Empathy is for individuals. If someone came to me, maga hat, and truck covered in trump Humber stickers, and said him and his daughter had been displaced by the hurricane and needed help, I would give them a room, food and whatever else I could to help and ask for nothing in return. He has not hurt me (directly) and I have no bad blood with him personally so long as he’s not being outright racist or anything around me.
But when we’re talking about MAGA as a general group, they have hurt me, they are racist and homophobic and trnasphobic and misogynistic and I will happily revel in the Schadenfreude.
That’s valid, and these people are not entitled to your kindness or emotional energy.
But a lot of this hatred comes from people living in their own little bubbles with the only information they get coming from hearsay or propaganda. That’s why areas with few immigrants or queer people are the most racist or homophobic. And you can really change people’s minds about things by engaging with them, being friendly with them and just giving them living proof that their propaganda is bullshit. See Darling Davis making freinds with KKK members as a great example of this.
It’s not 1938 anymore. We understand a lot more about people and where boundaries should be including things like “no genocide.” A lot of Nazis could be rehabilitated if they were educated and given therapy and community not based in racism. Or at least I believe so, and I believe in nonviolent communication. I think it doesn’t benefit genuine anti-Nazi movements to prohibit rehabilitation and education. And no, it’s not rehabilitation or education to be complicit, or actively saying Nazi speech.
But we’re not talking about MAGA as a group, we’re talking about people, without any regard for their political affiliation: Natural disasters aren’t checking people’s voter registration.
Only about 39% of active Florida voters are registered Republican (sure, some are NPA and vote Republican), but there’s at least 29% of us who are registered Democrat and voting in every local and federal election, but here we are anyway.
Yes and those people have my unconditional sympathy. It’s not like I’m doing anything to make their lives worse or withholding aid. I’m just taking a moment to enjoy bad things happening to bad people for once and in a fisrly ironic way. It’s a minor indulgence that doesn’t hurt anyone.
So what would Maya Angelou think of Daryl Davis, the man who famously reprogrammed dozens of actual KKK members by going out of his way to befreind them?
If he had listened to that advice there would only be more hatred and racism in the world.
Empathy is for individuals. If someone came to me, maga hat, and truck covered in trump Humber stickers, and said him and his daughter had been displaced by the hurricane and needed help, I would give them a room, food and whatever else I could to help and ask for nothing in return. He has not hurt me (directly) and I have no bad blood with him personally so long as he’s not being outright racist or anything around me.
But when we’re talking about MAGA as a general group, they have hurt me, they are racist and homophobic and trnasphobic and misogynistic and I will happily revel in the Schadenfreude.
If see a nazi sitting at a table and 10 people are at the table talking to them, you have a table with 11 nazis.
There is no tolerance for intolerance.
That’s valid, and these people are not entitled to your kindness or emotional energy.
But a lot of this hatred comes from people living in their own little bubbles with the only information they get coming from hearsay or propaganda. That’s why areas with few immigrants or queer people are the most racist or homophobic. And you can really change people’s minds about things by engaging with them, being friendly with them and just giving them living proof that their propaganda is bullshit. See Darling Davis making freinds with KKK members as a great example of this.
Yes, diplomacy is obsolete /s
They tried that with the Munich Agreement
It’s not 1938 anymore. We understand a lot more about people and where boundaries should be including things like “no genocide.” A lot of Nazis could be rehabilitated if they were educated and given therapy and community not based in racism. Or at least I believe so, and I believe in nonviolent communication. I think it doesn’t benefit genuine anti-Nazi movements to prohibit rehabilitation and education. And no, it’s not rehabilitation or education to be complicit, or actively saying Nazi speech.
But we’re not talking about MAGA as a group, we’re talking about people, without any regard for their political affiliation: Natural disasters aren’t checking people’s voter registration.
Only about 39% of active Florida voters are registered Republican (sure, some are NPA and vote Republican), but there’s at least 29% of us who are registered Democrat and voting in every local and federal election, but here we are anyway.
Yes and those people have my unconditional sympathy. It’s not like I’m doing anything to make their lives worse or withholding aid. I’m just taking a moment to enjoy bad things happening to bad people for once and in a fisrly ironic way. It’s a minor indulgence that doesn’t hurt anyone.
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” ~Maya Angelou
You’re going to open up your house to someone who will hurt you again, like how they hurt you with their vote and public support of fascism.
So what would Maya Angelou think of Daryl Davis, the man who famously reprogrammed dozens of actual KKK members by going out of his way to befreind them?
If he had listened to that advice there would only be more hatred and racism in the world.
We don’t know the names of anyone who tried that unsuccessfully.
Even if we did, it wouldnt matter.
It kinda would because that sounds borderline suicidal.