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Buckeye_Democrat

(15,475 posts)

120. Many of them don't have much empathy.

Sun Dec 18, 2016, 04:35 PM

Dec 2016

Many of them (especially white men) are so convinced that "individual strength" and "personal responsibility" are the main explanations for people's positions in life, their brains shut off if others try to challenge it.

In their minds, government is mostly "stealing" from good, hard working Americans and handing the money to others who aren't willing "to pull themselves up by their bootstraps."

I saw some white co-workers absolutely seething with anger when Obama made the "You didn't build that" comments in 2012. Obama was saying that we're all dependent on others at least to some extent, but those guys did NOT want to hear that!

Hillary Clinton's "It Takes a Village" book? Ridiculed.

Trying to explain concepts like white privilege to them is hopeless because they'll view it as a "phony excuse" for AA's.

I suspect the main way to win over some of them is to point out the many examples of "corporate welfare" in this country. That's something that their conservative propagandists avoid talking about.

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Give me one reason while I should have empathy for the Deplorables... [View all] DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 OP

Many are poor, uneducated, and easily manipulated oberliner Dec 2016 #1

How much empathy should we have had for Germans who gave Hitler ... DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #2

I thought you were asking your question in good faith oberliner Dec 2016 #3

It was made in good faith. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #4

OK, well I tried to give you some possible reasons oberliner Dec 2016 #7

+1! tecelote Dec 2016 #13

That's a fair answer. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #14

That is interesting oberliner Dec 2016 #17

Here's a start DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #22

People who exclusively watch and believe Fox News live in a different reality than we do oberliner Dec 2016 #23

When they polled Israelis Hillary was marginally more popular than Trump. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #30

You are SO right. narnian60 Dec 2016 #31

Emigres ie immigrants and refugees HoneyBadger Dec 2016 #42

Just because you're doing well up there in your tower, doesn't mean your fellow countrymen/women are MadDAsHell Dec 2016 #53

My old man had a ninth grade education. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #57

Ah so no need for SS or Medicare/aid; we should all just "bootstrap" it... MadDAsHell Dec 2016 #81

Trump and the Deplorables want to unwind the safety net. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #90

Such an intellectually dishonest post. Putting words in DSB's mouth he did not say emulatorloo Dec 2016 #106

Plus 1000 JustAnotherGen Dec 2016 #112

This message was self-deleted by its author Pacifist Patriot Dec 2016 #125

I don't even have empthy for my family members who went racist enough to vote Trump bravenak Dec 2016 #67

OH PEOPLE WILL heaven05 Dec 2016 #10

Add to this in the 3 most notable losses, MI, WI and PA... Eliot Rosewater Dec 2016 #35

I have no empathy for them either. sheshe2 Dec 2016 #130

Don't see much difference between these racist deplorables and the Nazis... I sure as fuck don't have any empathy for them. InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #26

They would hurt us if they could !!! DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #32

This is the most important thing you have said here, I wonder how many reading this Eliot Rosewater Dec 2016 #38

Exactly ailsagirl Dec 2016 #44

Yup yup... if only! InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #66

That is the part some here refuse to get. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #70

Some of her what? InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #73

k k, nm InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #74

here./fixed typo. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #76

Yup yup, gotcha, couldn't agree more... "scary" is the right word. InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #114

When 30%+ Dan Dec 2016 #132

Yup, well said. InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #133

it is one thing to genuinely want to feel empathy DonCoquixote Dec 2016 #62

Well, I try not to determine how I treat someone until they give reason otherwise liberal N proud Dec 2016 #5

There are none...they hate us, we should hate them. ileus Dec 2016 #6

The Russian thing pisses me off the most. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #9

Letting go of hate is the first step towards leading a happy life oberliner Dec 2016 #11

Hate certainly isn't the domain of the Republicans. tecelote Dec 2016 #16

Love trumps hate oberliner Dec 2016 #18

By that logic Charles Bukowski Dec 2016 #56

Love your enemies is not a concept I came up with myself oberliner Dec 2016 #104

Then we must be happier than the deplorables treestar Dec 2016 #119

Why "love your enemies" - that is way to extreme for me womanofthehills Dec 2016 #126

Nailed it. Fuck them... they made their beds, unfortunately WE have to lay in it. InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #28

We get what they deserve... ileus Dec 2016 #61

Unfortunately... this could get real ugly, real fast! InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2016 #69

I can't mercuryblues Dec 2016 #8

Wow oberliner Dec 2016 #12

I hate to say it, but right now I feel the same. It is really not like me, and I don't like it. Squinch Dec 2016 #15

I reserve my sympathy mercuryblues Dec 2016 #37

And here he is. lambchopp59 Dec 2016 #58

You are awesome bravenak Dec 2016 #77

It is mercuryblues Dec 2016 #83

Still I wonder how much of the xenophobic rhetoric is just that lambchopp59 Dec 2016 #115

Me too bravenak Dec 2016 #51

No empathy for them whatsoever. DLevine Dec 2016 #19

They're human. RedWedge Dec 2016 #20

Well said. H2O Man Dec 2016 #25

I agree Martin Eden Dec 2016 #27

"No good can come from indulging the worst angels of our nature" ailsagirl Dec 2016 #46

