• gmtom@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Empathy is for individuals. If someone came to me, maga hat, and truck covered in trump Humber stickers, and said him and his daughter had been displaced by the hurricane and needed help, I would give them a room, food and whatever else I could to help and ask for nothing in return. He has not hurt me (directly) and I have no bad blood with him personally so long as he’s not being outright racist or anything around me.

    But when we’re talking about MAGA as a general group, they have hurt me, they are racist and homophobic and trnasphobic and misogynistic and I will happily revel in the Schadenfreude.

    • CheezyWeezle@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      If see a nazi sitting at a table and 10 people are at the table talking to them, you have a table with 11 nazis.

      There is no tolerance for intolerance.

      • gmtom@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        That’s valid, and these people are not entitled to your kindness or emotional energy.

        But a lot of this hatred comes from people living in their own little bubbles with the only information they get coming from hearsay or propaganda. That’s why areas with few immigrants or queer people are the most racist or homophobic. And you can really change people’s minds about things by engaging with them, being friendly with them and just giving them living proof that their propaganda is bullshit. See Darling Davis making freinds with KKK members as a great example of this.

    • bcgm3@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      But we’re not talking about MAGA as a group, we’re talking about people, without any regard for their political affiliation: Natural disasters aren’t checking people’s voter registration.

      Only about 39% of active Florida voters are registered Republican (sure, some are NPA and vote Republican), but there’s at least 29% of us who are registered Democrat and voting in every local and federal election, but here we are anyway.

      • gmtom@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Yes and those people have my unconditional sympathy. It’s not like I’m doing anything to make their lives worse or withholding aid. I’m just taking a moment to enjoy bad things happening to bad people for once and in a fisrly ironic way. It’s a minor indulgence that doesn’t hurt anyone.