Empathy Liberal Style: Not Worth A Bucket Of Spit

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Empathy Liberal Style: Not Worth A Bucket Of Spit

Written By : John Hawkins

There’s a post I first saw over at the lovely and charming Dr. Helen’s blog that has been slowly making the rounds. Here’s the story and Greg Gutfeld’s take on it,

So according to new research, today’s college students are 40 percent less empathetic than kids their age thirty years ago.

…I blame parents and teachers who let toxic strains of feel-good self-esteem and phony sentimentality invade their homes and classrooms. The end result: people thinking it’s cooler to care for strangers than their own families. It’s okay to divorce your wife of twenty years, as long as you volunteer at the homeless shelter. You owe thousands in rent to your roommate, but no worries: you helped build a latrine in Peru. This new self-love created a driving hunger for recognition – and your caring soul lets you be a jerk to the people who matter.

And now it’s egged on by the web and it’s infectious blanket of social networking – which creates an illusory sense of intimacy that was once sated by the real intimacy of a neighborhood.

You have people paying more attention to a stranger across the globe, than their aging mother. Thank God her nurse isn’t on Twitter, or granny would have no one to talk to.

In the new egalitarianism, you must forget the concentric circles of real people around you. And you shouldn’t love your parents more than any one else. And, really, why should your money go to feeding your offspring, when the world’s a mess? We’re all in this together!

This really resonated with me for two reasons.

1) The attitude Gutfeld’s describing is liberalism at its core. Liberals are constantly congratulating themselves for how compassionate they are — but only with other people’s money. They never stop railing against “hate” — even as they spew it everywhere by slandering anyone who disagrees with them in any way as a racist, Nazi, hatemonger. They never stop talking about how much they care about people — but they work to systematically destroy the church, the free enterprise system, morals, patriotism — in other words, anything and everything that makes people’s lives better that doesn’t help liberals get elected to office.

I’m not saying that there aren’t any liberals who are good people, give to charity, or treat people the way they should be treated, because obviously, that’s not true. What I am saying is that liberalism is the philosophy adopted by folks who want to treat people who come into their lives like trash and still feel like they’re kinder, more compassionate, and have bigger hearts than everyone else.

2) What Gutfeld said — and what I just described, reminds me of a quotation from C.S. Lewis’ classic book, The Screwtape Letters. For those that are unfamiliar with it, here’s a description,

“The book, which was written way back in 1942, is supposed to be a series of letters from a devil named Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood, about how to woo a Christian away from God…”

Here is some of Screwtape’s advice about how to tempt a man to sin,

Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient’s soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus become wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary.

Isn’t that what Gutfeld’s describing? Isn’t that what so much of liberalism has become? Malice that’s “wholly real” and benevolence that’s “largely imaginary?”

Cliff Hanger

Yeah John, just keep trying to convince yerself that you understand liberalism.

BTW, where did you develop your perception of liberalism?

StanW

Years of listening to imbiciles like you who self-identify as Liberals!
mightysamurai

Probably from the casual belligerence you fling about like dandruff and stray hairs.
northerncanuck

Respectfully; please address point 1, because I don't see anything amiss there.
earlgrey133

I don't think most people have a hard time understanding liberalism. They just find it hard to justify. That's way it is smeared with feel good sentiments.

King Homer

camouflaged with feel good sentiments. It can't be good if it has to be disguised as something else can it? Liberalism, I mean.

UFKA_Smithwick

“BTW, where did you develop your perception of liberalism? “

By listening.
http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

Yeah Cliff, keep trying to convince yourself John is wrong!

BTW, where did you develop your perception of liberalism?

UFKA_Smithwick

That quote is frighteningly accurate.

Hm. . .
Real Politik

If the situation is true, it will be caused more by capitalism, and its attendant handmaiden advertising, than anything we righteous liberals propose.

Mediumheadboy

Righteous liberal is an oxymoron. Real Politik is just a moron.

aposematic

dito to mediumheadboy!

