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It seems like people's compassion is mostly driven by shallow things, like physical beauty and perception of innocence. There was actually a study done recently that showed people have more empathy for dogs than for adult humans.
Is it really fair to feel more empathy for cute neurotypical kids and fluffy animals than for adults, or reptiles, or autistic children? We make these rationalizations like only the animals we like (ie mammals that we don't eat) have feelings, or that children are innocent (unless they are "problem children"). But they're just excuses really since it seems acceptable to openly hate children who are autistic or look like Juliana Wetmore. And everybody hates rats but aren't they animals too? Isn't killing a rat just as bad as killing a puppy given the same reason?
The last time I checked, ugly and jaded people suffer just as much as the innocent and beautiful. I think people need to be more honest about the shallow motivation of their empathy and stop making excuses for their bias. It's not something we should be ashamed of (though IMO it is pretty sad), it's just Darwin in action that we evolved to care more about young, healthy and beautiful people. We should just be more open and honest about it.
Is it really fair to feel more empathy for cute neurotypical kids and fluffy animals than for adults, or reptiles, or autistic children?
Feelings are neither fair nor unfair. Actions can be fair or unfair, but feelings can't. One can't choose feelings, therefore it isn't reasonable to expect them to abide by the laws of fairness.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spicymeatball
We make these rationalizations like only the animals we like (ie mammals that we don't eat) have feelings, or that children are innocent (unless they are "problem children"). But they're just excuses really since it seems acceptable to openly hate children who are autistic or look like Juliana Wetmore. And everybody hates rats but aren't they animals too? Isn't killing a rat just as bad as killing a puppy given the same reason?
No one makes rationalizations like "Only animals I like have feelings." People may act as though that's true, but I suspect that very few people actually hold those beliefs. Also, it isn't acceptable to openly hate autistic children. That's crazy!
People are driven by a plethora of attitudes that are probably instilled in us from our evolutionary heritage. One example is the importance of eye to head and head to body size ratios. We think big eyes and big heads are cute. It is no coincidence that babies have big eyes and big heads. From an evolutionary perspective, this likely served to prevent us from killing and eating our babies.
These are deeply ingrained attitudes. It doesn't make them fair, and the purpose of critical thinking should be to overcome these sorts of dispositions. Luckily, I think people as a whole are getting better at that, but it comes slowly.
Personally, I do everything I can to avoid killing rats, and I think most animals have feelings.
It seems like people's compassion is mostly driven by shallow things, like physical beauty and perception of innocence. There was actually a study done recently that showed people have more empathy for dogs than for adult humans.
Is it really fair to feel more empathy for cute neurotypical kids and fluffy animals than for adults, or reptiles, or autistic children? We make these rationalizations like only the animals we like (ie mammals that we don't eat) have feelings, or that children are innocent (unless they are "problem children"). But they're just excuses really since it seems acceptable to openly hate children who are autistic or look like Juliana Wetmore. And everybody hates rats but aren't they animals too? Isn't killing a rat just as bad as killing a puppy given the same reason?
The last time I checked, ugly and jaded people suffer just as much as the innocent and beautiful. I think people need to be more honest about the shallow motivation of their empathy and stop making excuses for their bias. It's not something we should be ashamed of (though IMO it is pretty sad), it's just Darwin in action that we evolved to care more about young, healthy and beautiful people. We should just be more open and honest about it.
Well, consider that dogs are the only species whose evolution is intertwined with ours. There is some evidence that our last great evolutionary leap (which basically involved developing a more efficient brain) occurred alongside our domestication of dogs. Domesticating dogs meant that they took on a lot of the work humans were doing in the areas of guarding camps, hunting, tracking, etc. That freed up humans to improve their quality of life in other ways. We changed each other's brain structures. There's a reason we are so attuned to them.
So maybe it would be better to do a study involving, I dunno, bunny rabbits rather than dogs.
In any case, you make a lot of bizarre generalizations. I don't know anyone who openly hates autistic children, and quite the contrary know quite a few people raising autistic children or who have worked with them enthusiastically.
Cute is an evolutionary thing, for sure. But we're not strictly ruled by our instinct. Empathy is an important trait, and if you've developed it correctly, you're going to feel that for any other human being.
I think maybe it's time to surround yourself with better people.
I don't think that compassion is being taught at home when kids are small. When I was in grade school, I was talking badly about a girl that lived down the hill with a big family and a single Mom. They looked dirty to me and my Mom overheard me saying something about her. She asked me how I would like to live where they were living and I said I wouldn't. She asked me how I'd feel if I only had a Mom and no Dad. i said I wouldn't like it. She asked me how I would feel if we didn't have enough money to take a bath or wash our hair all time. She told me that before I talk badly about someone, that I need to look at the situation and try to see what my life would be like if I were that person.
It was demanded of us that we try to put ourselves in the other persons shoes and to thank God that we were blessed with a better life.
Compassion and empathy also come with life experiences that affect you directly. My 15 y/o brother died of suicide when I was 17, so I was more empathetic and compassionate because that tragedy directly affected me.
I was more empathetic because my older sister was bullied in junior high to the point that she spent a lot of times in the hospital with stomach problems from being bullied.
It has to start at home and at a young age. If you read some of the things in the parenting forums, there's proof right there that parents are actually promoting non acceptance of people who are different from their children.
It's not the teachers' responsibility to raise compassionate, empathetic and moral children. There are definitely parents that do instill those values in their kids, but with everything they have today, it seems like those qualities are going out the door.
I understand that life is hard today, but it really doesn't take that much time to instill those values in kids.
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