More infants born prematurely and receiving care at Al-Shifa hospital are at risk of dying as the facility goes out of service, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Can you imagine the rage and the devastation these expectant parents must feel? They have baby rooms decorated. They have baby clothes that they have to decide to either keep forever or eventually get rid of. They’ve been living in a happy, anxious, exciting whirlwind for the last nine months, and now that has been destroyed and they have to recover from that trauma in an active warzone.
Wherever you think those parents will place the blame for this–Hamas, the IDF, British colonialism, United Nations meddling, or all of the above–think of what the real, systemic victims look like. Think of how it feels to know that your sibling died and if they are ever memorialized, it will be one name among 10,000.
I don’t think that’s fair. I think one of the reasons why this conflict is so dear to so many people who aren’t directly affected by it is because their connection to it is guided by empathy.
Lots of people support Israel because they are guided by their empathy for the historical suppression of Jewish people and their right for self-determination, while being unaware of (or begrudgingly approving of, or occasionally enthusiastically approving of) the atrocities committed both by its armed forces and by civilian settlers in Israel’s name.
Similarly, lots of people (myself included) support Palestine because they are guided by their empathy for the present-day suppression of Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, while being unaware of (or begrudgingly approving of, or occasionally enthusiastically approving of) the atrocities committed by Hamas in Palestine’s name.
Then that means they don’t lack empathy-- that just means that, by your estimation, they misallocate empathy.
The thing about allocation of empathy is that it is subjective. Some people will allocate more empathy to some groups of people than they will others, and that’s just part of the human condition. I care more about homeless people and transgender rights than I do men’s rights in divorce and tax breaks for the middle class–not because of a lack of empathy for the second groups, but because of an abundance of empathy for the first.
It’s the same way here–some people support Israel with all its benefits and flaws over Palestine with all its benefits and flaws, or the other way around, because they have more empathy for one group than the other.
Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely people on both sides who have no empathy for enemy civilians, and frustratingly both of those groups of people have somewhat reasonable arguments informing that lack of empathy. But saying that an entire group of people has no empathy is painting with far too broad of a brush and somewhat ironically shows a momentary lapse of empathy from the person saying it.
But saying that an entire group of people has no empathy is painting with far too broad of a brush and somewhat ironically shows a momentary lapse of empathy from the person saying it.
Maybe, but I don’t think the generalization is misplaced considering the overwhelming support for Israel without understanding of the Palestinian situation. I think the confusion is between sympathy and empathy. I don’t think if people actually empathized with the suffering of Jews, they could easily disregard empathy for the Palestinians.
Can you imagine the rage and the devastation these expectant parents must feel? They have baby rooms decorated. They have baby clothes that they have to decide to either keep forever or eventually get rid of. They’ve been living in a happy, anxious, exciting whirlwind for the last nine months, and now that has been destroyed and they have to recover from that trauma in an active warzone.
Wherever you think those parents will place the blame for this–Hamas, the IDF, British colonialism, United Nations meddling, or all of the above–think of what the real, systemic victims look like. Think of how it feels to know that your sibling died and if they are ever memorialized, it will be one name among 10,000.
They can’t imagine this because they lack empathy, and those Doritos in the pantry aren’t going to eat themselves.
I don’t think that’s fair. I think one of the reasons why this conflict is so dear to so many people who aren’t directly affected by it is because their connection to it is guided by empathy.
Lots of people support Israel because they are guided by their empathy for the historical suppression of Jewish people and their right for self-determination, while being unaware of (or begrudgingly approving of, or occasionally enthusiastically approving of) the atrocities committed both by its armed forces and by civilian settlers in Israel’s name.
Similarly, lots of people (myself included) support Palestine because they are guided by their empathy for the present-day suppression of Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, while being unaware of (or begrudgingly approving of, or occasionally enthusiastically approving of) the atrocities committed by Hamas in Palestine’s name.
Empathy for one group, but not the other, isn’t empathy. It’s confirmation bias and sociopathic.
Then that means they don’t lack empathy-- that just means that, by your estimation, they misallocate empathy.
The thing about allocation of empathy is that it is subjective. Some people will allocate more empathy to some groups of people than they will others, and that’s just part of the human condition. I care more about homeless people and transgender rights than I do men’s rights in divorce and tax breaks for the middle class–not because of a lack of empathy for the second groups, but because of an abundance of empathy for the first.
It’s the same way here–some people support Israel with all its benefits and flaws over Palestine with all its benefits and flaws, or the other way around, because they have more empathy for one group than the other.
Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely people on both sides who have no empathy for enemy civilians, and frustratingly both of those groups of people have somewhat reasonable arguments informing that lack of empathy. But saying that an entire group of people has no empathy is painting with far too broad of a brush and somewhat ironically shows a momentary lapse of empathy from the person saying it.
Maybe, but I don’t think the generalization is misplaced considering the overwhelming support for Israel without understanding of the Palestinian situation. I think the confusion is between sympathy and empathy. I don’t think if people actually empathized with the suffering of Jews, they could easily disregard empathy for the Palestinians.