My generation lacks empathy and critical thinking

submitted by GuacLettuceBacon from (self.GenderCritical)

I'm in college, was talking with a 20 year old college guy, he's all about TQ+ dogma. I'm for biological sex, defending women's spaces:

Me:

"Lesbians should have a right to make a women-only space without males demanding entrance."

Him:

No, that's discriminatory and illegal

"Ok, well homosexuals are getting sidelined and shut down by heterosexuals. Especially in lesbian spaces, there is a straight male infiltration problem. Males keep overriding women's spaces."

I don't think that justifies allowing discrimination. Women can just choose to not talk to men.

Does anyone else see a lack of empathy here? (He then said my thoughts were uneducated, ignored the news reports I sent as proof of the issue, and then he shut down the conversation)

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[–]fuckingsealions 24 insightful - 1 fun24 insightful - 0 fun25 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I went to college when people could discuss ideas and have discourse. What is happening now is terrible for your generation and the world. I'm sorry.

Check out The Coddling of the American Mind if you have time. It gets at the three great untruths of our time, one of which is: "bad idea=bad person."

Many people are completely unreceptive to even hearing ideas now. I see all the misinformation about Rowling and her new book. People have been trained to form an opinion based on a headline.

I wanted to understand trans issues deeply before accepting the new dogma. Just a little education plus my real world experience peaked me.

And yes, he's expressing a total lack of empathy. Yuck.

[–]forwardback 18 insightful - 1 fun18 insightful - 0 fun19 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Lack of empathy is a polite way to state it. He negged you. That's rude and manipulative.

[–]assignedcopatbirth 17 insightful - 3 fun17 insightful - 2 fun18 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

Disengage. 20 year old college guys make wasting women's time an extreme sport. If he ever changes his views, it'll be because he reads a wokebro author like Jordan Petersen telling him that pronouns are for pussies.

They only respect other men's opinions. Because you're a woman, you are by definition 'biased' because you're trying to start a matriarchy or some shit.

[–]MonstrousRegiment 17 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 0 fun18 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

It's not your generation, it's men.

[–]tuesday 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

No, I think fascism and authoritarianism is a phase many young people go through. Usually tho, there is nothing going on in the world politically which they can latch on to so it never goes anywhere.

But when it does catch on, it always starts out with a middle aged control freak trying to manipulate the masses, but most people rightly pegs him for an idiot and ignores him -- except for the young adults looking for an outlet for their authoritarianism.

Is my theory anyway.

[–]jet199 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Young women are more likely to be proTRA than men.

[–]TurtleFuzz 16 insightful - 1 fun16 insightful - 0 fun17 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This guy sounds like a coward. He is afraid that he might be wrong, and therefore shuts down the conversation before hearing the other side. You did the right thing though, by trying to give real examples of how this ideology hurts women.

I hate making generalizations, but I think a lot of people your age are like this. Growing up on the internet has twisted everyone. I'm in my early 30s, and my husband and I only got smart phones about 5 years ago. We both changed for the worse lol. My husband is addicted to Twitter, and I got sucked into a few mobile games for a while.

If it's any consolation, you don't have to be friends with anyone. You have no obligations! Just leave this guy to the crows and move on with your life.

[–]Madsea 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I’ve been highly considering auditing some specific courses in colleges to start asking loads of questions in class and in discussions. I am not afraid of the mob of idiots and think I’d be able to shush them pretty well with appeals to authority.

They are indoctrinated. I’d like to try to help them engage critical thinking and reframe their ideas.

[–]MarkTwainiac 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I don't think it's fair or accurate to generalize about an entire generation of people this way, whatever their age.

Also, seems to me that girls and young women today, as in the past, have been socialized to have too much empathy. And concepts and buzzwords like "inclusivity" and "intersectionality" and catchphrases like "be kind" and "do better" are being used to bully and bludgeon girls and young women into always putting others - particularly male others - first. Same as it ever was, just dressed up in new jargon and pretending to be "feminist" and "progressive" and "fair."

I do agree, however, that critical thinking skills seem to be in short supply nowadays. Amongst all generations. I

But if critical thinking is especially lacking amongst the younger generations, that's not the fault of young people - it's the fault of shoddy educational systems, crap parenting, the mainstream media, social media, authoritarian politics, cancel culture, "safetyism," celebration of "diversity" in every way except when it comes to diversity of thought, changes in lifestyle that mean many younger people today are reaching adulthood with very limited IRL experience under their belts, and many other factors such as the fact that so many young people nowadays have been prescribed drugs like ritalin, adderal, SSRIs and benzos whilst in their formative years - and kept on them for long periods of time.

The good news is: critical thinking can be learned at any age in life, so if you missed out on it early, it's not too late. Similarly, people who have too much empathy can learn to develop boundaries, self-respect, self-interest and assertiveness later in life too.

It's only those who don't develop empathy early in life who are up the creek.

The fact that you are 20 and made this post is proof positive that some people in your generation are indeed doing okay when it comes to empathy and critical thinking. Kudos to you, OP.

[–]tuesday 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

If it were a stage of emotional development tho, it would be entirely appropriate to generalize.

Honestly when you look at history, at places where fascism ran rampantly out of control, there's a subtle pattern I finally noticed. Middle age or older person trying to manipulate the masses. The majority of the population doesn't fall for it -- not until the college age kids latch on to it as a way to seem more mature than they really are, and then they popularize it.

[–]BEB 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

At this point, women don't have time to waste, so I would leave losers like this in the rear view window and concentrate on rational people who will see the transgenda for what it is - an attack on science, free speech, parents rights, gay rights, women's rights, privacy, dignity, safety and sports.