New York Times gift articles

Still I’m inclined to feel for them, the way I felt for people in the UK during Brexit, Canadians when their labor rights are eroded, Russians when their government rigs their elections and media, Chinese when their government persecutes them, and so forth.

I suspect it’s often not a majority of citizens pushing through these harmful policies. Even when it is, I blame lack of education and larger hostile actors who wage war against the masses with misinformation campaigns, election interference, etc.

The point is not that people themselves are entirely free of blame. It’s that human suffering always merits sympathy, and looking for reasons to disregard or rejoice in their just desserts isn’t a helpful impulse.