Benjamin King, who was injured by a neighbour's dog this month. (Image Credit: Contributed / Stephanie King)
Two & Out

PETERS: Instead of a rush to judgment, a little human empathy might help heal our discourse

Oct 29, 2021 | 12:05 PM

IF WE WANT TO HEAL OUR PUBLIC DISCOURSE, we all need to try demonstrating some more human empathy. Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

A couple of stories from the past week demonstrate that perfectly.

First, the story of a young boy who suffered severe wounds from a dog attack.

The boy is facing surgery and a scarring that may affect his life for a long, long time.

Even if he didn’t live with autism, the entire experience would have been frightening and confusing.

Instead of expressing sympathy to the family, the majority of the response has consisted of people trying to act as judge and jury — deciding the fate of the dog and casting aspersions on every person involved in the situation.

Publicly pointing out what you believe to be mistakes in others may make you feel better about your own flawed decisions, but it certainly didn’t help the family of the boy or the owner of the dog.

The second example came Thursday when Premier John Horgan announced he is undergoing biopsy surgery for a mass in his throat.

Horgan is already a cancer survivor, so this is doubly concerning for him.

To his credit, he is approaching the health scare with grace, humour and optimism and has received support from political backers and foes alike.

Not in the CFJC Today comment section, though.

The reaction was snark and sanctimony and even death wishes.

Beyond that, there was plenty of misunderstanding about how the medical system responds to cancer scares. If you or I or anyone, who is also a cancer survivor, presents with a condition that may be cancer, the wheels start turning very quickly.

Yet many responses reverted to cynicism that Horgan was using his influence to jump the queue, as if he was getting a knee replacement.

It remains distressing when people cannot see certain public figures as anything more than the embodiment of the politics they find distasteful — or even evil.

We often complain about how social media has broken the way human beings relate to each other.

Maybe inserting a little human empathy for those experiencing tough times into our daily interactions would go a long way toward healing that break.

——

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

View Comments