Human beings, as a general rule, need to be empathetic (or some variation thereof) to avoid the label of psychopath. Often, however, we fail to realize what empathy is or why we should care, and even less so, understand how it’s used against us for those in power to get more power.
Oxford Languages defines empathy as: “The ability to understand and share the feelings of another”. Not to be confused with sympathy, which is defined as “Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune” or “understanding between people; common feeling”. Simply put, empathy is feeling what someone else feels, and sympathy is feeling bad for how someone feels. While they’re both (mildly) different things, I’m going to use them interchangeably for this argument, as the simple ‘feeling for another’ definition can be applied to both, and are both abused for political gain.
First, we need to establish the players in the game we call American politics. We have the obvious example of politicians, who desire to get votes to gain a position of power. There are also the individuals in traditional news media, who desire to influence views and opinions to elect politicians who would most benefit their beliefs. Last, and arguably the most important, we have our fellow American citizens. They're the most important aspect of politics, as they determine who is elected and in power, and are often the ones engaging in debates with media representatives and politicians.
There are a number of different ways that our emotions are manipulated for political gain. Take, for example, the polarizing abortion argument. Those who are pro-life use empathy for the unborn child to defend their argument. After all, who would kill a child who has no chance to defend themselves? They use emotions to validate the argument that abortion should be illegal. On the opposite side of the spectrum, pro-choice individuals will use the same tactic, just in a different manner. They use the emotional situation of a little girl who forced to carry her rapist’s child. Any sane individual can agree that the situation is awful and no one should have to go through that. Pro-choicer individuals use this to argue that access to abortion would solve this problem and 'fix' the terrible situation.
See the pattern? Empathy, sympathy, compassion, and human nature have been weaponized right and left to get our support. Once we find something we’re passionate about, humans are going to scream, cry, and yell until our voices are heard and change is made, and those in power know this. Think about the LGBTQ+ issues, specifically with trans individuals, and when a transition should take place. Those in support of an early transition use the nature of a child wanting to be their true self, advocate that the only way to solve the mental issue of gender dysphoria is to transition into the opposite gender. Why would we want to deprive a child of achieving true happiness? On the other hand, those who disagree would argue that it’s better for the child to fully develop before making life-changing choices that could permanently alter their life path. They use empathy for the children in the long-term as opposed to short-term benefits.
I could list a thousand more ways that our sympathetic human nature has been weaponized, but what we need to focus on is why this is a big deal. Think back to the 2020 riots. Most that attended the protests or talked about it on social media weren’t trying to perpetrate some hidden agenda or ideology. They saw injustice in the world and wanted to change it. They felt sympathy for the family of George Floyd and others like him and wanted justice to be served, however, those good intentions only led to political division, all exasperated by the media. Gun control uses the horrific nature of school shootings to get people riled up. Climate activists use sad animal videos and emotional statistics to bring more support to their cause. With all this emotion set in place by the media and activists, politicians take advantage of this to garner support and votes.
This is why it’s a big deal. It divides our country in ways no other emotion can. Politicians use our emotions, our sense of justice, and our desire for peace, to get us riled up against those who dare disagree with us. This much is obvious, but what might be less obvious is that both sides of the political spectrum use these tactics, albeit in different manneres. While there are other arguments for these topics that I would argue are more centered on logic, both sides prey on our empathy to gain traction. I would argue the left is using the empathy of short-term gain, whereas the right tends to use long-term benefits as their empathetic ploy. From getting guns taken away to that poor 11-year-old girl carrying her rapist’s baby, the emotion of those potential situations makes us angry. Causes us to riot, scream, yell, and that's the desired outcome. The more emotional someone is, the angrier someone gets about a certain topic, the easier it is to institute drastic changes. The only reason these changes haven’t happened is the opposing side often feels as vehemently as the other in the opposite direction.
So, what do we do with this information? Well, quite honestly, there’s not a lot we can do aside from being informed. Next time you read or watch the news, and you feel your blood begin to boil because - how could someone do this? Sit down, and think. Don’t take to social media to vent every thought you have about something. That excludes room to have an opinion outside of your 3 am vent session, and it will come back to haunt you. Sit down, and think about what’s going on. Write it down if you have to, and take into account the facts of the situation. Think about all the possibilities of why this is happening, then think about what solutions we could implement. Logic is the enemy of emotion, and vice versa. You can feel a certain way about a certain thing, but make sure that whatever argument you make is based in reality, not based on fickle emotions that will likely lead you astray.
Finally, I would like to remind you about the apostle Paul's words in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 25-32: "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
I hope you all have a good week and this was an encouragement to you. Remember to read your Bible and pray! Love ya'll! ~BlueJay
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