I’ve heard this sentiment before a while back from a person on Tiktok (unfortunately I cannot remember their name) and it has stuck with me since I first saw it because it is undeniably true.
People’s unchecked empathy will end up getting us hurt. I say this because of what is happening in Venezuela. I see a lot of people, many I followed until now, who are very pro-Palestine now spreading misinformation about Venezuela and its election as a show of solidarity and empathy. This is not right and is incredibly frustrating. Not every “Free [insert country]” movement needs support. Yes, your empathy and want for justice for Palestine and Palestinians is well placed but do not extend that to every movement you see because it might end up backfiring big time. The same people you oppose for the genocide being inflicted on Palestine are the people you are supporting in Venezuela, how do they not make this connection? It’s the lack of critical thinking alongside their empathy that really gets me. These people claim to be anti-imperialist, and I truly believe that they are in their hearts, but at the end of the day they are also supporting a very imperialist coup attempt in Venezuela because their government tells them Maduro is a dictator.
There is also a call to “listen to Venezuelans” but fail to listen to Venezuelans who are actively opposing the coup on the streets. If they let their empathy run wild without critical thought they end up supporting globally detrimental movements that will end up causing so much fucking damage, and when the deed is done I hope they’re happy.
Sorry for this rant but seeing people I liked and respected, many of them artists, falling for this crap and spreading misinformation and propaganda to their large audiences is incredibly frustrating and disheartening. Pro-Palestine and yet you support Maria Machado? Give me a fucking break…
It's not empathy that is the problem. You are looking at a problem that is simply a lack of education and consciousness. Liberalism is hegemonic. The default that anyone absorbs is a liberal take and a liberal approach. The only way to correct this is to become educated in ways resilient to liberal nonsense, which requires unlearning their illogical thought patterns, learning media criticism, learning history, and, of course, reading socialist theory. An effective way to do this is through party organization, forming reading groups and political education curricula and alternative media commentaries.
Unless you were a red diaper baby, we all had bad liberal takes at some point. We were all media illiterate. We knew selective and limited history. And our understanding of socialist thought was liberal straw men and cartoons. We have to bring people over to us and understand that they will have frustratingly bad takes all the while until they learn humility and gain consciousness.
it's feels before reals
they feel before finding out what's real