- The basis of the passage “Is Empathy Overrated?” talks about the mostly bad side to having empathy and how it can affect the outcome of various situations negatively. In one section the author Paul Bloom, addresses how empathy can very commonly be used as a vacuum that takes away from other aspects that might acquire attention. He uses a great example by distinguishing the differences between two separate “gun violence” related issues and how one of those situations received more attention. “Actually, in the year of the Sandy Hook killings, more schoolchildren were murdered in one American city — Chicago — than were murdered in Newtown, and yet I’ve never thought about those murdered Chicago children before looking up that figure, and I’m not likely to think about them again . . . while my mind often drifts back to Newtown.” (Bloom 3) The significance of the quote is that gun related incidents are more common in Chicago and yet the Newtown tragedy received more attention. I agree with the statement as the clear imbalance of invested support for the Chicago shootings shows how empathy can fluctuate away from more important issues and drift to topics that seem more “interesting.” Paul Bloom also addresses the aspect of choosing sides and bias driven empathy can lead to even bigger issues. For example, a white man might decide to feel more empathy towards a poor white child as opposed to a poor child of color simply because he can only relate on the basis of skin tone. I found this to be a strong point as well as deciding to devote more attention to another human being based on one simple physical aspect goes against the moral code of empathy completely. Paul wraps up with the point that empathy should be used on a broader and more intellectual scale. “What really matters for kindness may be self-control, intelligence and a more diffuse compassion.” (Bloom 4) I agreed with this statement completely as the best way to approach situations empathetically is to first take a step back. The importance in feeling for others is to know the right aspects to feel bad for. All situations must be addressed with a clear mind and common sense in order to ensure no one is left with lack of attention or support.
- I found myself aligning with a lot of Paul Bloom’s takes on empathy and it’s common misuse. I agreed the most with his idea on the proper way empathy should be interpreted. I strongly agree with the aspect of taking a step back from situations that require your emotion and not letting it get the better of you. It’s the idea that using your mind over emotion will most likely lead to a better solution in which you can help more people.
- Paul Bloom challenges my understanding in the sense that I never even really thought about it to that extent before. I always saw empathy as a good characteristic to have with no drawbacks, but as I began to read, I understood how narrow minded empathy can lead to lack of support for other people that might need it. I was also unaware that empathy could hold bias and could be used against people.
- “Empathy is limited as well in that it focuses on specific individuals.” I agree with the statement in the sense that it is less broad than we would like to imagine. Empathy tends to not only lean toward a side but can even single out individuals in situations where entire issues need to be addressed. This limits the possibilities for what we believe empathy can stem into.
