In what ways do others define our identity?
In terms of the Rwandan Genocide those who were initially targeted and faced with death, had different facial and body characteristics. They were minor, the shape of their faces had what they called "more European like" qualities, this was decided a bad thing as the Hutu's came into power, they only continued to victimize anyone who resembled different from them toward the peak of the genocide.
How do people make distinctions between “us” and “them”? Why do they make these distinctions?
Before the mass killing began, every person in Rwanda was given an identification card that contained several pieces of information, the key part was their label, Hutu or Tutsi. As things picked up cards would be checked before Tutsis were allowed in certain areas, or before a Hutu extremist showed up on the doorstep of someone's home and demanded to see identification. They made these distinctions so clear to make their job of eliminating what they saw as the enemy easier, they wouldn't have to guess or kill their own people. Certain members of the Hutu led groups had patches or pieces of cloth sewn on to their clothes to display their power to make them feared even more.
How are genocide and other acts of mass violence humanely possible?/ What choices do people make that allow collective violence to happen?
A genocide is humanely possible for various reasons. The biggest one being denial. Those who were surrounding the Rwandans in neighboring countries, people who lived there, and people half way across the globe chose to recognize that things were going downhill fast. It was easier to try and live in a false sense of reality that these inhumane acts don't just happen, instead of stopping the excuses and trying to help find the problem a solution. Another contribution would be ignorance, we live in a world that has in many ways come very far, but there are still too many people who have some catching up to do. There are people who judge others, everyone does it, but then there are people who separate themselves and hold themselves to a superiority above those they think of as different. Not living together as the human race, people who start these violent acts live as a separate race and will target whoever seems weak or values differ from their own, they believe what they are doing is right in that moment. Underneath those people are those who are controlled by fear, there were many Hutus who were being forced to kill and torture thousands of people because their families were threatened or their own lives. Some made the choice to die at the chance one Tutsi might be saved, and others killed alongside the rest.