"Human" is being A-OK with homophobia, misogyny and racism? HughBeaumont Dec 2016 #49

Seeing people as human isn't normalizing bigotry and hatred RedWedge Dec 2016 #84

You post this in ATA JustAnotherGen Dec 2016 #113

Luke 23:34 no_hypocrisy Dec 2016 #21

What does withholding empathy make you? RedWedge Dec 2016 #24

Should I have had empathy for Hitler ? for Stalin ? for Mao? DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #47

What do you lose by exercising it? RedWedge Dec 2016 #48

" Are you putting every Trump voter on the level of Hitler? Really?" DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #50

What do you lose by exercising it? What do you gain? RedWedge Dec 2016 #87

No the point is the line is drawn somewhere treestar Dec 2016 #118

Sane. hay rick Dec 2016 #68

Interesting. RedWedge Dec 2016 #89

What does judging other's reactions do for you? nini Dec 2016 #103

I hope my questions don't come across as judging. RedWedge Dec 2016 #105

To answer your question. nini Dec 2016 #107

I get blowing off steam, absolutely. RedWedge Dec 2016 #109

That would depend on the person nini Dec 2016 #111

Who are the deplorables? MichMary Dec 2016 #29

What, in your view, is the difference? Squinch Dec 2016 #33

Racists, misogynists, xenophobes, etc. MichMary Dec 2016 #36

One more time: all the studies that have looked at it have shown that people who were primarily Squinch Dec 2016 #39

What studies? MichMary Dec 2016 #40

Anyone who votes for a man who brags about DLevine Dec 2016 #41

Here are a few: Squinch Dec 2016 #43

Based on exit polls MichMary Dec 2016 #52

The exit polls did NOT show Clinton winning ... the pre-election polls did. etherealtruth Dec 2016 #92

And a cabinet full of billionaires and major shareholders are going to help their plights . . . HOW? HughBeaumont Dec 2016 #54

Because his blather MichMary Dec 2016 #63

And their faith will grow by leaps and bounds as they become more desperate . . . hatrack Dec 2016 #93

Look at who they chose to vote for. backscatter712 Dec 2016 #136

Great post. nt raccoon Dec 2016 #137

They will get what they have given (all of US) democratisphere Dec 2016 #34

Nary a one. ananda Dec 2016 #45

What is with the new obsession with the word "deplorable" on here? MadDAsHell Dec 2016 #55

This is a serious question? Charles Bukowski Dec 2016 #59

isn't that the philosophy of conservatives? hfojvt Dec 2016 #60

I lack empathy for people who traffic in bigotry and would physically hurt others if they could. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #64

You can understand what they're about MrScorpio Dec 2016 #65

Because we all deserve better loyalsister Dec 2016 #71

I see his crowds. I read the twitter pages of his fans. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #75

ALL of them? loyalsister Dec 2016 #78

We can do an experiment. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #82

I think that would be in Milgram territory loyalsister Dec 2016 #123

"I personally saw Democratic members of the general assembly make fun of their black colleagues." DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #124

Putin got his lackey Trump into the WH. keithbvadu2 Dec 2016 #72

Oh I don't know maybe Joe Turner Dec 2016 #79

You shouldn't... SidDithers Dec 2016 #80

I have zero empathy for them. Initech Dec 2016 #85

Can't think of one... backscatter712 Dec 2016 #86

I feel nothing for the deplorables. Vinca Dec 2016 #88

They can drop dead MFM008 Dec 2016 #91

Because the world needs more empathy, not less. LeftyMom Dec 2016 #94

If I lacked empathy DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #96

The lack of empathy was at the root of all of those horrors. LeftyMom Dec 2016 #99

If you want to empathize with racists, misogynists and homophobes, DLevine Dec 2016 #98

Thank you. I don't want to harm them. Repeat, I don't want to harm them. DemocratSinceBirth Dec 2016 #101

Yup. nt DLevine Dec 2016 #102

Is there no distinguishing between treestar Dec 2016 #117

I never forgave anyone that voted for Ronald Reagan and his group of Deplorables. Rex Dec 2016 #95

Noam Chomsky's take on it... Buckeye_Democrat Dec 2016 #97

Because if you don't, it makes it more likely Trump will be reelected. N.T. Donald Ian Rankin Dec 2016 #100

Yep. Fuck them. Emilybemily Dec 2016 #108

So many of our attitudes, philosophies, political leanings, depend on our exposure. Thirties Child Dec 2016 #110

It's hard to do when we know they have none treestar Dec 2016 #116

Many of them don't have much empathy. Buckeye_Democrat Dec 2016 #120

Yeah they don't even realize treestar Dec 2016 #121

Yep. n/t Buckeye_Democrat Dec 2016 #122

To me there's a certain irony in calls for sympathy for Trump's voters from some progressives. unpresidented2016 Dec 2016 #127

Because AllenJordan Dec 2016 #128

I can't give you one reason. blue cat Dec 2016 #129

Because they are your brothers and your sisters BRToldschool Dec 2016 #131

Because they are the Republican's first victims. briv1016 Dec 2016 #134

Sounds like my Aunt. progressoid Dec 2016 #138

I'm trying, Jamaal510 Dec 2016 #135