Cliff Hanger

John learned what liberalism from me? I'll be damned. It's impossible to take this site seriously with its “kneecapping the president at every opportunity” headline and ignorance personified by people who make personal attacks in response to salient points.

John, and the rest of you by extension, sound like a bunch of flyover inhabitants who barely finished school, have never traveled except perhaps in the military, and because of this you despise academia (or anything you don't understand, which is most things since you over-simplify the world), and your perception of liberalism confuses it with communism.

Where capitalism has made this country strong, it's liberalism that allows us to share that wealth. We see that with conservative policies of the last 30 years, the economy is in shambles, people are suffering, yet the rich are walking away with even more cash, thanks to you and your philosophy, and ignorance.

C'mon Hawkins, list your credentials. Inquiring minds want to know what kind of background leads to such an over inflated sense of self.

StanW

by people who make personal attacks in response to salient points.

We could put that theory to the test, but that would require a Liberal to make a salient point. Hasn't happened yet!

who barely finished school, have never traveled except perhaps in the military, and because of this you despise academia

Liberal Mind-Reading – Never fails to amuse all of us in its sheer STUPIDITY!

Where capitalism has made this country strong, it's liberalism that allows us to share that wealth.

By taking from the people that earn it and giving it to the people that sit on their asses and demand to be taken care of. Sorry, if you don't work, YOU DON'T EAT!

with conservative policies of the last 30 years, the economy is in shambles, people are suffering, yet the rich are walking away with even more cash

Conservative policies over the last 30 years? There's a lot of ignorance and pure stupidity in that statement. In the last 30 years, I seem to recall someone named Clinton in the White House? Was he a Conservative and no one told us?

list your credentials

Your First!
baoxian

The Great Recession began after Democrats took over Congress in 2006, and accelerated when Obama was elected in 2008.

The average unemployment rate throughout the Bush years was about 6%, counting the post-9/11 recession and all of 2008. Obama can't get it back under 10% despite phony numbers coming from the census and $1.3 trillion of stimulus spending.

People are suffering because the government is run by corrupt imbiciles who want you to depend on the government for handouts instead of getting a job. I'd tell you to go ask Obama, but I'm sure he's off to yet another beachfront mansion on vacation.
northerncanuck

“flyover inhabitants……..” followed by a whole bunch of insults against middle America. Seems you're proving some points here.

I get a kick out of the liberal meme “conservative policies over the last 30 years have caused all the problems today”. If you exclude the last ~2 years those 30 years are the most affluent in all of history. But yeah, they were bad, because today things have taken a downswing? That again proves the point of liberal ignorance and shallowness.

What are your credentials and background?
mightysamurai

and ignorance personified by people who make personal attacks in response to salient points.

Geez, dude. Way to be hard on your fellow liberals.
TheDickNixon

And someone died and made you the Pope around here?

Seriously, lose the righteous indignation and the whiny tone.

Now get back to work, that shine box won't fetch itself.
Trench_Raider

Hmmmmm.
I smell a jackshite/zimmy/pete.
What's wrong, little boy? Did you get shown the door and now you have to post as a “guest”. (who acts like nothing of the sort…)

TR

RappinMc

He showed his “travel” tell again. Regardless of the sock puppet of the day, Jacky can't hide his monumental stupidity. What a zimwit.

Harmonica

Why you spewing so much hate towards people who live in 'flyover country'? Do you feel you are better then others? I thought liberals were supposed to be open-minded and tolerant. I guess not.
Earlgrey133

What is it with liberals and academia? Is it your religion or just a platform to allow you to look down on others? You have no clue what the background is of the commenters on this post, and the fact that you have to resort to insults proves that we have struck a nerve.
http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

So me living in 'flyover country' makes me some kind of uneducated hick? I had no idea geography was a contributor to intellectual prowess or education! (I guess that makes you a fucking bigoted ingrate and utterly irgnorant asswipe!) Why don't you tell me how my 2 bachelors degrees makes me illiterate or just as dumb as YOU sound!

