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It reminds me of privileged people who dont care about safety nets, rich people who dont care about high taxes, innocent people who couldnt care less about thro

It reminds me of privileged people who dont care about safety nets, rich people who dont care about high taxes, innocent people who couldnt care less about throwing weed dealers in jail for 10 years, healthy people who have no concern for healthcare costs... People lack the imagination to really put themselves in others shoes. They are shitty and cruel when they cant empathize. And they have little incentive to try.

urahara 9y ago
Exactly. This is a problem of lack of imagination and empathy. How do you think it can be fixed in mass? I think we need mechanisms that make people understand experiences of disadvantaged groups. Like maybe some VR app showing their reality + some laws that those who deny other groups problems must use it.
- zaptheimpaler 9y ago
  I dont think there are any easy solutions, certainly not as easy as a VR app. People harp on about empathy/tolerance/diversity but dehumanize "the other" consistently, and at a very early age. Tribalism is part of human nature, and caring more about those with similar genes is a primal evolutionary drive.
  - urahara 9y ago
    It definitely won't be easy, but we have to start somewhere. Currently I don't have any better ideas than something like an app to share experience. Any other ideas to start battling dehumanizing?
- hammock 9y ago
  >Like maybe some VR app showing their reality + some laws that those who deny other groups problems must use it. Texas has this for abortions. The law requires that a woman get a sonogram from the doctor who will be performing the procedure at least 24 hours beforehand, during which the doctor must display sonogram images and make the heartbeat audible to the mother. It's controversial.
  - johnsonjo 9y ago
    I think you made a nice addition to this discussion, but I think your comment possibly would have gotten less downvotes had you quoted the line before that one in the gp. > I think we need mechanisms that make people understand experiences of disadvantaged groups. Where the disadvantaged group you mention is the baby. I only say that it might help, because the part you quoted about VR seems almost completely unrelated to sonograms and abortions, but had you quoted the line before it then it would in my opinion be more closely related.
    - humanrebar 9y ago
      I don't know. The example was clear to me.
evincarofautumn 9y ago
I see this phenomenon prominently around addiction, as well. I wonder if the opioid addiction & overdose epidemic is finally kicking people in the ass a bit and waking them up to the fact that their lack of empathy for addicts (not to mention people with chronic pain) is a major factor in the tens of thousands of deaths each year. When your attitude is “the only good addict is a dead addict” and you feel like addiction can never happen to you, it’s not as if you’re going to vote for spending on harm-reduction strategies—rehab, naloxone, keeping kratom legal, decriminalisation, whatever—even if they would actually work.
gebeeson 9y ago
From my point of view They are shitty and cruel and don't want to empathize. And there is no incentive to try. I could make this a Wall of Text just with observations alone. People; still a good time.

urahara 9y ago

Exactly. This is a problem of lack of imagination and empathy. How do you think it can be fixed in mass? I think we need mechanisms that make people understand experiences of disadvantaged groups. Like maybe some VR app showing their reality + some laws that those who deny other groups problems must use it.

zaptheimpaler 9y ago
I dont think there are any easy solutions, certainly not as easy as a VR app. People harp on about empathy/tolerance/diversity but dehumanize "the other" consistently, and at a very early age. Tribalism is part of human nature, and caring more about those with similar genes is a primal evolutionary drive.
- urahara 9y ago
  It definitely won't be easy, but we have to start somewhere. Currently I don't have any better ideas than something like an app to share experience. Any other ideas to start battling dehumanizing?
hammock 9y ago
>Like maybe some VR app showing their reality + some laws that those who deny other groups problems must use it. Texas has this for abortions. The law requires that a woman get a sonogram from the doctor who will be performing the procedure at least 24 hours beforehand, during which the doctor must display sonogram images and make the heartbeat audible to the mother. It's controversial.
- johnsonjo 9y ago
  I think you made a nice addition to this discussion, but I think your comment possibly would have gotten less downvotes had you quoted the line before that one in the gp. > I think we need mechanisms that make people understand experiences of disadvantaged groups. Where the disadvantaged group you mention is the baby. I only say that it might help, because the part you quoted about VR seems almost completely unrelated to sonograms and abortions, but had you quoted the line before it then it would in my opinion be more closely related.
  - humanrebar 9y ago
    I don't know. The example was clear to me.

evincarofautumn 9y ago

I see this phenomenon prominently around addiction, as well. I wonder if the opioid addiction & overdose epidemic is finally kicking people in the ass a bit and waking them up to the fact that their lack of empathy for addicts (not to mention people with chronic pain) is a major factor in the tens of thousands of deaths each year. When your attitude is “the only good addict is a dead addict” and you feel like addiction can never happen to you, it’s not as if you’re going to vote for spending on harm-reduction strategies—rehab, naloxone, keeping kratom legal, decriminalisation, whatever—even if they would actually work.

gebeeson 9y ago

From my point of view They are shitty and cruel and don't want to empathize. And there is no incentive to try. I could make this a Wall of Text just with observations alone. People; still a good time.