this has a name: parochial empathy, the tendency to empathize more with your "ingroup" (I.E. white people) than members of an "outgroup" (I.E. people of color).
the average bigot absolutely does possess empathy, they just don't consider oppressed people worthy of it.
not only that, but a lack of parochial empathy doesn't inherently result in fair treatment, as many people instead view oppressors and the oppressed as equally worthy of care (thus see anti-oppression activism as hateful or overly divisive) or simply avoid thinking about oppression altogether as to not feel bad about it.
this is especially a contrast I notice as a sociopathic narcissist (using both in the clinical sense), literally part of the two groups used the most by the "empathy = good" types to symbolize ring-wing violence.
I'm almost always the "naïve bleeding-heart lefty" in an interaction, regardless of if I'm interacting with conservatives or other progressives. people who shed literal tears over others' plights have become aggressive with Me over suggesting they should care about the "wrong" people or do something about it other than spiraling into self-pity.
I notice that the main difference between Me and these people politically isn't empathy, but how thoughtful our politics are.
often, it's people who believe that biased social conditions like empathy, the law, or the opinions of those around them are the best assessment of right and wrong who are the most susceptible to parochial empathy and the like. meanwhile, people who exercise critical thought about the aforementioned social norms--while not immune--tend to be more open-minded IME, regardless of their empathy levels.
dailybridgerton
areudirty
vaporwave
kaledo-art
yousharknotpass
dededos
janainaart
blakekathryn
snowghoul
annaxmalina
