How Lack of Empathy Causes Bigotry

Kelley T. Gilmore The social injustices of the world can be due to the bigotry of certain individuals. If people thought in more perspectives than their own, then there would be a mutual understanding amongst them. If empathy were utilized, then people in the world would be better off. This is because bigotry would be absent within the presence of empathy. From injustices within the US political system to genocide abroad, societies would be civilized if empathy were chosen.

How Lack of Empathy Causes Bigotry

The revulsion for bigotry fuels the desire for new ideologies to arise that differ from the conservative values and traditions of the past that are still enforced in today’s society. Thinking with an open mind aids in this desire, as doing so allows for the provision of numerous perspectives that permit individuals to alter the way they view others. Empathy is the ability to understand, and therefore, is the driving force in individuals caring for one another and feeling sympathetic for others as well. The lack of empathy can “create a psychological starvation that can cause people to act in extremely destructive ways,” which can be seen throughout history ("Lack of empathy: Disorders, signs & causes," n.d.). The absence of empathy could be a likely reason why bigotry is prevalent in areas such as the United States (U.S.) politics and world history. As the prevalence of bigotry arises in the U.S., communicate, and empathize with one another for society to progress positively and not crumble back into the state of Germany during World War Two (WWII). With the current state of the world, especially in the U.S., empathy could the social injustices that occur within societies. Bigotry in the U.S. government can be due to the progression of enmity between political parties. Political parties began to form due to the struggle over the ratification of the federal Constitution of 1787. at the time, ^ were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists ("Formation of political parties - Creating the United States. Exhibitions - Library of Congress," 2008). Today, there of factions associated with the U.S. government, including the most common, Democratic and Republican parties. The two parties are very distinctive as Democrats believe more in liberal idealism Republicans, ^ believe in conservative values. These epithets were established to describe economic and political views and affiliations (“Conservative vs. liberal -

Difference and comparison. Diffen," n.d.). As time progressed, the two parties have viewed each other as adversaries in the fight for government control. The book, The War for Kindness, by Jamil Zaki, provides an example of this from two different decades as in 1960, Americans were asked how they would feel if their child married someone from the opposite political party. The results showed that four percent of Democrats and five percent of Republicans said they would be displeased. By 2010, the percentage expanded to a third of Democrats and a half of Republicans (Zaki, 2019, p. 55 and 56). This is a prime example of how bigotry is exerted in America. The growing opposition between the two parties due to contrast in deals, making members of each party become discriminative towards each other. ^lack of interest in the other perspectives is another reason. This can be seen in a recent study where both parties paid money to not listen to the other side’s opinions (Zaki, 2019, p. 56). If empathy were present, Democrats would be able to think like Republicans, and Republicans would think like Democrats. This would allow for an understatement of the contrasting views held by both parties. Branching further into the U.S. government, one can realize that bigotry exists even within presidential administrations, more specifically, the Trump administration, which is composed of Republicans. One example of this was back in 2016 when President Donald Trump strongly advocated for a wall to be built on the southern border to keep migrants and illegal immigrants out of the U.S. His claim for this was that a wall would decrease terrorist groups, human and drug trafficking, and jobs taken by those who anticipate coming to the U.S. In a tweet posted on 26 November 2018, Trump promoted this idea by proposing Mexico to “…move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries… Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it any way you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A.” (Trump, 2018). These words came furiously from a man who cares for the country he governs and resides in. These words come from a man who does not want what he does not perceive to be “high quality” individuals to come in and wreak havoc on the U.S. and take away opportunities from those who are actual citizens (“Christie: Trump has ‘found himself saddled with riffraff’ , ” 2019). With Trump being a conservative and nationalist, his statements and beliefs about migrants and immigrants understandable when thought about his perspective. However, when thinking a different perspective, one can argue that his policies on aliens are unjust. In May of 2018, the Trump administration implemented its “zero tolerance” policy, dictating that all migrants who cross the southern border without permission be referred for prosecution. This did not exclude parents arriving with young children. The children were taken away, and parents were unable to reunite with or track their children because the government failed to create a system to facilitate reunification ("Family separation under the Trump administration – a timeline," 2020). To deny migrants who try to escape the hardships brought upon by events in their own countries, a better life takes a great deal of a lack of empathy. With the president that his great

