5 ms·
> For now, my sentiment is that Singapore's society, government and people, on balance, cares about each other. Singaporeans happily balance rights with respon
by sheepmullet 9y ago
> For now, my sentiment is that Singapore's society, government and people, on balance, cares about each other.
Singaporeans happily balance rights with responsibilities. It's a more collective outlook.
> In the United States, that basic, human empathy is in question.
I find it is the opposite. There is far too much "empathy" in the US.
This means that it's impossible to take the middle ground that the average joe can actually support. Each path becomes all or nothing.
For example it's politically impossible in the US to have free healthcare only for non-smoking healthy weight individuals.
But I don't want to pay for an obese persons knee surgery.
And I know people don't want to pay for the brain damage I might get from doing boxing.
- chrisbennet 9y agoMaybe it's not just a lack of empathy. Maybe it's selfishness thing with some rationalization on top.
- sheepmullet 9y agoAre Singaporeans less selfish? Are Swedish people? Etc etc. I don't think selfishness or lack of empathy are responsible for the state of US healthcare. I've personally found Americans are very welcoming. Especially in the south.
- mr_overalls 9y agoSpeaking as a Southerner, our friendliness is quite temporary, superficial, and cliquish. Many Southerners are friendly toward 1) visitors, and 2) people in their immediate social circle. When the scope broadens to people of different races, nationalities, or political/sexual orientations, the friendliness quickly fades. Growing up in a small Mississippi city in the 1980s & 90s, I saw a small but steady influx of transplants from other parts of the country who came to work our booming aluminum siding factory. They were all received warmly at first, and seemed bowled over by the attention. But as soon as they demonstrated their alien-ness by attending the wrong church (or being nonreligious), or heaven forbid, commenting on racial or political issues, the welcome mat was pulled back. They'd last a year or two at most, and then transfer somewhere else. And people would gossip about the funny Yankees after they left. "Andy's wife was a real loony-tunes," they'd say. "Told her Sunday school group she didn't believe abortion was wrong. And you know what they said about her husband. [whispering] That he was a pervert!" Sad, really.
- chrisbennet 9y agoI upvoted you because I think you are asking a good question. If Americans aren't more selfish than others with better functioning health care, it would support the view that our health system is what is what is suppressing our better natures. I agree to some extent but I when I see "I don't want my money going to $theOther" it's hard not to think that selfishness is part of the problem as well.
- sheepmullet 9y ago> "I don't want my money going to $theOther" it's hard not to think that selfishness is part of the problem as well. I think the selfishness is just expressed differently. Where do you think the massive taxes on cigarettes and alcohol in most first world countries comes from? The calls for taxes on fatty foods? Requirements for extra insurance to do certain extreme sports? It's the way they say we don't want to pay for your life choices.
- thatfrenchguy 9y ago>But I don't want to pay for an obese persons knee surgery. Yeah, this is lack of empathy (and understanding of the reasons behind obesity).
- KekDemaga 9y agoAs a fat guy I can say for certain the reason is eating too much.
- 3pt14159 9y agoWhy do you eat too much? Obesity is almost always a mental health problem exacerbated by a sugar problem.
- KekDemaga 9y agoI cooked as a job for a while before I moved to software dev and I just enjoy food more than being thin. The effort isn't worth it to me.
- sheepmullet 9y agoThen why have we seen such a rapid onset of obesity and why does obesity spread like a disease? Why is it any more of a mental health problem than smoking?
- KekDemaga 9y agoFoods have more calories per serving than previously and people are less active than they used to be.
- eru 9y agoWay less fat people in Singapore.. So that helps, I guess.
- sheepmullet 9y ago
- vacri 9y ago> There is far too much "empathy" in the US. > But I don't want to pay for an obese persons knee surgery. This is Poe's Law writ large.
- k__ 9y agoWhy is it an extreme view that someone doesn't want to use healthcare for self inflicted diseases?
- abritinthebay 9y agoIt’s an extreme lack of empathy and also not a well thought through position (it’s one step away from “I only want to pay for healthcare for healthy people”)
- sheepmullet 9y agoWhy is it one step away from "I only want to pay for healthcare for healthy people"?
- vacri 9y agoThe "extreme view" I'm referring to with Poe's Law is the phrase "far too much empathy". "far too much" is synonymous with "extreme". I was saying that "far too much empathy" is not something that goes well with "screw you, you brought it on yourself".
- sheepmullet 9y agoToo much empathy from one group of people causes other people to drop all empathy. How can you find a common middle ground with people who are overflowing with empathy?
- vacri 9y agoCan you please provide some real-world examples of what you mean, because I can't figure the kind of things you're talking about when you talk about excessive empathy being a problem for others.