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I have come to the conclusion that as a society, not only are we becoming less empathetic towards others and almost robot-like, but empathy itself is becoming increasingly seen as a weakness, rather than a strength.
You need look no further than City-Data to see how empathy towards others (e.g. the poor) is frowned upon or considered left-wing, liberal or "bleeding heart" (which is a ridiculous term, IMO).
I have seen many people attacked, both online and in real-life for defending the less fortunate. I see this country leaning more towards social Darwinism / "only the strong wil survive". I personally believe that empathy towards others is a vital human trait and one we must pass on to future generations. Social Darwinism is a huge step backwards. In our society, often those who succeed financially seem to lack empathy for others, leading me to believe that financial success and lack of empathy are somehow connected to one another (I'm not saying all rich people are *******s, before anyone replies to that effect).
So as a society, are we becoming less empathetic? Also, please feel free to vote in the (anonymous) poll, along with sharing your own thoughts.
I think it's fine to have empathy where empathy is warranted. Plus, there is a difference between "sympathy" and "empathy". George Bush can't empathize with a poor person. I don't have sympathy for the guy who is homeless because he drank his life away. But I don't think that sympathy or empathy is a sign of weakness. If people perceive it as a sign of weakness then that's a mistake on their part. If Iran thought the US was weak be the government wanted to talk sense instead of exchange insult, then it still wouldn't change the fact that we would kick the ever-loving crap of them militarily.
Your typical white liberal's empathy is not constrained by reality, so it is weakness, because it is stupid and naive.
We are becoming less compassionate as a society. Maybe it has something to do with the trillions of dollars we've spent on the problem of poverty over the last 50 years with less than stellar results.
Your typical white liberal's empathy is not constrained by reality, so it is weakness, because it is stupid and naive.
We are becoming less compassionate as a society. Maybe it has something to do with the trillions of dollars we've spent on the problem of poverty over the last 50 years with less than stellar results.
We've spent trillions on wars too with less than stellar results. Why is there no lack of compassion for that stuff?
We've spent trillions on wars too with less than stellar results. Why is there no lack of compassion for that stuff?
Well the two are fundamentally different so you can't really compare them like that (the word compassion doesn't even work there). But actually, yes, there has been a loss of enthusiasm and just concern for the ME in general if you ask me.
Neither! It is simply a label for when we are personally familiar with what someone else is experiencing. We identify with some conditions or experiences more than we do others because we, too have "walked in their shoes."
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