It’s interesting to me when we talk about empathy, emotions, and mental illness. I’ve observed each is still heavily conditioned.
For example, often the blame is dropped on mental illness as making that claim “well, we have a mental illness issue right now” is inaccurate.
It’s the easy blame to make without observing how are the current systems not allowing for people to thrive, so when they predictably don’t thrive we blame the outcome on mental illness instead of system failure.
The same with emotions. It seems there’s a lot of demonizing of emotions because mist have not learn how to work with them like they work with logic or reasoning.
Yes, othering is a very common practice among humans, and when all of society leans one direction, it’s very hard to realize it’s happening to you as well. It takes a conscious effort to resist.
I noticed it clearly when Russia took over Crimea 5 days after the end of the Sochi Olympics in 2014. Instantly the media switched: instead of Russia being our friend, they were suddenly subhumans who would invade a country. Not commenting about the Crimea event, but the way the media turned instantly into othering Russia.
When it happens before your eyes, you realize what they do and how ubiquitously they push us to have opinions on things all the time, usually more subtly than in 2014.
It’s interesting to me when we talk about empathy, emotions, and mental illness. I’ve observed each is still heavily conditioned.
For example, often the blame is dropped on mental illness as making that claim “well, we have a mental illness issue right now” is inaccurate.
It’s the easy blame to make without observing how are the current systems not allowing for people to thrive, so when they predictably don’t thrive we blame the outcome on mental illness instead of system failure.
The same with emotions. It seems there’s a lot of demonizing of emotions because mist have not learn how to work with them like they work with logic or reasoning.
Completely agree. It’s easier to label someone than to see the nuanced individual standing right in front of you.
Yes Othering. The scary or inhuman Other. People do it too.
Yes, othering is a very common practice among humans, and when all of society leans one direction, it’s very hard to realize it’s happening to you as well. It takes a conscious effort to resist.
I noticed it clearly when Russia took over Crimea 5 days after the end of the Sochi Olympics in 2014. Instantly the media switched: instead of Russia being our friend, they were suddenly subhumans who would invade a country. Not commenting about the Crimea event, but the way the media turned instantly into othering Russia.
When it happens before your eyes, you realize what they do and how ubiquitously they push us to have opinions on things all the time, usually more subtly than in 2014.