Don't think you can teach empthy

Empathy is a skill that is learned, like riding a bike or driving a car. We are not born with it, we learn it.



We would? lol

That's just it seems big over muscled guys in shorts dancing around would be more entertaining to women than men. But I am not a woman, so I really don't see what anyone sees in this strange soap opera?

Seems like something women would like to watch? How many women do you know? Lol. I don't know one woman who is interested in big, burly men smacking each other around and calling it a sport. I wouldn't waste my time looking at that.

In regard to empathy, I believe empathy is taught, but it is most easily taught to youngsters. I don't believe we are born with empathy.

When I was about eight years old, I caught a grasshopper and put it in a jar with some grass. I was pretty proud of the grasshopper I now "owned." I showed my brother (10 years older) who I thought was God. He said I should let it go. I wanted to keep it. He said it would die. I still wanted to keep it. He said, "How would you like it if someone did that to you?" When I thought about that, the dynamics changed. Of course, because I was eight years old, I thought about my grasshopper being stuck in a prison and missing his family and friends. My brother "humanized" the grasshopper and gave me a great lesson in empathy. It's the Golden Rule that should be taught and continually reinforced throughout life. All one has to do is ask, "How would I like it if someone did that to me?" "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." That's empathy.

In regard to "battle sports," empathy would say, we aren't qualified to judge since we haven't walked in their shoes. Many fighters come from extremely rough environments. They would be fighters whether in the ring, in the cage, or in the streets. Organized fighting gives them hope. They learn discipline and the value of hard work. Virtually all of them do it out of passion - a true love of the sport and a respect for strength, speed, endurance and knowledge of the game. Pain? That's just part of it - no different from football, or even golf. Look what Tiger Woods went through with his back when he was still in his prime. The participants understand the risks. It's not like some bully bashing someone's face who never wanted to be there in the first place. They embrace it and upon winning, most show an ultimate respect to the person they just defeated. They know that though the other person lost, he/she likely put in just as much hard work and discipline as they did.

I doubt any forms of the martial arts are rigged. Regulations implemented over the years have made rigging fights very difficult. In my opinion, "pro wrestling" is not a sport. It's a choreographed show purely for entertainment purposes.

I'm not a virtuoso - certainly not a prodigy, but I'm very aware of the discipline it takes to become great. I would consider myself an above average musician. I believe I had the talent to become great but lacked the passion to "live" my art - my craft.

I was never a "fighter." I was never a violent person. I never had a desire to "fight" anyone. I have a low threshold for pain. I don't want to get hurt, and I have no desire to hurt anyone else, but there is a level of passion in martial artists not unlike great musicians, actors, writers, etc. There is a sense of, "Regardless of the obstacles put before me, I will rise above." I don't care if you're a martial arts champ or a world-renowned concert pianist, the level of passion that's required to rise to the top is the same. I can't help but admire that.

"Man" has always fought, whether in a ring, a cage, a coliseum, a football field, a tennis court, a basketball court, a battlefield, or a battle of the bands. In all cases, those who rise to the top are those who are passionate enough to put in the required work to become great. That passion drives people to learn and practice for hours and hours every day whether it's weight training, running to improve endurance, punching a bag, sparring, or in the case of a musician, practicing scales, studying theory, or attending rehearsals.

Nearly all sports carry the risk of physical harm - as I said, even golf. Some sports carry a higher risk than others, but the purest form of one-on-one competition is fighting. I suspect you wouldn't be for banning various forms of martial arts competitions. If martial arts competitions were banned due to their violent nature, you'd have to include football, hockey, and perhaps other sports in that ban. Iron man competitions often result with terrible injuries. Skiers have terrible injuries.

I love watching a lot of different sporting events including mixed martial arts (cage fighting). I'm not a fan of blood often seen in MMA, but that's part of the game, no different from seeing a hurdler scrape off half their face due to a fall. Any athletic endeavor presents risks, and those who participate understand the risks. Fighters are not unwilling participants. In fact, I think fighters are some of the most passionate of all athletes and in most cases, after all is said and done, they have the highest level of respect for their opponents.

I get that you don't like the violence, but you'll find "fighters" in virtually all athletic competitions, and no different from a concert pianist, they work hard to become the best they can be at what they love.

Bear in mind, what you grew up with in Queens, NY is not a sport, but given an opportunity, because of their determination to fight to survive in an extremely harsh environment, many of them might have become high-achieving athletes...including sanctioned fighting.

I believe the lack of empathy, as far as men go, is part of the religious indoctrination we have from our very early years. Southern Baptist just ousted some congregations who allowed women pastors. Some Lutheran synods, the Catholics, etc. still don't ordain women as clergy. Girls are still taught they "have their place". So, if men are taught they are superior and must exhibit that superiority can they dare show empathy for the downtrodden?

The current political clime being pushed by the GOP drives these wedges. Don't empathize with immigrants. They're just freeloaders and criminals. Don't empathize with the poor. They're just lazy. Don't empathize with the LGBGT minority. It's just a "choice" they've made. And, most certainly, don't empathize with non-whites. If we empathize with racial injustice, they might become uppity and wrest control from the whites who "deserve" to be the master race.

I think this is where Gen Z is starting to move more and more away from the churches. Church attendance/membership has been slipping for the past few years. Science and rationale thought certainly leads to some doubts about what we were taught in Sunday School. Gen Z is educated and isn't afraid of researching all topics dealing with religion. 2024 will see one of the greatest turnouts of the younger voters than we've seen in some time. That's why current GOP leadership is fighting to remove polling places from college campuses, because they are frightened of the youth vote.