Social Sense
Is 'compassion' today's "classless" and egalitarian word for 'pity'? If so, here are a few words on the subject from my good friend, Fred Nietzsche ("Human, All too Human"):
"For in pity at least two (maybe many more) elements of personal pleasure are contained, and it is to that extent self-enjoyment: first of all, it is the pleasure of the emotion (the kind of pity we find in tragedy) and second, when it drives us to act, it is the pleasure of our satisfaction in the exercise of power. If, in addition, a suffering person is very close to us, we reduce our own suffering by our acts of pityAside from a few philosophers, men have always placed pity rather low in the hierarchy of moral feelings-and rightly so.
Desire to arouse pity. 15 In the most noteworthy passage of his self-portrait (first published in 165
, La Rochefoucauld certainly hits the mark when he warns all reasonable men against pity,16 when he advises them to leave it to those common people who need passions (because they are not directed by reason) to bring them to the point of helping the sufferer and intervening energetically in a misfortune. For pity, in his (and Plato's) 17 judgment, weakens the soul. Of course one ought to express pity, but one ought to guard against having it; for unfortunate people are so stupid that they count the expression of pity as the greatest good on earth.
Perhaps one can warn even more strongly against having pity for the unfortunate if one does not think of their need for pity as stupidity and intellectual deficiency, a kind of mental disorder resulting from their misfortune (this is how La Rochefoucauld seems to regard it), but rather as something quite different and more dubious. Observe how children weep and cry, so that they will be pitied, how they wait for the moment when their condition will be noticed. Or live among the ill and depressed, and question whether their eloquent laments and whimpering, the spectacle of their misfortune, is not basically aimed at hurting those present. The pity that the spectators then express consoles the weak and suffering, inasmuch as they see that, despite all their weakness, they still have at least one power: the power to hurt. When expressions of pity make the unfortunate man aware of this feeling of superiority, he gets a kind of pleasure from it; his self-image revives; he is still important enough to inflict pain on the world. Thus the thirst for pity is a thirst for self-enjoyment, and at the expense of one's fellow men. It reveals man in the complete inconsideration of his most intimate dear self, but not precisely in his "stupidity," as La Rochefoucauld thinks. In social dialogue, three-quarters of all questions and answers are framed in order to hurt the participants a little bit; this is why many men thirst after society so much: it gives them a feeling of their strength. In these countless, but very small doses, malevolence takes effect as one of life's powerful stimul
"...stimulants, just as goodwill, dispensed in the same way throughout the human world, is the perennially ready cure.
But will there be many people honest enough to admit that it is a pleasure to inflict pain? That not infrequently one amuses himself (and well) by offending other men (at least in his thoughts) and by shooting pellets of petty malice at them? Most people are too dishonest, and a few men are too good, to know anything about this source of shame. So they may try to deny that Prosper Merimée is right when he says, "Sachez aussi qu'il n'y a rien de plus commun que de faire le mal pour le plaisir de le faire."18
15. This aphorism is directed against Schopenhauers exaltation of pity as the highest moral feeling (cf. The World as Will and Idea, Bk. 4, par. 67).
16. Je suis peu sensible à la pitié et voudrais ne l'y être point du tout . . . Cependant, il n'est rien que je ne fisse pour le soulagement d'une personne affligée. . . Mais je liens aussi qu'il faut se contenter d 'en témoigner et se garder soigneusement d'en avoir. C'est une passion qui n'est bonne à rien au dedans d'une âme bien faite, qui ne sert qu'a affaiblir le coeur, et qu'on doit laisser au peuple, qui, n'exécutant jamais rien par raison, a besoin des passions pour le porter à faire les choses. (I am not much moved by pity and would like to be not at all .... However, there is nothing I would not do to relieve a suffering person .... But I also maintain that one should be content to show it [pity] and carefully keep from having it. It is a passion which is useless to a well-developed soul, which serves only to weaken the heart, and which ought to be left to the masses, who, never doing anything out of reason, need passions to bring them to act.)
17. Cf. The Republic Bk. 3, 387-88.
18. Prosper Merimée (1803-70), Lettres à une inconnue, I:8.
"Know that nothing is more common than to do harm for the pleasure of doing it:"
I have noticed that political rallies today are not so much different from those in Hitler’s Germany. Like then, we today have thousands of adoring but mindless fans shouting out the name of their newest hope for change, and no one has any clear idea of the long-term consequences of his or her proposed changes....Indeed my friend!....frightening isn't it? 
