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Author | Topic: On feeling sorry for people | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
robinrohan Inactive Member |
Mangy Tiger wrote this in the discussion of moderation thread
Although it may cause some intemperate reactions on both sides I think the discussion about robinrohan's comment on the old Vets he saw and the reaction it has provoked is an interesting discussion. I agree. Let's see if I can frame this issue in such a way that it is not personal. On the thread entitled "The Boasts of Atheists" I made the following comment:
A few weeks ago I went with my wife to the VA hospital locally (she was signing up for benefits). While she was filling out paperwork, I wandered around. I happened to go out this door into a sort of patio, and there I saw a lot of old men. Many of them were missing limbs. They didn't look like they had much money either. Shabbily dressed. Veterans of some war or other. It was terrible. My heart went out to them. This comment evoked a great deal of negative reaction. I was accused of all sorts of wickedness--of judging, of assuming, of being demeaning, of dehumanizing people and the like. One poster suggested I had no business feeling anything if I wasn't planning on helping these old men. To my mind, these negative comments illustrate a perversion of moral feeling created by this obsession with being politically correct Edited by robinrohan, : No reason given. Edited by robinrohan, : No reason given.
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Admin Director Posts: 12998 From: EvC Forum Joined: Member Rating: 2.3 |
Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.
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ohnhai Member (Idle past 5162 days) Posts: 649 From: Melbourne, Australia Joined: |
Being moved by something is different from being moved enough to do some thing about it.
Did you stop to ask these people their story?
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robinrohan Inactive Member |
Did you stop to ask these people their story? They did not strike me as being in a talkative mood. I was most impressed by their silent, stony stoicism.
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nator Member (Idle past 2170 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: It might have been stoicism. Or, it might have been depression. Or deafness. Or the effects of medication. You wouldn't know unless you tried to speak to them.
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robinrohan Inactive Member |
It might have been stoicism. Or, it might have been depression. Or deafness. Or the effects of medication. So? It seemed like stoicism to me.
You wouldn't know unless you tried to speak to them. I was in their presence only for a couple of minutes. It was the vision that stuck with me. And anyway, I'm not in the habit of going around asking strangers personal questions.
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ohnhai Member (Idle past 5162 days) Posts: 649 From: Melbourne, Australia Joined: |
compassion and companionship (however fleeting) are cheep to give but can seem like the world to those that receive them.
--- abe--- It’s fine that you noticed them. And that may have changed you. But what would it have cost to let them know that someone other than the nurse who does the daily bloods (how I hate blood tests) noticed their existence. Surely even a nihilist can recognise the needs of others? Edited by ohnhai, : continued thought Edited by ohnhai, : typo fix
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Brian Member (Idle past 4959 days) Posts: 4659 From: Scotland Joined: |
Do you think Jesus shares your feelings for these people?
Brian.
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robinrohan Inactive Member |
It’s fine that you noticed them. And that may have changed you. But what would it have cost to let them know that someone other than the nurse who does the daily bloods (how I hate blood tests) noticed their existence.
What a strange comment. I am being criticized for not speaking to them?
Surely even a nihilist can recognise the needs of others? Being a nihilist doesn't have anything to do with recognizing needs. It's a certain viewpoint--an imminently reasonable one, by the way--about the human condition. Edited by robinrohan, : No reason given.
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robinrohan Inactive Member |
Do you think Jesus shares your feelings for these people? I don't know, Brian. You're the expert on Christianity, not me.
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jar Member (Idle past 394 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
So you missed a great opportunity.
You claim that your "heart went out to them", yet you didn't do squat about it. Did you ask one of the staff if there were any that would enjoy a conversation? We already know you did not try to talk to any of them. You seem to use charges of PC as a shield and a defense, as do many. So far though I have not seen anyone show how anything in any of the "Nobody understands me" threads was based on being Politically Correct. I believe you missed an opportunity. Too bad.
Aslan is not a Tame Lion
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Brian Member (Idle past 4959 days) Posts: 4659 From: Scotland Joined: |
I don't know, Brian. You're the expert on Christianity, not me. Well, in your limited knowledge of Christianity do you think Jesus shares your feelings for these people? Brian.
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robinrohan Inactive Member |
You claim that your "heart went out to them", yet you didn't do squat about it So? I'm being criticized for that? That's ridiculous.
You seem to use charges of PC as a shield and a defense, as do many. So far though I have not seen anyone show how anything in any of the "Nobody understands me" threads was based on being Politically Correct. If you look back at the reactions in the "Boasts of Atheists" thread, you will see a very good example of PC at work.
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robinrohan Inactive Member |
Well, in your limited knowledge of Christianity do you think Jesus shares your feelings for these people? Isn't that a question one asks a Christian? Why are you asking me?
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Brian Member (Idle past 4959 days) Posts: 4659 From: Scotland Joined: |
Isn't that a question one asks a Christian? One doesn't have to be a Christian to know something about Christianity.
Why are you asking me? Because it is your thread. Brian.
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