Can’t debate someone into caring

Kayla Chadwick, writing for Huffington Post, had been trying to reach out to nasty guy supporters and have those “difficult conversations.” But she has run into a problem.

I don’t know how to explain to someone why they should care about other people.

Chadwick would be happy to pay another 17 cents for a Big Mac if it means the burger flipper will be able to feed her family. A little extra in taxes so that everyone has good health care? Great! Taxes to pay for public schools? Yes, all children deserve a quality, free education.

There are all kinds of practical, self-serving reasons to raise the minimum wage (fairly compensated workers typically do better work), fund public schools (everyone’s safer when the general public can read and use critical thinking), and make sure every American can access health care (outbreaks of preventable diseases being generally undesirable).

But if making sure your fellow citizens can afford to eat, get an education, and go to the doctor isn’t enough of a reason to fund those things, I have nothing left to say to you.

I can’t debate someone into caring about what happens to their fellow human beings.

To bring this back to one of my top themes: Ranking is stronger – much stronger – than empathy. People are quite willing to let another (lots of others) die to maintain their rank in society.