Empathy is rarely universal. To use a recent example: many students in the US feel "empathy" for Palestinians which leads them to terrorize Jewish students and teachers who have no connection to the State of Israel's actions whatsoever. Often I think empathy is used as an excuse for self-righteous indignation -- we love getting fired up over a cause.
Oh, I think that empathy is pretty fundamental to the human condition. So much so that we have a word for people who don't have any - we call them Sociopaths. Generally they are not very nice people...
Its completely understandable that US students (indeed students across the world) are protesting against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Doubly so in the US as several administrations have been facilitating the targeting and killing (I could even use the world slaughter) of civilians by supplying various kinds of aid including bombs - to say nothing of the latest encouragement of ethnic cleansing and the forced displacement of peoples in violation of International Law. No doubt many of the protestors feel real sympathy for the victims on the ground. But, of course, this won't be *everyone's* motivation.
Saying that, there is no excuse for the targeting of people - Jewish students or faculty - who have nothing to do with the ongoing horror story.
By empathy not being universal, I don't mean not everyone can do it, I mean that it's rare that people are empathetic toward EVERYONE -- we tend to take sides and dehumanize the other while forgetting that "our" side has it issues. In the case of Hamas and the Israeli military, both have dehumanized themselves by acting like monsters. That was one of the more dispiriting aspects of Bloodlands: the victims themselves became monsters in their lust for revenge.
I do think empathy is universal. People without it are sociopaths. Literally. Empathy becomes overwhelming when you realize there are too many people and you will never be able to help them all. But we can't stop caring about our most vulnerable, especially when their own government doesn't care about them.
I will never be empathtic to the IDF committing genocide against the Palestinians. But the violence and terror is the point. They keep slaughtering Paletinians, knowing they are creating the next generation of Hamas, as children watch their entire families die. Then, the IDF gets to keep the genocide, saying they are only targeting Hamas. It should go without saying that not supporting the IDF is not antisemitism - especially considering the fact that so many Jewish people do not support the IDF and their genocide against Palestine. Antisemitism has no place in this world.
I'm also not going to be empathetic to people who activiely vote for or work to take away the rights or humanity of US citizens.
Oh, I think only *saints* can feel empathy for everyone! But I think that most people (except sociopaths) can at least potentially feel empathy for others - though people can be taught to feel no/or less empathy towards certain people/groups... as we see every day.
Its definitely difficult to feel any empathy for those who want to burn the house down with themselves & others still inside! Who are then surprised (naturally) when they too get burnt!!
8 comments:
Brilliant quote. I just realized how many human beings I have among my friends.
Always a good thing...... Those without empathy are frankly terrifying.
Empathy is rarely universal. To use a recent example: many students in the US feel "empathy" for Palestinians which leads them to terrorize Jewish students and teachers who have no connection to the State of Israel's actions whatsoever. Often I think empathy is used as an excuse for self-righteous indignation -- we love getting fired up over a cause.
Oh, I think that empathy is pretty fundamental to the human condition. So much so that we have a word for people who don't have any - we call them Sociopaths. Generally they are not very nice people...
Its completely understandable that US students (indeed students across the world) are protesting against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Doubly so in the US as several administrations have been facilitating the targeting and killing (I could even use the world slaughter) of civilians by supplying various kinds of aid including bombs - to say nothing of the latest encouragement of ethnic cleansing and the forced displacement of peoples in violation of International Law. No doubt many of the protestors feel real sympathy for the victims on the ground. But, of course, this won't be *everyone's* motivation.
Saying that, there is no excuse for the targeting of people - Jewish students or faculty - who have nothing to do with the ongoing horror story.
By empathy not being universal, I don't mean not everyone can do it, I mean that it's rare that people are empathetic toward EVERYONE -- we tend to take sides and dehumanize the other while forgetting that "our" side has it issues. In the case of Hamas and the Israeli military, both have dehumanized themselves by acting like monsters. That was one of the more dispiriting aspects of Bloodlands: the victims themselves became monsters in their lust for revenge.
I do think empathy is universal. People without it are sociopaths. Literally. Empathy becomes overwhelming when you realize there are too many people and you will never be able to help them all. But we can't stop caring about our most vulnerable, especially when their own government doesn't care about them.
I will never be empathtic to the IDF committing genocide against the Palestinians. But the violence and terror is the point. They keep slaughtering Paletinians, knowing they are creating the next generation of Hamas, as children watch their entire families die. Then, the IDF gets to keep the genocide, saying they are only targeting Hamas. It should go without saying that not supporting the IDF is not antisemitism - especially considering the fact that so many Jewish people do not support the IDF and their genocide against Palestine. Antisemitism has no place in this world.
I'm also not going to be empathetic to people who activiely vote for or work to take away the rights or humanity of US citizens.
Oh, I think only *saints* can feel empathy for everyone! But I think that most people (except sociopaths) can at least potentially feel empathy for others - though people can be taught to feel no/or less empathy towards certain people/groups... as we see every day.
Its definitely difficult to feel any empathy for those who want to burn the house down with themselves & others still inside! Who are then surprised (naturally) when they too get burnt!!
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