I despise acedemia because it's a cirlce jerk of close minded liberals interested only on living inside an echochamber. I haven't traveled because I see plenty of hate, stupidity, and filth right here in the US, usually where ever liberals are in charge. And I never served in the military, but I understand their reasons for serving far better than you undersatnd anything.

King Homer

Sing it bro! And hell yeah I travelled the world on the military dime and damned proud of it!

Sounds like he was too cowardly to take that kind of chance! He'll never know what he missed.

blkdragon

So I noticed you neglected to post your credentials.

btw I hold a double major in Psych and Criminal Justice, and am finishing a Masters in Public Admin. I may or may not pursue a doctorate in something, I haven't decided yet.

King Homer

yeah but…. but….. but….. that don't count! and besides you took what he said out of context! /liberal sarc

King Homer

Do yourself a favor when someone dresses you, make sure the yellow stains are in front and the brown stains are in the back. That way when you compete for the Darwin award and find yourself in the emergency room the people there won't think you are a COMPLETE imbecile!

That's not a personal attack, just sage advice.
Kenny

What in the world are you smoking or sniffing……. or You must be “putting US on” !!!???
I would just bet… that YOU are the first to criticize or complain about any and everything !!

baoxian

Liberalism panders to the lowest common denominator by ridiculing the execptional and enshrining the mediocre. When you have a generation of college kids raised by The Daily Show and told by their teachers to avoid success and strive to be average, it's hardly a surprise that they can't form meaningful interpersonal relationships.

To paraphrase Ayn Rand, to be able to say “I love you” or “I understand” (empathy), you must first be able to say the “I”. People who have no real self-esteem because they've been rewarded for failure their whole lives and been taught to value conformity over individualism can't begin to relate to other people.

Say, weren't we also just talking about Obama's complete and utter lack of empathy and leadership?
doc

John, you also have to add animals to the mix. I realize that will frustrate a lot of right wingers too but just listen. So many people now value animal lives over human ones. If it's between feeding fluffy and their kids…. fluffy usually gets first dibs. It's so much easier to share a little empathy with an animal who pretty much reciprocates it instead of messy humans who are unpredictable and actually can talk. I like animals, but at the end of the day they're just that, a dog and a cat. They aren't my children or best friend or any other extension we've grown used to. And this one has crossed all boundaries.
smalldreams

Haha. The only thing I couldn't stop thinking (until I reached the bottom) was “I wonder if he's read that chapter of screwtape.” Big surprise that those who follow the liberal ideology also happen to be implementing the devil's playbook.
D-Vega

Hmmm… what ideology nurtures selfishness, decadence, materialism and individualism at the expense of compassion?

It certainly ain't liberalism. You should proud of this study. Its the conservative credo.

“I got mine. Screw you.”

http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

WOW you got us conservatives pegged, NOT!!!

D-Vega

uh, ya. That is why its such a joke to call this anything remotely liberal. This is an obsession with self, an obsession with property and material. An indifference towards others. It's the culmination of American decadence. Congratulations.

http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

And you wonder why so many of us have said you've gone off the deep end? DV get a grip, you know better, self reliance and personal responsibility are not SELFISH, nor anything like obsession with self. And indifference towards others, how does that jive with the fact that conservatives give more to charities than libs? You're deluding yourself, DV.

D-Vega

Conservatives like to stick by that one study and think that excuses all other behavior that focuses on selfish things, especially thinking of property and “me” first.

You reference me going over the deep end? Identifying, relating and understanding the guy next to you, the “public”, is fundamental liberal ideal.

Caring about “me first”, freedom to waste your money on nonsense “because you can”, not giving a crap about suffering on the other side of the world is who's exactly?
King Homer

People on the other side of the world (commonly known as ingrates) don't give a damn about anything other than what we can give them. They don't attempt to help themselves (for the most part) when they know their self appointed “uncle' will help them out with no effort on their part.

