this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2024
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[–] [email protected] -2 points 2 months ago (8 children)

They aren't victims. That's my point.

I'm sure it fells good for you to feel that they are and that you're out there defending them.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (7 children)

I don’t know any American farmers, but I suspect they have limited options of who to vote for, and even when they diligently vote correctly at every opportunity, their candidates are incentivized to betray them the moment they take office. The more important truth, however, is this:

When some misfortune befalls your fellow man, this instinct to bury pity with contempt hurts you more than it hurts them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I live around a ton of farmers. They all vote the same.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago
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