of an unprovoked attack, waged from one side. This systematic annihilation of one category of people by another is unique to humans; nonetheless, it has recurred time and again in the history of the species’ existence.

For centuries, our society has been built on the deliberate killings of large assemblies of people. Joseph Stalin, one of the most murderous dictators in history, was the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union for a quarter of a century. His regime of terror saw the death and suffering of tens of millions of Italian citizens (Black, 2005). Stalin was power hungry and displayed an enormous lack of humanity during his rule in order to maintain that power. Stalin instituted a campaign against alleged enemies within his regime, called the Great Purge, in which hundreds of thousands were executed after being convicted of plotting to overthrow Stalin (Macionis & Gerber, 2003, p.345). As well as directly executing hundreds of thousands of people, Stalin’s rule also resulted in the death of millions due to his economic decisions. Stalin forced the collectivization of Soviet agriculture, which led to widespread famine across the Soviet Union for over a decade (Macionis & Gerber, 2003, p.352). This pitiless form of intolerance, resulting in the death of millions, is entirely unique to the human species. Sadly, genocide is not only in the history books; the latest annihilation of a people occurred not more than 20 years ago in Rwanda.

Hundreds of thousands of lives are lost due to one group of people opposing another and turning to violence. This brutal form of racism and ethnocentrism, that is unique to humans, violates nearly every recognized moral standard (Macionis & Gerber, 2003, p.340). This is displayed within the Rwanda genocide of 1994 that resulted from the conscious choice of the elite to promote hatred and fear to keep itself in power. At this time, Rwanda’s population of 7 million was composed of three ethnic groups: Hutu (85%), Tutsi (14%) and Twa (1%). Hutu extremists within Rwanda’s political elite blamed the entire Tutsi minority population for the country’s increasing social, economic, and political pressures (Dimijan 2010). 8000 Tutsi people were killed in their homes per day for 100 days. The women were systematically and brutally raped and it is estimated that as many as three quarter of the Tutsi population perished (Tittle, 2013). Solely humans have participated in this unique form of mass murder, making it a defining representation of the species. In fact, genocide is present in human history as far back as fifteenth century American.

Genocide is not only the destruction of people, but also the extermination of culture. It occurs when one group denies the humanity of another due to lack of cultural similarities. Dehumanizing overcomes the natural human revulsion against murder (Pearson, 2006). The Spanish settlers of the 15th and 16th century encountered diverse Native American cultures after traveling to America, consisting of over 300 languages that were deemed inferior to the European way of life. The Native Americans were quickly enslaved and mass exterminated by the Europeans in order to claim the land and the resources that once belonged to the Native American’s. The Spanish colonists wrote of the horrors inflicted on the indigenous people; including, mass hangings in trees, and hacking the children into pieces to be used as dog food. The population of the United States prior to European contact was greater than 12 million. Four centuries later, the count was reduced by 95% to 237 thousand (Randy, 2009). It is this kind of vicious attack that differentiates humans from any other species that has ever inhabited this planet. The boundless cruelty that is the mass extermination of a classification of people can not be found anywhere else but within the society that humans created. Humans not only directly killed millions of people through violence, but have also created a society that indirectly leads to the self-destruction of approximately one million people every year.

Social expectations are often set simply too far out of reach. When these expectations are not individually met, it can lead to a sense of failure and lack of self worth. Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, saw suicide as a manifestation of the changes in modern society that were altering the fundamental bonds that connected people to one another and to the community (Tollman, 2013). This is notably seen with the increasing social expectations surrounding education. Suicidal college students often exhibit a drop in grade point average before they commit suicide. This creates the feeling that they were falling below what society had come to expect from them. Students often feel they have parents who expect a certain level of performance, and the students feel as though it is impossible to meet these expectations (Baumeister, 2013, p.7). The killing of one’s self is a phenomenon created and defined uniquely to humans. It is because of constantly mounting expectations and pressures within the education system that many humans have developed a sense of worthlessness, resulting in suicide. The society that is supposed to sustain the human race is also slowly deteriorating it. It is not only expectations to academically succeed that leads to self destruction, but also the pressure to conform to a certain lifestyle that society tells the individual is socially acceptable.

Through media and cultural precedent, society presents the ideal lifestyle that human’s are supposed to mold themselves to. It is when indiviuduals can not conform to that mold that suicide rates are the highest (Baumeister, 2013, p.5). The group that faces the highest suicide rate is LGBT youth. Research has shown that suicidal tendencies within this group are increased when individuals are considered to be immersed in a heterocentric culture (Kenneth, 2005, p.320). This is present in U.S states where homosexual marriage is illegal. Studies have found that risk of suicide attempt for homosexual teenagers range from 3.5 to nearly 14 times that experienced by heterosexual counterparts. Most of these attempts occurred after the person had self-identified as gay, but before publicly identifying themselves as gay for fear of rejection (Kenneth, 2005, p.322). Suicide is the ultimate self-destructive act created solely by humans as a result of not meeting the expectations set for them by society. Even though suicide is unique to humans, there are an endless amount of contributing factors to it, including work related stress.

Work related expectations can be highly demanding and stressful. The workplace is one of the key environments affecting mental health and well-being. Unfortunately, the workplace can also be the source of nonproductive stress that lead to physical and mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts and behaviours and ultimately suicide (Tollman, 2013). Work related suicides accounted for over 25% of suicides in 2011. Unrealistic expectations are what break these workers down and leave them with a feeling of worthlessness (Baumeister 2013, p.7). In 2003, Chung Mong-hun, 55, an executive of South Korean car group Hyundai, leapt 12 storeys to his death from the company's office building in Seoul, reportedly due to work related stress. No other species experiences the same kind of pressure within their social group that would lead to killing one’s self. It is this destructive flaw in the human based society that defines the species. Suicide is not only a result of unmet expectations, but also the various influences placed upon a person from society.

