"Why are we less compassionate about *them*? They may not have been born into a particular biology but they were into a certain family, community, culture, etc. and may not know any other way."
I think there's a difference between having compassion for people and considering them part of "your tribe." Again, this under the assumption that…
"Why are we less compassionate about *them*? They may not have been born into a particular biology but they were into a certain family, community, culture, etc. and may not know any other way."
I think there's a difference between having compassion for people and considering them part of "your tribe." Again, this under the assumption that tribal thinking is too ingrained in us to just eliminate.
I don't really buy the "they had no choice because of the environment they were born in" argument. It applies perfectly well to children, but not to adults. The world is too interconnected that you can innocently hate entire groups of people unless you choose, at least to some degree, to remain ignorant.
I don't consider many (if any) people "the enemy." But there are people who I think are wrong. I can still have compassion for these people. I'll still give them the benefit of the doubt if they want to have a conversation (that's kind of my whole schtick, in fact😄). I'll still try to understand where they're coming from. But there are certain values and principles of decency that I won't give ground on. And while I strongly advocate a "live and let live" mentality, that can't apply to people who don't let *others* live.
You can try to understand someone without excusing or condoning their toxic values, beliefs, practices, etc. Kind of like the difference between 'explaining' and 'excusing': "Here's why I did this bad thing, here were my thought processes, but there's still no excuse for what I did."
Trying to understand why people are the way they are isn't to excuse them, the mistake commonly made by some liberals ("Aw, poor baby, it's not their fault!"), but to better understand how we can fight their toxicity. Esp since we all think we react to each other for reasons that are largely hidden from us in our unconscious.
I don't think we should let Trumpers and the woke 'live and let live', but seek to fight their toxicity.
They might even be able to help *us* locate our *own* toxicity...and we all have some, even if it doesn't wear a red cap or a #StayWoke shirt.
"Why are we less compassionate about *them*? They may not have been born into a particular biology but they were into a certain family, community, culture, etc. and may not know any other way."
I think there's a difference between having compassion for people and considering them part of "your tribe." Again, this under the assumption that tribal thinking is too ingrained in us to just eliminate.
I don't really buy the "they had no choice because of the environment they were born in" argument. It applies perfectly well to children, but not to adults. The world is too interconnected that you can innocently hate entire groups of people unless you choose, at least to some degree, to remain ignorant.
I don't consider many (if any) people "the enemy." But there are people who I think are wrong. I can still have compassion for these people. I'll still give them the benefit of the doubt if they want to have a conversation (that's kind of my whole schtick, in fact😄). I'll still try to understand where they're coming from. But there are certain values and principles of decency that I won't give ground on. And while I strongly advocate a "live and let live" mentality, that can't apply to people who don't let *others* live.
You can try to understand someone without excusing or condoning their toxic values, beliefs, practices, etc. Kind of like the difference between 'explaining' and 'excusing': "Here's why I did this bad thing, here were my thought processes, but there's still no excuse for what I did."
Trying to understand why people are the way they are isn't to excuse them, the mistake commonly made by some liberals ("Aw, poor baby, it's not their fault!"), but to better understand how we can fight their toxicity. Esp since we all think we react to each other for reasons that are largely hidden from us in our unconscious.
I don't think we should let Trumpers and the woke 'live and let live', but seek to fight their toxicity.
They might even be able to help *us* locate our *own* toxicity...and we all have some, even if it doesn't wear a red cap or a #StayWoke shirt.