And beginning with "Empathy, emotional maturity, awareness, and wisdom all require effort on the part of the individual. One has to engage, one has to become self-aware, one has to be brutally honest with oneself...", we see the beginnings of separating ourselves from "them", who in the next paragraph become "subhumans", and the beginning of our denial of responsibility. Are we so different?
And beginning with "Empathy, emotional maturity, awareness, and wisdom all require effort on the part of the individual. One has to engage, one has to become self-aware, one has to be brutally honest with oneself...", we see the beginnings of separating ourselves from "them", who in the next paragraph become "subhumans", and the beginning of our denial of responsibility. Are we so different?
While I agree with you that the choice of the word "subhumans" is not only unfortunate, it is also incorrect (as those traits listed at the beginning of the paragraph are specifically and solely "human" traits), I do think there are people who WILL not be reached, either because it is too late to mend the early wounds that made them that way in the first place, or because they don't and won't care about anyone unlike themselves (and perhaps not about many of those).
What do you see as the responsibility of compassionate progressives at this time in our history? It does not appear that dialogue is possible in the current climate. How can we dialogue with people who did this: This weekend, pro-T**** protestors rallied in my town, overflowed onto a church lawn, knocked down the pastor who asked them to stay off church property (she suffered a severe blow to the head on contact with the concrete steps), and beat up a protestor from an opposing viewpoint. The police in my town were non-responsive - claiming that there is nothing they can (or are willing?) to do; meanwhile, on their scanners in convo with each other they are calling the pro-T****ers "patriots"! As though the counter-protestors are not? As though working for the overturning of the Presidential election is not a seditious act meant to overthrow the civil government? I'm pretty sure that I would not be capable of dialogue with the thugs who are doing this kind of thing around the country. I have sent an email protesting the PD response to our mayor, but there's only so much she can do. I don't think I would yield to the desire to throw some punches the next time I run into one of the frequent pro-T**** rallies we are having in my mostly blue town, but I also don't think I would hesitate to shout some very unhelpful remarks. I'm no saint.
And beginning with "Empathy, emotional maturity, awareness, and wisdom all require effort on the part of the individual. One has to engage, one has to become self-aware, one has to be brutally honest with oneself...", we see the beginnings of separating ourselves from "them", who in the next paragraph become "subhumans", and the beginning of our denial of responsibility. Are we so different?
While I agree with you that the choice of the word "subhumans" is not only unfortunate, it is also incorrect (as those traits listed at the beginning of the paragraph are specifically and solely "human" traits), I do think there are people who WILL not be reached, either because it is too late to mend the early wounds that made them that way in the first place, or because they don't and won't care about anyone unlike themselves (and perhaps not about many of those).
What do you see as the responsibility of compassionate progressives at this time in our history? It does not appear that dialogue is possible in the current climate. How can we dialogue with people who did this: This weekend, pro-T**** protestors rallied in my town, overflowed onto a church lawn, knocked down the pastor who asked them to stay off church property (she suffered a severe blow to the head on contact with the concrete steps), and beat up a protestor from an opposing viewpoint. The police in my town were non-responsive - claiming that there is nothing they can (or are willing?) to do; meanwhile, on their scanners in convo with each other they are calling the pro-T****ers "patriots"! As though the counter-protestors are not? As though working for the overturning of the Presidential election is not a seditious act meant to overthrow the civil government? I'm pretty sure that I would not be capable of dialogue with the thugs who are doing this kind of thing around the country. I have sent an email protesting the PD response to our mayor, but there's only so much she can do. I don't think I would yield to the desire to throw some punches the next time I run into one of the frequent pro-T**** rallies we are having in my mostly blue town, but I also don't think I would hesitate to shout some very unhelpful remarks. I'm no saint.