In recent years, Aboriginal people in Canada have suffered from a much higher rate of suicide than the general population. Sociologist Emile Durkheim had a theory that the suicide rate in a country or region varies inversely with the degree of integration of domestic society (Tollman, 2013). This is notably seen in Aboriginal communities that have come from colonization, forced assimilation, and relocation. Aboriginal youth on reserves are 5 to 6 times more likely to die of suicide than their peers in the general population (Tollman, 2013). The most common factors are substance abuse (especially alcohol), suicide of a family member or a friend, history of physical or sexual abuse, family violence, unsupportive and neglectful parents, poor peer relationships and social isolation (Tollman, 2013). These factors all exist within the society that the person was born into. It was society’s attempted westernization of the Aboriginal population that caused the hardships still faced today, possibly contributing to the high suicide rate. The human society is one of the most destructive forces to ethnic and social groups. In no other species’ has one group tried to force the conformity of another that resulted in such self-destructive tendencies. Humans have not only actively destroyed themselves, but also the environment that is relied upon for the species’ survival.

Only humanity has the power to destroy all natural resources that are essential to the species’ survival. The depletion of the global fishing fleet is merely one way humans are making it impossible for the environment to remain sustainable. According to the World Wildlife Federation, the global fishing fleet is 2.5 times larger than what our oceans can support. More than half of the world’s fisheries are already gone, and one-quarter are ‘overexploited, depleted, or recovering from collapse (Holmes, 2013). Overfishing resulted in the collapse of the cod industry in Canada in the early 1990’s. Technological advances allowed Canada to start bringing in over 1 million tons of cod each year starting in the late 1970’s. It is estimated that offshore cod stocks are now at 1% of what they were in 1977. It is because of society’s economic greed that the Canadian cod industry is virtually destroyed. This environmental disaster also had economic repercussions for thousands of people in Nova Scotia whose livelihood depended on the fishing industry. Humans are the only species to take advantage of natural resources to such an extent that they are no longer considered sustainable. This destructive force is what consistently continues to define humanity. The species continues to put societal wants before environmental needs by utilizing industrialized machines and technology that are destroying the atmosphere.

In the last century, Earth has experienced a change in global climate patterns that are largely due to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, produced by human’s use of fossil fuels. In the 20th century alone, the population increased from 1.65 billion to 6 billion (Flores, 2014). That is an increase of 4.35 billion more people now utilizing electricity and transportation methods which together account for 58% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. A single car emits 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. It would take 240 trees to offset that amount (Francis, 2009). The human species is deteriorating the environment because of inventions (such as cars) that society has created and consider more valuable than the environment. Green house gases are the cause of warming temperatures throughout the Earth’s atmosphere. In 2011, warmer-than-average temperatures were recorded across the world for the 30th consecutive year. Increasing average temperatures are melting glaciers and polar ice caps and raising sea levels, putting coastal areas at greater risk of flooding. Even though humanity is aware of the human-induced climate change phenomenon, yearly emissions of greenhouse gases have continued to increase by more than 20% since 1990. Earth’s environment is the victim of the largest destructive force in history, the human species. While other species’ cherish and sustain the environment, humans have only left a negative impact on it. The environment has not only had to face the destructive qualities of green house gases, but also the disastrous effects of oil spills.

The Earth’s environment has faced immediate and long-term environmental damage due to human error resulting in oil spills. Some of the environmental damage caused by an oil spill can last for decades after the spill occurs. There have been over 152 reported oil spills resulting in approximately 25 million tons of oil put into the environment (Holmes, 2013). When large enough, oil spills have been considered one of the most devastating human-cause environmental disasters. In 1989 Alaska, an 11 million gallon oil spill in Prince William Sound resulted in the death of 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and 22 killer whales (Holmes, 2013). It is the largest known oil spill in human history and Prince William Sound is still faced with the long-term effects from the spill today. A research team from the University of North Carolina reported in 2010 that, “species as diverse as sea otters, harlequin ducks and killer whales suffered large, long-term losses and that oiled mussel beds and other tidal shoreline habitats will take an estimated 30 years to recover” (Yung, 2013). This brutal destruction of one species by another has only ever occurred with humans and the detrimental effects placed on the environment by the species’ existence. This form of large-scale destruction is unique to the humans and is repeated in the on going deforestation of the Earth.

Throughout the past two centuries, humans have cleared Earth’s forests on a massive scale. Areas the size of Panama are lost each year due to clear cutting and the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 5,180 square kilometers of Appalachian forest will disappear by 2015 (Homes, 2013). The biggest drives for deforestation are agricultural and economic. More crops are needed to sustain the rapidly growing human population, but the sustainability of the Earth’s forests are being destroyed in the process. Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. 70% of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their habitats (Kipling, 2014). Trees also play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests result in larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere (Kipling, 2014). As humans are increasing green house gas emissions and decreasing forest density, the environment has virtually no chance for sustainability. The species’ is not only slowly deteriorating the environment that sustains all life, but also directly destroying the habitats of thousands of other species. This never-ending destruction is seen solely in one genus of Earth and is a defining characteristic as to what that truly is the human species.

Society and the destructive behaviours that stem from it, create the largest impact on the idea of humanity and what separates the species from any other. Humans are the only species to plan and execute mass murder repeatedly throughout history. Suicide is also unique to the species as a result of failure to meet the expectations society up holds. Society not only results in self-destruction but is also responsible for continually damaging the environment, which is needed to sustain the species. Without these characterizations, the species would not be what it is today, for it is the destructive influence of society that defines the human species.

References

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