Monstrous Empathy: Open Therapy Podcast with Dr. Andrew Hartz

In the 9th installment of the Open Therapy Podcast series, Andrew and I discuss how empathy is distorted, "weaponized," and directed by ideological schemas.
Andrew Hartz, Ph.D., is the founder of the Open Therapy Institute
To find a therapist, become a member, or learn about workshops through the Open Therapy Institute, contact them here: www.opentherap...
_____________________________________________________________________
If you would like to contact me, my website is: theradicalcent... and I am on twitter @JLeslieElliott
And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!):
www.paypal.me/...
www.buymeacoff...
/ theradicalcenter

[@AndyJarman]

Mmm, four comments? I think I made that many myself just yesterday. Some terrible censuri g going on. Don't forget to press like.

[@theradicalcenter]

I actually had to re-upload the video, so it's my fault. 🤦‍♀️

[@iconiclust]

@19:39 she questions Jordan Peterson saying that having women in higher up roles inevitably leads to monstrous empathy. I agree with Peterson and you can clearly see this over and over when a woman’s kid does a horrible crime and the mom insists her “baby” is good and “didn’t do anything” and even if he did there shouldn’t be harsh consequences. Women LOVE to baby people. It empowers them.

[@Zzyzzyx]

Some women live to baby people, sure. But lots don't. I think your point about power is more important. Women who seek (and/or abuse) power will tend to do so in feminine ways.

[@deborahevans4811]

I can think of nothing I want to do more than babying anyone - even babies. So watch out for those lazy generalisations.

[@iconiclust]

@@deborahevans4811 If generally speaking a damned group does something then generally speaking.. it’s true. Not babying a baby is taking it to the extreme though. 👎

[@deborahevans4811]

@@iconiclust I doubt you have the data to speak generally about this particular group, but it sounds as though you disapprove of women's behaviour no matter what.

[@iconiclust]

@@deborahevans4811 Not at all! Plenty of women rock. Women with character and integrity. These days women are nothing like the caliber of women my old grandmother was though 😌 When as a group, your main issue when voting is having the ability to off your offspring, I’d say there’s a general problem. 😉

[@ApPersonaNonGrata]

This reminds me of why Professor Paul Bloom speaks out against empathy.

[@EllaArmstrong25]

We’re trained to feel that any negative feelings towards a member of a specific identity group is bigotry, which makes ppl push to always have good opinions of them…which is kind of ironic because then you aren’t judging a person for their character at all

[@Zzyzzyx]

There are *at least* three definitions of empathy, and I think clarifying those definitions is crucial. Empathy is to *know* (or at least, to get as close to knowing as possible) the feelings, thoughts, and motivations of another. People also use it to mean sympathy - *feeling* what another person feels. It's also used to mean *pitying* or excusing a person, or a group of people. In reality, this happens to the point of dehumanization (as the guest says, monstrous empathy). It's ironic in the extreme that people say "empathy" and mean "dehumanizing pity." It's impossible to have empathy for a group. Anyone who thinks they do is merely stereotyping. That can be a useful tool, but it's not empathy.

[@deborahevans4811]

Bloom likens sympathy to a normal room light, but empathy like a laser beam or spotlight. One cannot truly feel empathy for more than just a couple of people at a time. It would be exhausting.

[@helenablavatsky9136]

Sorry I wasn't here for the live. I just finished listening now. It was wonderful. Will this be an ongoing series?

[@theradicalcenter]

Thanks Helena! Yes this is part of a series of dialogues. You can find them all here: kzbin.info/aero/PLjEsHWlylqm5B-MtfTuCIPaqbi66lrH1P&si=oddXLqXF6MuIfURt

[@helenablavatsky9136]

@@theradicalcenter Thanks, Leslie.

[@herecomesthesun21]

First to comment! 😃 I'm really looking forward to watching this tomorrow. Now I'll go to sleep.

[@oigridh9412]

I’m going to listen to it AND go to sleep 😝

[@herecomesthesun21]

​@@oigridh9412 😃

[@RayG817]

It's funny listening to her stumble over trying to understand empathy. It's foreign to her. It's just so excessive! I only have empathy for people like me. Right? She's like the result of trying to code empathy into a bot.