The Paradox of Humanity and Animality - Steinbeck, Global Politics, and the Future of Being Human

What does it mean to be human in a world where power often blurs the line between 人性 (rénxìng) — humanity — and 兽性 (shòuxìng) — animality? This podcast explores Qingyue Mei’s analysis of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Menand connects it to today’s global politics — from Trump and Putin to Xi. How do leaders construct “humanity” by casting others as “animal”? And what does this mean for the future of compassion, violence, and our shared humanity?

Time Codes
00:00 - Humanity v. Animality
03:06 - The Paradox of Humanity and Animality
04:45 - The Weak and the Dog
08:24 - Steinbeck shows us a brutal truth:“humanity”
11:06 - Race and the Smell of Animality
12:03 - Women as Fur
13:10 - Trump. His rallies throb with the language of Domination
13:45 - Putin. His war in Ukraine is justified through animal metaphors
14:13 - Xi Jinping - uncivilised behaviour
14:54 - The Future. Humanity or Animality
18:23 - In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men the weak branded as animals
19:05 - The Mechanism of Domination
19:41 - The Present
20:08 - Xi invokes civilization,
21:55 - Closing

World Literature Studies 世界文学研究, 2025, 13(3), 254-259
Published Online June 2025 in Hans. https://www.hanspub.org/journal/wls
https://doi.org/10.12677/wls.2025.133037
人性与兽性的冲突：论《人鼠之间》中的动物 叙事 - 梅清越

humanity vs animality, Steinbeck Of Mice and Men, Trump Putin Xi politics, dehumanization, Chinese philosophy 人性 rénxìng, 兽性 shòuxìng, domestication 驯化, weak and marginalized 弱者, animal studies, global power, future of humanity, open access

#Trump often uses language of domination, branding opponents as “losers,” “animals,” or “vermin.” This mirrors how Steinbeck’s strong farmhands construct 人性 (rénxìng) by projecting 兽性 (shòuxìng) onto weaker groups.
#Putin’s rhetoric of strength, military aggression, and control of “weak” neighbors echoes the logic of 驯化 (xùnhuà) — domestication — where the “master” claims civilization while practicing violence.
#XiJinping positions China as a guardian of “civilized order” while suppressing dissent. The labeling of certain groups as threats, disorderly, or subhuman reflects the same dynamics of 他者 (tāzhě) — the Other — in Steinbeck’s narrative.

B Role:
File:Roma Vs. Feijenoord association football match (2022) riots, Rotterdam-Centrum, Rotterdam (2022) video 03.webm

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roma_Vs._Feijenoord_association_football_match_(2022)_riots,_Rotterdam-Centrum,_Rotterdam_(2022)_video_03.webm