A Tale of Two Bombings

[brinker]

I've spent a day thinking how to not make this come off as callous or something.  It is absolutely not intended that way.  I certainly feel horrible for all the people injured in any bombing.  It's just the comparison of the two that I can't help commenting on

Comments

[kanzeon_2040]

I thought about your posts about Kabul bombings when I realized how much more I was affected by the Boston Marathon bombing. I think empathy plays a big part in how we react to these things, and it shows how we empathize more with some humans than others. Also, the news media we each watch will affect which people we learn about, and therefore which people we empathize with.

We can't empathize the same with everybody, there are just too many people, so we put people into different categories and create hierarchies of empathy.

[brinker]

Yeah, this is true, and certainly we can't care equally about everything and everybody or we'd go crazy. But it is still an interesting and unfortunate phenomena... And I think if we did empathize with everyone equally, the world would be a much better place.

[leidhen]

I've been thinking of more or less the same these days. Among the left, it's common to turn this into an accusation: "if the victims aren't white, we don't care", or something along these terms, but I think it's just a very natural reaction about caring/worrying most about what's closer to home. On a larger scale, it doesn't seem ethical, though I suppose caring equally about everything bad that happens anywhere in the world could be simply overwhelming.

[brinker]

Yeah, I'm not making any accusations. It is natural to care more if it's closer to you, and I think if we cared equally about everything, we'd die. Caring less and not flipping out about everything is a natural coping mechanism to keep us from going crazy.

I don't think it's about white/not-white, I think it's about proximity. I care a lot more about a bomb that kills one of my student's family members than I do the Boston Marathon where I don't know anyone who was killed. Not saying either is more important/worse, but.... it's natural to care about things that are closer.

[leidhen]

That's how I feel about it, too. It's always worse when something bad happens to a place I know people living there. Likewise, I never thought that much about things going off in Kabul, but ever since I got to knew you, it's always alarming.

[brinker]

Yeah, very true, and it's the same with Greece for me because of you living there (well, you and Christine, although at least it's not usually bombings there.) It's human nature, but still a bit odd, since knowing someone nearby doesn't mean you know the people affected any more than if you didn't know anyone in the area.

[colonelperry42n]

I know exactly what you mean. . .a friend told me about the bombings (probably bc my sister used to live in Boston, but moved recently and my friend didn't know about that. . .) My response was: "ah. . .there were a couple of explosions." In my head, I was thinking, only 3 people died. . .not too bad

[brinker]

I think everyone gets caught up in their own world. It's not unique to Americans in the least, it's just that Americans get caught up in a fairly different world than others do.

But yeah, I read The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver.) One of the characters is describing his horrific experiences during the war in his home South (Central?) American country. The narrator is understandably shocked and horrified and comments, "I can't imagine a world like that." And he replies, "But you live in that world."

It's another quote that's stuck with me (like Data's quote in my original post) as something we don't think about, but is very true.

[Note: Kingsolver's writing isn't my style, but I have a great respect for her nevertheless, and I think she's got a lot of good stuff to say.]

[colonelperry42n]

I'll have to check that book out.

I can understand how people are stuck in their own world, but as you said, Americans are caught up in a fairly different world, but it doesn't stop in our own country. . .bc of my passport, people have treated me like a freakin' queen everywhere I go! I've been late one day on visas, and they let me straight on through borders! I've also heard similar stories from American men, so it couldn't be the border guards just letting me go through bc of my big boobs :p

I know this treatment can also go the wrong way, with getting kidnapped and held for ransom, but it's still such a strange existence. . .while I'm aware of the horrors in the States, and the hidden poverty that no one seems to be aware of, it's still a very strange way of living indeed.

[brinker]

Yeah, very true on all counts there. Definitely the passport gives us huge advantages and leeway. Of course, it also nets us higher prices on /everything/ for whatever that's worth. :/

[omentide]

[brinker]

I think you're very right about America and how it feels and views such things as things that happen "somewhere else."

What do you find strange about the reaction to politically motivated murder, though?