It seems to me today that so many people are clueless and by choice. People look at the world in terms of how it will affect and effect their little world and circle. When it comes to the big picture they are lost so they follow the mass idiots that actually do not know anymore than anyone else and in the end there is chaos.
Abraham Lincoln was a man way ahead of his time. He was self taught-the best sort of being educated in my book.
But I ask could he or any of our brilliant forefathers withstand the scrutiny of todays clueless cold world?
I would like to think so, but I seriously doubt it.
FJ . . . very stimulating; thank you for providing this input.
Semper Fi
I agree, Layla. Most of our founding fathers are probably turning over in their graves. None were "perfect," but they are a far, far cry from what we have presented to us today.
Semper Fi
I have noticed that political rallies today are not so much different from those in Hitler’s Germany. Like then, we today have thousands of adoring but mindless fans shouting out the name of their newest hope for change, and no one has any clear idea of the long-term consequences of his or her proposed changes.
Obama is a demagogue, and Americans are falling for his demagoguery. I fear that Americans are too lazy or busy to bother checking on any candidate's stand on the issues. Maybe Americans will wake up, but I'm not counting on the waking up until the damage to our republic has been done.
"God help us if we are so ill informed of the true history of our country, including its experience with slavery and restrictive Jim Crow laws enacted by the Democratic Party."
Not exactly mustang, the Dixiecrats who bolted to the Republican party were the Jim Crow enthusiasts. Not that the North was much better in it's race relations, only less obvious about the discrimination but Democrats are not the party today of such fine crackers as George Allen et. al.
You continually call others ignorant of history simply because they don't accept your version. You seem to believe there is an objective "history". Well, if there is it's so damn complex we'll never understand it.
Meanwhile, today on the anniversary of Dr. King's death at the Lorraine motel while he was trying to get better conditions for simple garbage collectors I think we should take some time out and ask that piece of human sludge, John McCain why he resisted honoring Dr. King's birthday.
King paid a lot bigger price in service to America than that third rate pilot did.
Mr. Ducky,
Are you a pilot? How, exactly, do you determine that McCain is "..a third rate pilot."?
Of all the "notables" in American history, who determines who ought be honored with statues, public holidays, stamps, etc? Do all the real heroes get publically lauded? Why not? Do we give students days off in honor of them? BTW, it is now President's Day....lumping Washington and Lincoln.
I would also comment that FDR's "alphabet soup" pandered to all, but more and more to various poor folks...including minorities. Stated another way, the buying votes was begun and got worse and worse with the Dems...thought I would admit that the Reps have done it too..though I believe they are less socialist in their programs.
Ducky,
You should exercise care not to compress history to the point where it proves your revisionist view. Dixiecrats were Southern Democrats. These Democrats developed, implemented, and enforced Jim Crow Laws for nearly 100 years following the Civil War. I know . . . it is difficult to associate yourself with such a party, but that is your choice, right?
And of course, you are correct that there are sufficient idiots in both parties to last a lifetime. My one consistent theme at Social Sense is the paucity of honorable political leaders and the difference between political rhetoric and reality. While I detest politicians, democrats are the worst — for these reasons: (1) Democrats favor a never-ending system of taxation to support programs that are not working, including education and entitlement programs that do nothing more than demean human beings and make them dependent upon the government. (2) Having disenfranchised Americans, and by keeping them stupid, they are able to maintain their lofty positions of wealth and power. Your support of DNC programs tells us volumes about how much you really care about your fellow Americans. Shame on you, sir; you are not in a position to criticize anyone.
Finally, unless or until you have done something amazingly courageous with your life, please refrain from criticizing those who have. McCain is far from perfect, but he deserves the respect of Americans who demonstrate less intrepidity. McCain earned his rights as an American; those who have never served their country have had their rights paid for by someone else.
"A few years at college won’t make a bad man virtuous; it will merely put the polish on his wickedness"
Hmm. Right. The kid in high school who's started on the academic road to liberalism promoted by his teachers there (trust me) will only become more polished during his university years. The road to hating America; blaming it for every woe around the world, ignoring all the good it does, promoting some bizarre and dangerous world where any war is evil (especially if America's involved), etc. is a wickedness that's going to take us down. (not to be too pessimistic here!)
I fear that Americans are too lazy or busy to bother checking on any candidate's stand on the issues. Maybe Americans will wake up, but I'm not counting on the waking up until the damage to our republic has been done.
