A page from The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley
I guess it’s not exactly surprising, but it seems to explain a lot of things I’m witnessing in my later adulthood. I’ve always felt deeply impressed by selfless heroes, but I never really pondered the profile of heroism.
But… I’m confused. Didn’t Musk call empathy a weakness? Surely someone so tolerant, inclusive, and humble couldn’t be wrong.
Fucking hell. I can’t escape being reminded of this shitstain everywhere, even if I filter political posts.
A parasite keeps reminding you it’s there until it (or you) is destroyed.
Cover your eyes, plug your ears, and ignore the cries of those suffering around you.
As opposed to passing drivel on the web even where it’s completely unrelated, because that solves all problems.
Love your username btw 😄
It was just a typo. 😁
Choosing to filter out political content from your social media feed isn’t necessarily about denial or apathy. For many people, it’s a conscious decision to preserve their mental clarity and avoid being constantly pulled into emotionally charged, tribal, or manipulative discourse. Being well-informed doesn’t require immersing yourself in an endless stream of outrage, nor does stepping back from that mean you’re turning a blind eye to anything.
There’s a difference between ignoring reality and choosing how and when to engage with it. Most of what passes for political content online isn’t a sober presentation of facts or ideas - it’s performance, manufactured outrage, and algorithm-driven noise. If someone wants to stay sane and focus on things they can actually influence in their immediate life, I don’t see that as sticking their head in the sand. I see it as setting healhy boundaries in an environment that’s often designed to provoke rather than inform.
People aren’t morally obligated to be constantly exposed to negativity just to prove they care. In fact, thoughtful action tends to come from those who can step back from the noise and think clearly, not from those who are perpetually consumed by it.
Paul Bloom has written an entire book arguing Against Empathy
I’m not sure I entirely agree with his thesis but it’s not a completely outrageous idea. I often wish I could tone down my level of empathy as well.
Reading the page, it doesn’t sound like he’s against empathy at all. He’s specifically against making decisions based on “feels” and targeting empathy specifically because he seems to believe it’s a tool often misused.
For a second I was expecting something akin to Radical Candor’s “ruinous empathy” which has been used an excuse by managers the world over to justify their inherent lack of any empathy for the people around them.
Seems like an interesting read, adding it to my list. Thanks.
I got caught up on the term ‘empathy for self.’ I haven’t read the book, but I visited the link and couldn’t get past what I felt was a tragically flawed oxymoron. But maybe that’s a flaw with the Wikipedia article and not the source material, so I’ll endeavor to seek out the book at some point to learn more.
People like musk are afraid of heroes