Re:How I Survived a Year in ‘The Hole’ Without Losing My Mind
by tomxor on Sunday October 30, 2022 @01:37PM
(#33396632)
> namely that the criminal lacked it for me, the victim.
Whether someone who committed a crime should be empathetic depends on the nature and seriousness of the crime. The vast majority of crimes are non-confrontational, people do not naturally want to get into a position where they have to be violent. It's often when a situation is forced that violence happens.
I've had my car broken into multiple times, a common crime. Each time they took some coins and left all the stuff in the glove box on the seats. Each time no damage was done which I'm grateful for (I suspect it was the same person). I have empathy for that person, they were willing to risk breaking into my car for some coins. To imagine myself doing that, I'd have to be pretty desperate, I wouldn't own a car that's for sure. Why would this person empathise with me? I'm effectively privileged compared to them, If I was in their shoes I sure wouldn't empathise with me. "Criminals" do not lack empathy in an absolute sense, they are just in a different position to you and I. The majority of people who commit crimes do not seek it out, it's a means to an end for them, a sign of an issue with society, economy, or inequality.
Whether someone who committed a crime should be empathetic depends on the nature and seriousness of the crime. The vast majority of crimes are non-confrontational, people do not naturally want to get into a position where they have to be violent. It's often when a situation is forced that violence happens.
I've had my car broken into multiple times, a common crime. Each time they took some coins and left all the stuff in the glove box on the seats. Each time no damage was done which I'm grateful for (I suspect it was the same person). I have empathy for that person, they were willing to risk breaking into my car for some coins. To imagine myself doing that, I'd have to be pretty desperate, I wouldn't own a car that's for sure. Why would this person empathise with me? I'm effectively privileged compared to them, If I was in their shoes I sure wouldn't empathise with me. "Criminals" do not lack empathy in an absolute sense, they are just in a different position to you and I. The majority of people who commit crimes do not seek it out, it's a means to an end for them, a sign of an issue with society, economy, or inequality.