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this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2025
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Asklemmy
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I'm aphantasic. Until people started really talking about how they "see" things in their heads, I assumed it was all just a figure of speech. Flashbacks, thought bubbles, daydreams in media... I assumed that was all just, you know, an easy way to get the information across. Now I know you freaks actually see stuff and the mind's eye isn't some convenient turn of phrase. Weirdos!
In a similar vein, I have empathy. It is difficult for me to intuitively understand the perspective of someone who doesn't have any. As an example, it's hard for me to understand a person who's exploiting children a la Epstein. And in truth, I don't want to understand them, either. Even knowing how many of them are the way they are... if I had a little less introspection, I'd probably just default to "they're just like us."
that isn't what empthy is.
epstein has empathy. it was just for donald trump and his friends and family. most people only have empathy for their immediate family and friends. that's normal. it's the scope and target of the empathy you have issue with.
Hm. I think that if you don't have empathy for more than your own immediate friends and family, you don't have empathy. You have concern over how other people's pain directly impacts you. That's egoism, not empathy.
Plus, Epstein considered all the rest of them targets too, just a different type.
right, so it's only empathy if i'm upset about people who i will never meet who i have no connection to and have no interest in... and why would ever empathize with such theoretical people?
or are you saying empathy is purely a theretical construct totally devoid of my immediate real world experience? hence i can't have empathy for my friend who just had to put down his cat, because he is my friend! i can only have empathy for who... people starving in africa?
Speak for yourself.
I am not sure it is really about Capitalism but the broader human Centralization whatever its political or economic system. We Centralize and someone has to be at the top as that is our nature and those at the top exploit as power corrupts. This is wired into us a species and it has brought us a long way for better and for worse.