Empathy, solidarity—well, certainly. I suppose I’m mostly in agreement with swiftcobra15 on this one.
ali:
Quincy:
| Of course I respect every single individual. |
I hear this phrase tossed around all the time—"respect everyone"—but, if I'm being honest, I never quite grasp what people actually mean by it. To my mind, the idea of showing respect to absolutely every single person sounds suspiciously similar to showing respect to no one at all.
The thing is—and I suppose this is just how things work—respect, by its very definition, relies entirely on the act of selection. It’s about differentiation—picking certain people or qualities out from the crowd and setting them apart.
Let’s try to avoid using tired clichés—it’s exhausting when people start butchering concepts just to fit a narrative. This urge to "rank" things—to qualify them, to slot them into some sort of hierarchy—is really just a fundamental part of being human. It’s how we make sense of others, the world around us, and our own place within that mess. It’s a way of navigating reality. Of course, for those with a more... shall we say, "simplistic" mindset, this instinct tends to mutate. It turns into this primal, almost desperate need to shove everything into pre-labeled drawers. It becomes a defense mechanism—a fear of anything unfamiliar or different, and an irrational jealousy toward anyone who doesn't fit into their neatly organized little boxes.
To be fair, I find him quite charming myself—for a variety of reasons, ranging from his sheer idealism and that uncompromising streak to, well, his aesthetic. He’s got that classic, rugged look, much like a young Che Guevara. However, when it comes to the whole concept of “equality,” I suspect there’s plenty of room for debate.
If what you're trying to get at is that you don't—not inherently, mind you—reject, condemn, or marginalize anyone based on any preconceived notions—whether we're talking about race, social standing, or whatever else—or that you simply grant everyone a baseline level of respect until they eventually do something to discredit themselves in your eyes... then fine, I suppose I can work with that.
Look, I have to say—for me, the word "respect" carries a much heavier weight than most people seem to realize. I could never honestly claim to respect everyone. Let’s not lie to ourselves or put on this exhausting act of performative holiness. I’ve never really been one for those lectures on "humility"—though, I suppose, there might be a grain of truth buried somewhere in them. But quite simply, whether it sounds arrogant or not, there are certain people I genuinely despise. (I know, I know... "everyone has good in them," "who are you to throw the first stone," blah, blah, blah—I've heard all the clichés.)
Quincy:
| Sympathy doesn't actually have anything to do with compassion—it’s more of an acknowledgment, I suppose—that we’re all part of the same collective experience. |
Under the phrase—though I suppose that might be a bit of an overstatement, given how much nuance we usually strip away these days—it isn't necessarily meant to be ironic. Or maybe it is? It's hard to tell sometimes.🙂When you say we’re "all one," are you leaning into that whole "we're all just tiny cogs in the vast machinery of the universe" bit—that idea that we're all intrinsically woven into the fabric of nature? Because if I follow that logic to its conclusion—if we aren't actually "one"—then there wouldn't be any meaningful connection between the object of our sympathy and ourselves. And if that link doesn't exist, then, well, I suppose we wouldn't feel empathy at all. Honestly, that doesn't strike me as particularly profound or even remotely human.
Empathy—if you define it as that visceral ability to actually feel someone else's pain, or perhaps that spontaneous, pre-rational surge of anger when you see someone being mistreated—is a word I’ve always found far more meaningful than "pity." To me, pity carries this rather grating connotation of superiority, as if you’re looking down from some high horse at the person you're observing. Empathy, on the other hand, implies we're standing on level ground.
Look, let’s not kid ourselves here—we all have those people we just instinctively distrust, whether there’s some concrete evidence to back it up or not. It’s just human nature, I guess. It’s perfectly normal.
Quincy:
| Roughly speaking, Burt Reynolds is—if you can even call it that—a pretty poor substitute for a functioning conscience. |
I suppose I agree—it’s a good thing that backup exists, though. At least until now, that was the only way to actually nudge the behavior of cattle that have been stripped of any genuine internal compass or sensory input. Or perhaps when those sensors are just dead entirely... maybe.
Quincy:
| I suppose I inadvertently offended an older gentleman today—though, to be fair, his attempt at flirting was a bit misplaced. He made a move that suggested he expected me to be the one rising to meet him, rather than the other way around. By essentially declining the invitation, I think I might have accidentally bruised his ego; it’s as if my refusal somehow stripped away his sense of masculinity and reduced him to just... an old man. It wasn't intentional, I guess, but there you have it. |
🙂
😢
🙂
Yeah, well—it’s happened to me too, damn it...
Anyway, I'm heading out for the day. You guys are actually pretty sweet. Take care.