And, while we are talking about not giving a crap about suffering on the other side of the world, have you developed a case of amnesia concerning the ouster and hanging of Hussein (Saddam, not Ogabe DaDa). Yes that's right…. the military action that was chronicled on a daily basis by a body count to demoralize the troops and people at home.

The same action that was declared a quagmire and likened to Vietnam. The military action that was declared lost by Harry Reid long before the surge was approved and was found to be a successful venture. The same military action that freed Iraqis from rape rooms and torture cells and exterminated vermin responsible for said rape and torture.

Democrats have the blood of millions of Cambodians and South Vietnamese on their hands because of complete and utter abandonment after the war was ended by a piece of shit Paris Peace agreement. This country signed it stating they would give financial and military aid to South Vietnam and interdict any incursion by the NVA after the cessation of hostilities. Russia and China didn't abide by the 'one-for-one' replenishment of weapons and ammo. They were replenishing at six times that rate.

Dems voted to cut them off at the knees even when Gerald Ford went before a joint house of Congress to plead for money to aid them and the answer was no. A bloodbath ensued.

Ogabe keeps apologizing for this country for past infractions??? He should be apologizing to Cambodians (those that are still alive that aren't Khmer Rouge) and South Vietnamese for abandoning them in their time of need. You want to talk about suffering and compassion? You don't have a fucking clue about either of those subjects.

Don't talk to me about being self centered that is what liberals are all about. Do you see any of the liberals giving any of their taxpayer bootie to any charity? Hell no, they stole it for themselves and by damn they are gonna keep every penny of it.

You liberals keep minorities on 'the plantation' to secure votes that keep you in office. One of these days they will figure out that they are still slaves but to the government this time. When they do, they are going to be really pissed off!!
D-Vega

People on the other side of the world (commonly known as ingrates) don't give a damn about anything other than what we can give them. They don't attempt to help themselves (for the most part) when they know their self appointed “uncle' will help them out with no effort on their part.

Ha! There's go that selfish conservative “empathy” again.

And, while we are talking about not giving a crap about suffering on the other side of the world, have you developed a case of amnesia concerning the ouster and hanging of Hussein (Saddam, not Ogabe DaDa). Yes that's right…. the military action that was chronicled on a daily basis by a body count to demoralize the troops and people at home.

Conservatives didn't give a crap about suffering in Iraq for decades. Nice try.

Dems voted to cut them off at the knees even when Gerald Ford went before a joint house of Congress to plead for money to aid them and the answer was no. A bloodbath ensued.

Conservatives didn't give a crap about the Cambodians or Vietnamese either. If they were suffering under a non-Communist regime, no conservative would have endorsed military intervention.

Don't talk to me about being self centered that is what liberals are all about. Do you see any of the liberals giving any of their taxpayer bootie to any charity? Hell no, they stole it for themselves and by damn they are gonna keep every penny of it.

Liberals give money to charities all the time. Stop lying.

You liberals keep minorities on 'the plantation' to secure votes that keep you in office. One of these days they will figure out that they are still slaves but to the government this time. When they do, they are going to be really pissed off!!

And that's why you will never understand empathy.
King Homer

Make them uncomfortable in their poverty. Ben Franklin.

MSNBC News Flash: Arizona Law 'Makes it a Crime to be Illegal Immigrant'
(Doh!)
UFKA_Smithwick

Out of curiosity, if that study had shown the exact opposite (that liberals are more inclined to give to charity) do you think it would have been held up as proof that liberals are more compassionate and basically better people?

Yeah, I thought so too.
http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

Ah yeah that one study, got anything to refute it? WTF is selfish about keeping what you have earned and deciding as an INDIVDUAL what to give and what not, instead our dumbass govt? You really have no f'n clue, DV, NONE!
D-Vega

Prove it? You mean besides advocating empathetic policies for decades?
LampofDiogenes

Vega, you and I have gotten crossways before, so I'll TRY to be diplomatic, here.

1. It is NOT “one study” – there are numerous studies, over decades, and they all demonstrate that self-identified conservatives give far more to charity, across ALL income levels, than self-identified liberals.

