Empathetic Civilization

HEARTLESS wrote: Another one from the lefty playbook, P-f. Don't try to argue Christianity if you don't believe in it. Most churches, of all faiths, produce tremendous amounts of money, volunteers and benefit those in need both inside and outside this nation. The government in its ever thirsty need for more dollars to squander, simply sees welfare as another slice of the pie for them.

http://soundofdoctrine.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/pope-benedict-robe.jpg?w=278&h=280

Scruffy wrote: I recently read this book (thanks to the Jefferson County Library system) and was surprised to see that the author has an article at Huffington. The book is "Empathic Civilization" by Jeremy Rifkin. I would recommend it. Here's a excerpt from the article (written in February):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-ri ... =fb&src=sp

In the past two weeks, President Obama has made an unprecedented plea for civility in public discourse. Washington insiders say they can't ever recall a period in American public life as full of anger and polarization as now. TV and radio talk show hosts, in particular, have fanned the flames of hatred with occasional outrageous personal attacks on public figures and advocates of policy agendas with which they disagree. If we continue along this toxic road, it could lead to unfathomable damage to the American psyche. The question is "Why is The United States becoming so uncivil"?

When we talk about civility, we are really talking about empathy: the willingness to listen to another's point of view, to put one's self in another's shoes and to emotionally and cognitively experience what they are feeling and thinking. To civilize is to empathize.

Below all of the fiery rhetoric and finger pointing, the acid comments and degrading personal attacks, is a deep-seated fear and mistrust of the "the other"- in other words, a lack of empathy.

My sense is that the fear that is spreading like a wild fire across America is due, in large part, to a seismic shift occurring in our thinking about the most cherished values of American life: our notions of freedom, equality, and democracy. In other words, what we are really discussing- underneath the surface of the political and ideological debates- are our beliefs about the basic drives and aspirations of human beings.

It's basically about putting yourself in the shoes of those with which you disagree, to have some empathy rather than an "us vs. them" ntality. Just thought I would share this, as it seems the divide between left & right on this board seems to be growing wider and wider. A little civility goes a long ways.

Yes it would Scruffy. If you find any, please PM me so I can check it out.

I'm still waiting for an answer to my question:

HEARTLESS wrote: Example: Benefits of health care for all.
1) The welfare breeders can keep pooping out kids for us all to support.
2) Illegals can keep burdening our already overly abused systems that they have almost no interest in.
3) The overall population can continue to increase even if birth rates continue to fall.
This could go on nearly endlessly, but ask why the Federal Government must oversee things already being done by charitable organizations. When the Feds show the sort of economic sense displayed by say the Salvation Army, then, and only then, will it gain my support.
And to answer the above questions, emPATHETIC is a leftist thought.

Does that mean that if the NON-welfare middle-class breeders keep popping out kids for us to support (with school taxes and such), that your plan is that *I* shouldn't have to support them? I'm just trying to get a sense of how far this hatred of breeders goes... ?

Photo-fish wrote: I always thought that jesus dude was a moonbat, pinko, commie, liberal......

No, that 'jesus' is my gardner along with Carlos...seem to be a good kids, not pinkos or commies (though I haven't asked them to confirm their immigration status).

LadyJazzer wrote: I'm still waiting for an answer to my question:

HEARTLESS wrote: Example: Benefits of health care for all.
1) The welfare breeders can keep pooping out kids for us all to support.
2) Illegals can keep burdening our already overly abused systems that they have almost no interest in.
3) The overall population can continue to increase even if birth rates continue to fall.
This could go on nearly endlessly, but ask why the Federal Government must oversee things already being done by charitable organizations. When the Feds show the sort of economic sense displayed by say the Salvation Army, then, and only then, will it gain my support.
And to answer the above questions, emPATHETIC is a leftist thought.

Does that mean that if the NON-welfare middle-class breeders keep popping out kids for us to support (with school taxes and such), that your plan is that *I* shouldn't have to support them? I'm just trying to get a sense of how far this hatred of breeders goes... ?

[crickets chirping]

OK, then I'll do what Viking does: "So, you're all saying that you're against' middle-class breeders." Good... That should mean that my taxes next year should be cut by the amount that goes to educating all those "popped-out" kids of the middle-class breeders. I'm good with that.

Got it.

:bash

"The most precious capital any country can have is an educated citizenry."
Jehan Sadat

I happen to agree.

(Actually, I do too... But I'm still trying to figure out how they justify one kind and not the other...)

You're looking for logic? Good luck with that.

Below all of the fiery rhetoric and finger pointing, the acid comments and degrading personal attacks, is a deep-seated fear and mistrust of the "the other"- in other words, a lack of empathy.

His total argument hinges on this statement that he slips in without just justification. And the rest of his argument is just addressing this assumption.
I do not buy it.

In other words, what we are really discussing- underneath the surface of the political and ideological debates- are our beliefs about the basic drives and aspirations of human beings.

This simple statement sure has quite a bit of scary rhetorical prefacing.

You can keep trying to attribute things that were done before Marx, Engels and the other con men of socialism were born, but it doesn't make it so.