Everyone does it.
It's impossible to comprehend what the death of 10,000 people means, because all our empathy has to be divided by 10,000. If it's one person, we can concentrate it.
(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Wed 16 Mar 2011, 9:58, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

I take the opposite view
it has to be loads of people to make me give enough of a shit
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 9:59, Reply)

Yeah, not everyone's the same
Have you ever heard of the 'Monkeysphere' theory?
(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:04, Reply)

I have not

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:04, Reply)

Quite interesting:
www.butireaditinthepaper.co.uk/2011/02/16/multiculturalism-and-the-monkeysphere/
(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:05, Reply)

That's one of the most ridiculous things ever
I reckon. He's basically saying that we have limited amounts of empathy and imagination.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:08, Reply)

I don't think that's what he is saying
but that it is harder to empathise.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:11, Reply)

I don't think this is true
the man's backing up his ideas with Facebook research anyway
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:12, Reply)

yeah, clearly a lot of that is bollocks
some people have over 500 friends because they are fucking gimps.

I think though that you are making the mistake of judging the majority by your own standards. You may not have a hard time empathising with people outside your immediate circle (probably bigger than in the article, or at least there are several shells of it) but most people are stupid, belligerent and awful.

and I freely admit that I don't much care about most people.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:20, Reply)

Most people do.

(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:12, Reply)

Is this why I have an unstable social relationship with you lot?

( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:10, Reply)

No, that's because you are bent.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:10, Reply)

Thought as much.

( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:11, Reply)

that is interesting
I believe I'd heard of the Dunbar number, but not the term monkeysphere. Thanks.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:10, Reply)

I read something just yesterday about the empathy for one v empathy for 10,000.
But for the fucking life of me, I can't remember where.
(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:13, Reply)

You might find this interesting, if you haven't seen it already.
Bad Science.
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:18, Reply)

that is also interesting

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:24, Reply)