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Selective Empathy by Shannon Kafka
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Mourning takes many forms. // In the age of social media, grief //
has become more of a public spectacle. //
It allows sort-of a collective mourning; //
creates community, // makes others feel//
less alone. //
It can be a performance of gratitude; //
of honor // —life deserves to be recognized //
and life doesn’t need //
to be widely acclaimed // to be celebrated. //
However, while grief can take many forms, //
there’s seems to be a discrepancy in empathy. //
We’re inconsistent // with whom or what we deem
worthy // of mourning. //
In terms of visibility and grief-engagement, //
one study // at George Washington University found, //
"What mattered // was how likely US tourists //
were to have visited that country //
and the country’s proximity to the United States.” //
When Notre Dame burned //
scores took // to social media to post //
remembrances, pictures, laments. //
The white-Western world mourned. //
I mourned // for a place I've never been.
__ "Empathy should not be contingent on our proximity to suffering or the likelihood of it happening to us. Rather, it should stem from a disdain that suffering is happening at all." This is an interactive text. Roll over the text block to read what's beneath. Click the symbol to switch between perspectives. |