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NotBatman81 t1_j0vqdi4 wrote

You guys seem to not understand what empathy means. It means I understand how you feel. I understand you feel ashamed by this picture. It has nothing to do with agreeing with you. I can feel your shame and at the same time agree that you are a dumbass and deserved it.

So please stop saying people lack empathy when they call out poor behavior.

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Cloud_Disconnected t1_j0w7423 wrote

Maybe empathy is the wrong word. Maybe instead we should say that people lack compassion, or grace, or humility.

It's easy to say, 'the dumbass deserves it,' and it's hard to treat people better than they deserve.

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Television_Wise t1_j0wdrfe wrote

Careless driving kills people. Shame serves an important function in society. It is not always bad for someone to be shamed. Better for them to feel a little embarassed because their photo is on Reddit, than to have someone dead because they never face any consequences for their actions until it's too late.

Minor consequences now (shame) to help prevent major ones later (fatal auto accidents).

>Maybe instead we should say that people lack compassion, or grace, or humility.

When your "compassion" serves to enable someone to keep harming others, it's not compassion.

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emtrigg013 t1_j0whmdj wrote

A lot of people think compassion and enabling are the same thing. As evident on this post.

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Cloud_Disconnected t1_j0wp9pv wrote

No one is defending careless driving in general, or this example in particular. And putting aside the fact that there are already laws in place to address this type of careless driving, is shame-based behavior modification really what you think is going on here?

Judging by the comments that are getting upvotes, I'd say it's more people venting their frustrations, which I admit are justified, at the person who has been placed in front of them as a target.

We've seen historically how that sort of thing plays out. I'm not comparing anyone here to those historical examples, that would be an absolutely ridiculous comparison in terms of scope and intent. But, if the same dynamic doesn't exist here, a parallel one does.

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Television_Wise t1_j0wqtec wrote

>there are already laws in place to address this type of careless driving,

Oh boy, first day in Springfield I take it? Laws mean nothing if they're not enforced.

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Cloud_Disconnected t1_j0wsiwo wrote

Nope, and I complain about drivers here as much as anyone, I'll freely admit. And yeah, enforcement is lacking. I still don't think that justifies putting someone's pic up to ridicule them. Apparently I'm in the distinct minority here, though.

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