🧡

An excellent article.

I've appended my comments below. Bear with me. No, there is no abridged version. I'm wordy (and I make no excuses). πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ
theguardian.com/world/2021/oct…
2
Two key terms: desensitisation & 'stirred by images, not numbers'.

Gradual normalisation of misery, horror (be it Covid, or the plight of refugees/UC recipients) is driven by Govt & the failure of media to show it (even just in no.s).

But have people really become more cruel?
3
Clearly, people have not simply lost their capacity to care. But why do they feel more empathy with a contestant dropping out of 'Strictly' than those falling ill, struggling, dying daily? Why do they feel with children in want of school meals, but not those in dinghies?
4
Our greatest human strength is our greatest weakness: Capable of empathy, we are able to lock emotion away, especially when leaders tell us it's ok to be selfish & cruel (never using those terms, of course) & media fails to show reality - making it easier for us to ignore it.
5
We can’t rationalise empathy, kindness. We see statistics, but many don't *feel* the horror behind them. Others choose not to, putting the emotional turmoil off until it's at their own doorstep, at work, in their children's classroom.
I know. It's not good. It's just human.
6
Our human(e) strength is our weakness, easily exploited by those w/ their own agenda. What they don't see is that they can't change human nature. To live (as opposed to survive) we need all those fuzzy things like kindness, empathy, love. They will resurface. There. I said it.

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7 Oct
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A quote🧡
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