One of the ways around this laziness is for the news media to feed this information to people via impartial reports on TV and radio, which everyone has time for. As we all know, they fail daily in their stampede to get their own favorites elected.
A.C. McCloud...who's going to teach OUR news media how to give "impartial reports"? That'll be the day. I wish. It would be like telling all university profs to teach people to think instead of indoctrinate.
Z, I'd like to think that perhaps one way to teach them is for more blogs such as this one to pop up. Guys like Mustang out there writing sensible, reasoned opinion pieces backed up by links/facts could threaten their sloppy existence. Or at least push them to get better.
A.C.,
The blogosphere still doesn't seem to be the primary source for most people to get the news.
I've given up on the mainstream media.
AC, I'm afraid I'm of AOW's opinion; the mainstream media's a lost cause.
What we need are men like mustang writing FOR the NYTimes, as I have told him only earlier today! You make an excellent point, but agenda will always get in the way of the msm; they have blinders on. And, of course, they'd find mustang's writing biased no matter HOW excellent his facts and figures (and they are excellent and true!).
I disagree to a point--bloggers made an impact on the Dan Rather fake docs story and Drudge altered a president's legacy.
You're both right that average people don't pay much heed to bloggers but if newspaper circulations keep going down they may have no choice but to add writers like Mustang to save themselves.
THAT, AC, is what I've been trying to say. And I see your point better now, about how we might get to a level of honesty in the press, etc...thanks. No choice but "to add writers like Mustang"..yes. Bravo. we can HOPE!!
mustang, it's well known that the dixiecrats left the Democratic party and were warmly welcomed the Republicans.
What does your party stand for NOW?
It sure doesn't stand for anything like Dr. King's vision.
In spite of a more evenly divided constituency in the south today, Democrats controlled southern politics through the mid-1980s. There remains a vibrant Democratic constituency in the south, and you might find the demographics an interesting phenomenon; simply stated, the Democratic Party isn’t as dominating today as it once was. To understand this, one must factor massive migrations to the Sunbelt from northern states. That, along with gradual changes in attitudes has given us a more balanced outlook about southern living among both Republicans and Democrats. I will agree with you that there remain people whose ignorance or experience led them to harbor ethnic prejudices, but I also believe that more people today are working hard within themselves to overcome the biases instilled by parents and reinforced through peer groups.
But I cannot completely agree with you about Republican values and what King stood for. I believe this is a very interesting subject, by the way . . . but I suspect that your preconceived notions about liberalism will not allow you to think about it objectively. I can only speak for myself, and many of my attitudes derive from my association with the Marine Corps where we learned that the value of a man is significantly more than his skin color. It has to do with what kind of a man or woman they are, not what the look like. It is how they behave, whether or not they have self-respect, if they value others, if they have self-discipline, and realizes the worth of a man is not where he begins life’s journey . . . but how he finishes it. What King wanted was for all men to be equal, and I think that Republicans do embrace this value.
Let’s consider the so-called “housing crisis” as an example. I assume you think the government should provide significant monetary relief to people who made a conscience decision to acquire adjustable rate mortgages, and your idea is that because many of these people were minorities, greedy bankers took advantage of them. Bankers are greedy by their nature, so that’s nothing new. On the other hand, let the buyer beware. Minority or not, if people are too stupid to consider the consequences of their decisions, they should not only learn to live with those decisions, I actually believe that making mistakes — and learning to live with them — will in time present us with a smarter consumer. Perhaps it is true that government should keep a close eye on so-called predatory lenders, but I think the best people to do that are consumers, not some incompetent government agency that accomplishes little more than increase our tax burden. You want more government interference; I want less. You want government to assume responsibility for individual decisions, and I want individuals to accept responsibility. You want government to be accountable; I want individuals accountable for what they do. And if these people learn to succeed by working hard – like I’m sure you do, then I don’t wan
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want the government penalizing them for their hard work by taxing more of their income.
King knew that a man can only stand up on his own two feet (and become a man) when he is in charge of his own life. However, thanks to government programs and liberal attitudes, we have too many fathers who’ve skipped out on their children and the women they impregnated, and this abandonment has created so many corollary problems that it boggles the mind. King didn’t intend that to happen. Compassion? Yes . . . but also, tough love. Otherwise, there can be no meaningful changes in our society. I hope this concerns you, as much as it concerns me. It is, for me, a “teach men to fish” scenario. No one can defeat no an independent-minded man, or will unfortunate circumstances remove him from his path. We need more of these kinds of people, not less.
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