At left are opposing views on the subject of human empathy, including one from German-American historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt, one of the most influential political theorists of the twentieth century.
What Elon Musk says on the subject is reminiscent of the philosophy of Ayn Rand, who really was a “thing” in the mid-20th Century until people realized that caring for one another was an essential part of what it means to be a human being, as opposed to, say, a tiger shark.
Sadly, we’ve seen a resurgence of this “mentality,” at least in the last decade here in the U.S. Almost half of American voters favor the dismantling of our government’s capacity to deal with disease, hunger, environmental collapse, ignorance, and corporate criminality. It appears that 250 years of government of, by, and for the people is no match for the Musk/Trump machine.
Consider the meme here, and then remember that the nine of the ten poorest states in the U.S. (Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virgina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and South Carolina) are all bright red.
How do they get away with stupidity like this?
Well, there’s the bottom of the state rankings for education:
- 46. Mississippi
- 47. Kentucky
- 48. Louisiana
- 49. Arkansas
- 50. West Virginia
Do you see any correlation?
Republican Operatives Are Tenacious as Messaging–And Truth Has No Bearing on It
Good question here at left.
To me, it depends.
If the person seems intelligent enough to be able to hold a thought in his head that opposes his current beliefs, I’d actively encourage the discussion. Otherwise, I’m out. No need to raising someone’s temper for no reason or gain.
To the jackass who sent me the meme here: What about the 5 million Americans who moved to Canada? What about the steady flow of Americans expatriating to Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland and Northern Europe?
My wife and I have two kids and a grandchild in the States, and we have a gaggle of medicos to address the various health conditions associated with aging. If that weren’t the case, I’d be writing this from Stockholm or Aukland.
I wouldn’t be looking for a “utopia,” just an escape from the frustration, anger, and sadness that I feel every day, as I watch the country I love deteriorate into authoritarianism.
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