Empathy.
I first heard that word when I was five. I asked Grandma McWilder what empathy was, and was told that “Empathy is what bleeding heart GloboLeftist women do while their men do the dishes. Now get to work resizing that brass – this ammunition won’t reload itself.”
That’s supposed to be good, right? We’re supposed to feel good about ourselves when we care about others enough to mentally put ourselves in the position of another to share what they’re feeling.
-WiscoDave
Faux empathy is progressive virtue signaling in disguise
ReplyDeleteIf I see a dog with rabies I can feel empathy for it. What I won't do is take it home with me.
ReplyDeleteThis is great, too much worrying about nonsense and not enough working on substance..... If you want my sympathy you'll have to work hard and try your best and still not achieve your goal or be in a situation beyond your control that is not of your own doing...
ReplyDeleteOtherwise fuck off
JD
Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
ReplyDeleteWhoever wrote that article should have started with the definition of empathy. Maybe that way he would be able to understand how wrong he is...
The article says:
"...don’t get me started on the misplaced empathy in health care, where literal titanic efforts and tons of treasure go into the last, miserable year of the lives of most people..."
That line shows the complete lack of empathy of the person who wrote the article. Empathy is not about assessing whether the decision is right or not, it is not about whether it makes economic sense to spend the money, etc, etc, etc. Empathy is about understanding why people are willing to spend a fortune for the possibility of a few more days with a loved one.
I know I would be willing to spend quite a bit of cash for one day with my father.
Empathy is about understanding how a little girl feels when her dad is away. To that girl it doesn't matter if dad is in jail, deployed abroad, divorced or deported. That girl only knows that dad was here yesterday and gone today. Empathy is understanding how the little girl feels and not about judging in dad deserves to be in jail, deported or not allowed visitations.
OK, Anon.
Delete"Empathy is understanding how the little girl feels and not about judging in dad deserves to be in jail, deported or not allowed visitations."
Empathy is an emotion. Misplaced empathy is allowing one emotion (true or false, manipulated or not) to over-rule a logic based decision. Yes, the little girl misses her day. But then again, yes, the dad committed a capital crime and should be thrown in jail for life. One doesn't let the dad go because the little girl is sad. Feel sad for the girl and throw the dad in jail.
Too many people in our society are making emotional based decisions and emotions can be heavily manipulated. I think that's the basic point of the essay.
"To that girl it doesn't matter if dad is in jail, deployed abroad, divorced or deported", this is a perfect example of misplaced empathy, yes it DOES MATTER
DeletePeople are missing the point. You can feel empathy with the little girl that misses her dad while also not feeling empathy for dad.
DeleteFrom the girls stand point it doesn't matter why dad is missing. She still misses him.
From dad's stand point it does matter why he is not with his girl.
I can empathise with the little girl regardless of her dad's circumstances.
It will depend on dad's circumstances if I empathize with him or not. If he is jail because he commited a crime, if he was deported... then fuck dad. If he can't see her daughter because her ex won't allow it then I can absolutely empathise
"yes it DOES MATTER."
Delete.
Tell me you're a retard with zero reading comprehension without telling me. Or are you honestly claiming that a little girl takes the time to examine *why* her father isn't there, before she decides to feel sad that he isn't present? Are you freaking insane?
No. It matters *to you* you solipsistic retard. Not to the little girl.The operative phrase in the bit you yourself quoted was "TO THAT GIRL it doesn't matter" And that's the entire freaking point. Freaking low deltas and their crippling, psychotic Delta narcissism. Almost as bad as women, who universally lack the capacity for empathy.
In reality, the article isn't talking about freaking empathy at all. It's not "misplaced empathy" it's freaking *sympathy* which is what women, and this article writer, mistake for empathy. Sympathy is feeling bad for someone suffering because you imagine how you'd feel in their place. It's a largely solipsistic emotion. Empathy and compassion are totally different concepts. Words mean things. Sympathy is why we've been invaded. Sympathy is why women can vote. Sympathy is why we haven't mined the border and stationed gunships there. Sympathy is how the goths got a foothold in Rome.
Not 30 minutes ago I was sitting here thinking, 'My goodness, we've got opposing views, yet nobody's resorted to insults and name calling, using their reasoning instead to express their views. How very refreshing!'
DeleteSilly me.
TBH, compadre, he's exactly right. I who fancy myself good with words didn't see it until he pointed it out. I can understand his frustration because calling the malady some type of empathy - misplaced here, suicidal in a column you posted a week or three ago - is all that's done in our circles.
DeleteShell
I, too, would spend an awful lot of money to spend yet another day with my dad. I miss him every day. He did have a DNR, however, and did spare us the choice as to taking those measures. I didn't understand it when I was younger, but I do now.
DeleteYou might say that I've gained some empathy for his decision.
Also: empathy (n) the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
Empathy is crucial to keeping humans from being monsters, yet too much? It creates monsters.
Hey Anon i dont give two shits what you think either
DeleteYes that is misplaced empathy, the girl SHOULD be explained the difference, i dont give two fucks if she is sad that her dad was deported or in jail. Understanding her wrong think led to the sympathy bs that got us here because of people like you going along with it at all
I used to have too much empathy for others believing people were basically good. After working for 35 years to get ahead and having it taken away by evil people who get rich lying, cheating and stealing I don't have 2 fks to give.
ReplyDeleteJust as I am socially selective, I'm also selective about who deserves my empathy.
ReplyDeleteIt's not something one just hands out like church candy.
CC
Empathy means understanding how someone else feels. Compassion is giving a damn about it after you understand it. Sympathy is feeling bad for someone else's misfortune or suffering because you can imagine how you'd feel in their place. It's not compassion or empathy. It's solipsistic and performative. But sometimes results in people doing good things anyway. Often results in people doing insanely stupid shit, because the person or people they're "helping" are really stand-ins for themselves. And what *wouldn't* a solipsistic person do to help themselves? Yep.
ReplyDeleteThere was a show about a psychopath that walked by a bad car crash while he was walking to get tacos.
ReplyDeleteHe saw people freaked out over the death that happened and was thinking. “Should I get lettuce or cabbage this time?” When he got home, he went looked at the bathroom mirror and tried to recreate the expressions of the folks he saw. Horror, sadness, grief.
It was all new to him - he had never felt a natural human emotion like that before.
Still didn’t but wanted to try and ’fake it till you make it’.