Third Way: Empathy Is Not A Politically Correct Term

gemini

Division within the American political sector has become an unfortunate precedent. Policy controversy between political parties is to be expected as views and morals differ. However, in recent years, this discourse has bled into the public sector and become a battleground of varying opinions and controversy.

In today’s political landscape, empathy has become a ruination of sorts as our world grows increasingly more hostile. Those who remain soft in a hard society are considered weak by their opponents and thus less emotionally capable of logical processing. How society conducts itself leaves many wondering whether some of us can truly be called human beings if we lack the necessary aspect of humanity that is empathy. Author Laura Morrill illustrated this point plainly when she said, “I don't know how to explain to you why you should care about other people”. It is truly unfathomable how those with so much power can have so little consideration for the individuals they are meant to lead and protect. Like children following their parents, the American people look to our legislation as a guidepost. They entrust them with their lives and representation on the global political stage. However, the growing hostility of American representatives has created an upset amongst their constituents. A Pew Research Poll in January of 2024 found that of the U.S. adults they surveyed, 56% of those who identified as republican believed that elected officials should avoid using heated or aggressive language. Moreover, 83% of those surveyed who identify as Democrats agreed with their republican counterparts. The majority of the American People do not wish for a divided country. They do not desire for the White House to be an epicenter of controversy or for America to be a laughing stock amongst its fellow developed nations. 

“I don’t know how to explain to you why you should care about other people.” - Laura Morrill, Author

For many, politics has become an all-encompassing aspect of everyday life, potentially leading to unhealthy discourse and division amongst friends, family, and peers. This sense of moral defense is, to some, considered an evolutionary adaptation reminiscent of the days when humanity’s place on the food chain sat rather low. Kurt Gray, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and director of the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding, believes that how we approach moral disagreements in modern society is indicative of an unconscious need to defend oneself against a perceived threat. This, Gray states, is due to a security-influenced way of life that lacked the modern protections many of us take for granted. As humanity has developed, so too have our ways of conducting ourselves amongst civil society. We are shaped by and adhere to social norms set generations before us, occasionally breaking the mold to usher in a new era and standard of acceptance. If Gray's theory is to be believed, then it can be concluded that the volatility of the modern political landscape has caused humanity to revert to a state of defense, wherein we see our way of life threatened and thus feel compelled to fight for it. 

The American people follow those they regard as being more politically knowledgeable. However, the vulnerability of the unaware and ignorant has been taken advantage of by hateful representatives with ulterior agendas. The American government has an obligation to its people to uphold the state of the country and its inhabitants. Most notably, this responsibility falls on the shoulders of the President of the United States. Upon being sworn in, the President Elect must utter the Oath of Office, which states “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” This statement is not meant in folly or frivolity; it is a promise made between the American people and their elected President wherein the President promises to uphold a standard of living for their constituents and ensure the Constitution is honored as a living document. Under the current administration, we see hate and ignorance poorly disguised as common practice, resulting in a political landscape where empathy is expelled and regarded as useless.

This is exemplified by none other than the Commander in Chief, President Donald J. Trump. President Trump has made it obvious on many occasions that his political platform is fundamentally unstable and grossly negligent of its constituents. Furthermore, the President has made numerous decisions in direct opposition to the U.S. Constitution with seemingly little concern for or knowledge of the treasonous nature of his ill-begotten actions. One such issue is his denial of due process under the 5th and 14th Amendments. The 5th and 14th amendments require that the appropriate legal proceedings be undergone before an individual may be stripped of their life, liberty, or property. These amendments apply to all persons within the borders of the United States, regardless of Citizenship or Immigration status. The 5th and 14th Amendments allow for an empathetic, yet pragmatic approach to judicial process, thus demonstrating that empathy for one’s fellow man was important enough that it be present within the foundation of this country, just not, it seems, present in the White House.

With this embarrassing lack of empathy displayed by the most esteemed officials, it is no secret why the American political stage has become distastefully argumentative and hostile in its nature. However, it is imperative that the American people not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the urge to force this division further. When you fight fire with fire, you don't heal a nation, you burn it down.