Unanswered 21: Empathy v. Sympathy

Empathy in a world of sympathy must feel like an apologist in a room full of outrage, whilst sympathy in a world of empathy must feel like a narcissist in a room without a reflective surface. It’s just as well the world is much larger than a four metre squared patch of carpet otherwise the complexity of humans could get a bit noticed.

It’s a heady mix of the silly and serious as tragedy, charity, plasters, Harvard, and privilege checking are all quickly examined, before Steev and Nick push the concept of empathy into tougher territory—asking is it possible to have empathy with the most loathed people in our society, and if so what does that say about us? Continue reading →

Empathy in a world of sympathy must feel like an apologist in a room full of outrage, whilst sympathy in a world of empathy must feel like a narcissist in a room without a reflective surface. It’s just as well the world is much larger than a four metre squared patch of carpet otherwise the complexity of humans could get a bit noticed.

It’s a heady mix of the silly and serious as tragedy, charity, plasters, Harvard, and privilege checking are all quickly examined, before Steev and Nick push the concept of empathy into tougher territory—asking is it possible to have empathy with the most loathed people in our society, and if so what does that say about us?

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According to Wikipedia: Sympathy
According to Wikipedia: Empathy
Ryan K. Lindsay
Jon Ronson
Amazon: “The Psycopath Test” by Jon Ronson
“UK floods: River levels rise as rain and wind sweep in” by BBC News; 14th February 2014
According to Wikipedia: Band Aid (band)
According to Wikipedia: Live Aid
YouTube: “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid (1984)

Band-Aid.com
Elastoplast.co.uk
YouTube: “Band Aid : Bono”—the bit about Bono’s infamous lyric

“‘I, Too, Am Harvard’: Black students show they belong” by Bethonie Butler, The Washington Post; 5th March 2014
Know Your Meme: Check Your Privilege
Archive.org: Louis Theroux: “A Place for Paedophiles” (2009)
According to Wikipedia: A Place for Paedophiles
According to Wikipedia: Coalinga State Hospital
According to Wikipedia: Kleptomania
YouTube: “Computer Love” by Kraftwerk (Latitude 2013)

YouTube: RSA Shorts—The Power of Empathy

“Check your privilege! Whatever that means” by Hadley Freeman, The Guardian; Wednesday 5th June 2013
YouTube: Brass Eye 2001 Special—Paedogeddon

“Brass Eye’s ‘Paedogeddon!’ inflamed the U.K.—but was that the point?” by A.V. Club; 17th July 2013

Details

Recorded: 05 March 2014
Running time: 0:52’34
Bad language: Yes [3x bleep; 11x f*ck; 3x sh*t; 1x ar*ehole]
Feature image source: https://destinysfreedom.wordpress.com/tag/deanna-troi/


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