2. “advocating empathetic policies,” eh? First, let's be honest, “advocating” anything is merely a parlor circle-jerk. Putting your money where your mouth is matters. “Advocating” for your preferred outcome means exactly jack shit. FWIW, my charity of choice was identified for me by my kids, who spent a number of their required service hours working there (your kids DO spend community service hours volunteering in homeless shelters, hospitals, orphanages, etc., don't they, Vega?? Mine do – as do I) Google “Alexandria House Los Angeles.” Women rescued from sex slavery, and their children, most having limited English skills, are fed, housed, clothed, and taught job skills. You want to “change the world,” cupcake??? Man the fuck up and put your money, and your lazy ass, where your mouth is. “Advocating” that I be taxed to pay for your utopian visions is cheap, lazy, feel-good liberal bullshit, that let's you CONVINCE yourself that you are “empathetic” and “compassionate” without the bother of actually, oh, DOING anything. Bully for you.

3. The policies you “advocate” for are historically proven to be the OPPOSITE of “empathetic,” unless, in liberal Bizzaro World, “empathetic” means “fucking over the people we claim to help>”

Riddle me this, Batman: Please tell me, prior to the “Great Society” programs, what black unwed pregnancy rates were, and what they are now. What percentage of black families were nuclear families, with both parents present, and what percentage are now? Before Social Security, what were U.S. savings rates, and what are they now? Canada is revamping its health care system – you know, the one you liberals kept telling us should be “the model” for U.S. healthcare – to reduce coverage because THEY CAN'T AFFORD IT. Waiting times are ridiculous.

ALL of your policies end up hurting the very people you claim to be empathetic to, and YOU GUYS are the good guys?? The only thing your bullshit policies do, is give you an EXCUSE to feel “empathetic,” without the necessity of getting your hands dirty or actually doing sweet fuck-all.

And we're “selfish”???? Go fuck yourself, Vega.
aposematic

In order to be able to care for “someone else” you must first be able to care for yourself. (both financially and emotionally)
fail_baby_fail

Conservatives give more to charities. Ok, thats great good for you. Many on the right live in places like Colorado and the south. Where cost of living is sooooooooo much less. I used Colorado as an example because I just moved to Colorado Springs. I pay 995 a month for rent. I have a 4 bed room house just a tad over 2000sf. I dont even use 2 of the rooms they are just nice to have. I have a big back yard and a garage. I can buy a nice house here for 160k. Now on the flip side. When I lived in Santa Cruz California. I paid 2500 for a 3 bed room house with a super small yard and a car port. I paid more for power, I paid more for food, I paid more for gas. If I wanted to buy the house I live in now it would cost me 168k in Colorado. The same house in California would be closer to 400k
You give more good for you. I had a shitload more taken from me. I had to move away from my home state. My friends and family to live in a place that was cheaper.

Where do you live BTW? Im sure its pretty cheap there. Get your head out of you ass please and realize you couldn't afford to live where most liberals do.
belacuse

Pop quiz: Why do you think the high liberal population areas are so expensive?

(Hint* something to do with their policies)
mightysamurai

Conservatives give more to charities. Ok, thats great good for you. Many on the right live in places like Colorado and the south. Where cost of living is sooooooooo much less.

So that's your rationalization for hypocrisy, is it?
UFKA_Smithwick

So liberals area only willing to be charitable when it doesn't affect them in any way?

Kind of proves the point doesn't it?

“I'd like to help out but you know, I'm saving up for a new iPad and I really don't want to put that on hold. Can't some of you ignorant, selfish redstate hicks do the charity work for me?”
http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

And so that means now that your cost of living is lower you'll pry open your wallet and give more? You're basically giving anecdotal evidence to support a pile of crap argument. Many conservatives also have families 2 and 3 times larger than liberals AND still give more to charities. Care to justify that based on soley on cost of living?

You're an idiot.
UFKA_Smithwick

Not to mention that wages tend to reflect living expenses. It may cost more to live in New York but they also get paid more.

