On 04/05/2020 16:49, Thaths wrote: > On Sat, May 2, 2020 at 5:39 AM Udhay Shankar N <ud...@pobox.com> wrote: > >> Empathy isn't easy. >> > > When my (almost invariably economically and socially left-leaning) friends > who are venting about how awful everything (Trump, Biden, Facebook, Fox > News, Amazon, the Democratic party establishment, Republican party, Sangh > Parivar, Modi, Boris Johnson, Brexit, ...) is, I have gotten into the habit > of saying that I agree with them that the world is polarized. I then say > that one way to counter polarization is to build bridges and change minds. > I then ask them to list just one thing that their bete noir, The Other > Side, is right about.
I've found it hard that a lot of vocal people theoretically behind causes I support - women's rights, trans rights, general inclusiveness, etc - have become increasingly polarized. I'm sick of taking flack from "my own side" for attempting to debate people, for instance :-( I find it hard to give up on somebody as "irredeemably awful", especially if the consequence of that is to badmouth them in public while ignoring/blocking anything they say in response... it just seems like such an arrogant approach, and one that's almost *guaranteed* to make anybody who has any sympathy for them decide you're definitely the bad person :-( I think that an important consideration, when a debate with somebody gets difficult, so "What will witnesses who are undecided about this topic make of this debate?"... -- Alaric Snell-Pym (M7KIT) http://www.snell-pym.org.uk/alaric/
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