grandfather, Friedrich Trump, was an immigrant and an illegal one, ^ makes his claims about migrants and immigrants rather biased. The sole reason for President Trump’s success is mere because of his ancestor migrating to the U.S. from his home country of Germany to “seek his fortune in America during the Gold Rush” (Jones, 2018). Trump’s success was made possible in the U.S. because his great grandparents were rejected by their homeland due to great grandfather Trump not participating in Germany’s compulsory military service when he was younger. This affected his citizenship as a German as it was revoked. Therefore, the two reluctant expatriates were deported back to the U.S., thus, creating the Trump family fortune (Jones, 2018). This situation is quite similar to President Trump and the Mexican migrants. Trump knows his wealth is due to the events brought upon his family in the past, yet he hid this truth to further his campaign back in 2016. Comparing this situation to his great grandparents’, it can be argued that the president has empathy, though he chooses not to use it. This allows his bigotry to be expressed. Taking from the previous situation, Trump can be compared to Germany, and his great grandparents can be compared to the Mexicans. Trump and Germany both rejected individuals who were trying to come into a country. The great grandparents and the Mexicans were those individuals trying to into a country. The only difference here is that the great grandparents become citizens of the U.S. and become wealthy, while the Mexican migrants were detained. If Trump empathized with the Mexicans and thought the perspective of his great grandfather and grandmother, he would be able to understand what the Mexicans were going through, and they possibly could have enjoyed wealth just as the president’s ancestors did. Instead, he thought in his perspective what appears to exist a leaning towards apathy, or perhaps disdain toward races and racial issues. Another example of where lack of empathy caused social injustices to arise due to bigotry occurred abroad from the U.S. and into Europe. It began during the Second World War (WWII) and is called the Holocaust. The Holocaust was characterized by the systematic persecution and murder of European Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, German political opponents, and many more the Nazi regime ("Learn about the Holocaust, antisemitism, and genocide," n.d.). This oppression was dictated by Adolf Hitler, who led the Nazi Party after rising to power in the 1930s ("Learn about the Holocaust, antisemitism, and genocide," n.d.). This antisemitic genocide occurred in concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, Dachau, and Treblinka, where victims were placed, put to work and left to die in privation ("Learn about the Holocaust, antisemitism, and genocide," n.d.). Antisemitism played a role in Hitler’s thinking and the Nazi ideology. It is important to note that Hitler did not invent the antipathy of Jews. European Jews had been victims of persecution and discrimination since the Middle Ages, generally for religious reasons. In the nineteenth century, religion became less significant. It was replaced by theories about the divergence between races and peoples. The concept that Jews

belonged to different people than the Germans caught on ("Why did Hitler hate the Jews?" 2020). The origin of Hitler's detestation of Jews is not apparent. In his autobiographical manifesto titled Mein Kampf, he described his development into an anti-Semite as the result of a long, personal struggle. Allegedly, his aversion to Jews came to fruition when he lived and worked as an unsuccessful painter in Vienna, Austria, which is ironic, as his most loyal customer was Jewish ("Why did Hitler hate the Jews?," 2020). This shows how Hitler’s bigotry prevailed over empathy. His aversion intensified when he discovered two Austrian politicians who would become strong influences on his thinking. Georg Ritter von Schönerer (1842-1921) was a German nationalist. He believed that the German-speaking regions of AustriaHungary should be integrated with the German empire. He also that Jews could never be fully qualified as German citizens. The other influence, Viennese mayor Karl Lueger (18441910), inadvertently taught Hitler how social reforms and antisemitism could be successful. In Mein Kampf, Hitler praised Lueger as 'the greatest German mayor of all times'. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he put similar ideas into effect ("Why did Hitler hate the Jews?," 2020). Amidst the atrocity of revolution and violence, Hitler's antisemitism became increasingly radical. “He argued for an ‘antisemitism of the mind'. It had to be legal and would ultimately lead to the “removal' of the Jews” ("Why did Hitler hate the Jews?," 2020). He often compared the Jews to germs and stated that “diseases cannot be controlled unless you destroy their causes. The influence of the Jews would never disappear without removing its cause, the Jew, from our midst” ("Why did Hitler hate the Jews?" 2020). His radical idealisms paved the way for the mass murder of the Jews, amongst others, in the 1940s. With Hitler being a radical and a nationalist, it is understandable why he took the path he did. The influences in his life aid in the understanding, as without them, he would not be notoriously remembered for who he was and what he did today. The Nazi belief in racial superiority is a reason for his fruition of genocide. When something is believed to a profound extent, it becomes the basis of one's life. This is what happened with Hitler. By of how he acquired his anti-Semitic views and what he did to enforce them, it can be argued that his bigotry is an offshoot of his lack of empathy. If Hitler were empathetic towards the Jewish populace instead of conspiring against them, he would have how they felt during their time under oppression. However, he did not, due to his incapability to tolerate the opposing views held by the Jews. Having Republican idealisms can be compared to having radical idealisms. It can be seen with President Trump and his administration that using an overexertion of power “will only reinforce his belief that he can get away with just about anything.” (Walt, 2020). Hitler’s radical idealisms led him to become the dictator of NaziGermany. Trump’s claim that the Constitution gives him “the right to do whatever” he wants aids in the belief that he is turning the U.S. presidency into a dictatorship (Coleman, 2020). If Trump continues to over assert his

executive power, “…it will have historical consequences…” for the nation as “he would end our democracy based on the rule of law and replace it with an unaccountable dictatorial king” (Coleman, 2020). the U.S. government to not convert to a dictatorship, Republicans need to view life in an alternate perspective: Democratic, and vice versa. For this to occur, Democrats and Republicans must collaborate rather than antagonize each other. Members from both parties must leave their bigotry aside to communicate together. Through contact, members of both parties can empathize with each other as the opposing perspectives are shared. The provision of insight will allow them to understand how and why their separate political views arose, and perhaps, positive relationships will emerge from communication. Their collaboration can establish bipartisanship, and by

working together, issues within the U.S. could be resolved and not further disrupted by a corrupt political system. Taking from the experiences of Trump and the Mexicans and Hitler and the Jews, it is understood that bigotry is a serious issue and has been prevalent for a long time. Even with an eight-decade, bigotry has remained, although it has subsided. Trump’s and Hitler’s lack of empathy caused much trauma upon their victims as well. It is noteworthy that both men were a part of events that took families apart and separated them, leaving them to reunite on their own, if family members even survived. Their absence of empathy caused them to act in destructive ways that ruined opportunities for the individuals who were wronged by them. The social injustices executed could have been avoided if only empathy were chosen; thus, abandoning bigotry and allowing for a more civilized world. References

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