Essentially this is a very weak excuse.
fail_baby_fail

Um yes actually. I gave a hundred bucks to the red cross for Haiti relief. Yes its a little late, but im sure it will go to something good.

Where do you get your Conservative family is bigger info I would love to look 2×3 times bigger. Care to back that up?

Still didnt say where you are from. Why is that?

UFKA_Smithwick

Everyone knows that true compassion comes from demanding that other people be forced to help the less fortunate with their money against their will to appease personal guilt over not doing anything to help anyone.

Mother Theresa was a saint precisely for this reason: she held a gun to peoples heads and forced them to go deal with the poor while she flew her private jet between beach resorts and then gave herself a variety of awards and self praise for her efforts.
aposematic

I guess that is why all facts say conservatives give more to charity than liberals.

The truth is liberals love to give other peoples money but are very stingy with their own.

Live in your fantacy world where lies are truths to you and I hope you the best with that.

Mahatma

Conservatives also know how to play the tax code to benefit from “charitable” gifts.

mightysamurai

Hmmm… what ideology nurtures selfishness, decadence, materialism and individualism at the expense of compassion?

That would be yours, D-Vega.

Just because you call it “compassion” when you steal from productive members of society to prop up the unproductive doesn't make you an actual compassionate person. In fact that was precisely the point John was making. Thank you for proving it.

D-Vega

Sorry, mighty. Epic fail.

Seeing you think that it's “stealing” proves my point exactly. Thank you.

mightysamurai

Seeing you think that it's “stealing” proves my point exactly.

Proves what point? Was it your “point” that it's okay to look someone else's bank account to pass it on to people who haven't earned it? Was it your “point” that no one has any right to their own property?

D-Vega

Nice empathy there, mighty. You sound like someone who thinks of property first. Just like I said. The more you talk the more you prove my point. That conservatism is what drives this lack of empathy in the next generations of Americans. No one said there is no right to property, but that's immediately what you jump to, because you don't really care about other people. You only care about them when it suits your ulterior political motives. Then its about people suffering.

Dave

Actually it is Liberalisim that has the creed of selfisness. The 60's generation that is currently running the country wasn't called The ME Generation for nothing. Lets look at Pelosi's wealth, Boxer, Reed, Ayers Dorhan. Hell Marx was from a family of wealth. The list goes on and on. Hell look no further than Hollywierd to se the prime example's of self serving greed. You moron!!

mightysamurai

Hell Marx was from a family of wealth.

Reportedly he never set foot in a factory in his entire life.

blkdragon

Screwtape's advise reminds me of the old warning…

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was to convince the world he doesn't exist.

Liberals have bought it hook, line, and sinker. And we wonder why they can't recognize true evil, and believe it is better to be kind to total strangers than ones own friends and family.
King Homer

Projectionists and I ain't talking about movies!
Doug

this is the best post i have ever read! it is all SO TRUE. i live in portland oregon, so i know what liberalism looks like. GREAT WORK!
aposematic

Well, you nailed this exactly. Leftists are evil psychopaths!
http://conservativebootcamp.com Martin Hale

To show how accurate these observations are, just look at the posting behaviour of several of the liberals who frequent this site. Espousing 'whirled peas', brotherly love and caring for one's fellow man out of one side of their mouths, while dishing out insults and derogatory remarks out the other side.
MaryAnn

Leftists insistence on abortion and euthenasia are the most striking examples of directing “malice to his immediate neighbors” and thrusting “his benevolence out to the remote circumference…”
It has been estimated that abortion alone has cost $50 Trillion in revenue; they don't even seem to care too much about their much beloved tax collection.
Where there is respect or reverence for the life within you or the life next to you, there will be none for life anywhere.
MaryAnn

Leftists insistence on abortion and euthanasia are the most clear examples of directing malice to immediate neighbors and thrusting benevolence out to the remote circumference.
Where there is no respect for the life within you or the life next to you, there will be no respect or reverence for life anywhere.

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