Zero-Sum Empathy : AskFeminists

Olivia_VRex 18 points 1 day ago

I wish it worked that way, but irl there is empathy fatigue, and most folks feel they can only advocate for specific groups of people ... or only care about a limited number of issues.

There was even a study where researchers had two classrooms, and one group received a talk about white privilege and the struggles of the black community, while other group received a different talk. Afterwards, the students who heard about white privilege were less likely to sympathize with poor whites. Somehow, the idea of unfairness in the world didn't increase overall empathy, it just shifted some mental accounting of who is worthy vs. unworthy of help.

the distribution of any limited resource will always be zero-sum - and although positive sentiment is not a finite good, time, attention, and funding certainly are.

thoughts and prayers may be free, but studies, initiatives, and policies are not. "empathy", as it is expressed on the societal level, is a zero-sum game.