Out of ten, how would you rate your ability to empathize with people with opposing viewpoints? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 6 days ago by StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Let's say zero is straight up shutting your ears, going lalala and storming out of the room, let's say 10 is sitting down with a Nazi, genuinely making an effort to see things from their point of view just to see if you could.

Sure this may sound ridiculous but it's basic knowledge that studying your opponents viewpoints is the best way to counter them and get new insight yourself.

Me? Id like to think I'm a 6, I don't cut family ties over their political opinions but I'm very likely to shut that down with a "I don't want to speak politics with you"

Lemmy can be an echo chamber sometimes, but that doesn't mean everyone here is a mindless zombie, how do you all deal with others who believe differently? Can you back it up?

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[-] lemonwood@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

Often this "evil" like hate is born out of fear or some other vulnerability so you can find the underlying emotion and emphasize with that instead. Oh the other hand, what I find really hard to emphasize with in people with fascist viewpoints is their lack of empathy. Like when they are not acting out of being afraid or hurt or anything, just really clinging to privilege and being indifferent towards racialized people.

[-] mistermodal@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

For me it's like they're using 12 year old reasoning and it's easy to intuit that's by choice. It's something I associate with tourists especially who want to weaponize cluelessness and hospitality if they are Evil evil

this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2025

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