Paul, you're right, definitions would be helpful. As I said in my dialogue with Janice, I think empathy is the closest word to what I mean, and I am referring to the fellow-feeling one gets from identifying with the issues of the other (what compassion - common passion - used to mean but doesn't any longer). I contrast that with accountability, which is holding the other accountable for their behavior and attitudes. I see the combination of these two as representing the essence of a balanced, healthy relationship with the other. Moral polarization, on the other hand, splits empathy and accountability, as in feminism which has empathy without accountability for women and accountability without empathy for men. In other words, feminism "gets" all of the ways that women are powerless and none of the ways that they are powerful, and vice versa for men.
I counsel empathy and accountability for both men and women, which means that we "get" the ways that women and powerless AND the ways that they are powerful, and we "get" the ways that men are powerful AND the ways that they are powerless.
Paul, you're right, definitions would be helpful. As I said in my dialogue with Janice, I think empathy is the closest word to what I mean, and I am referring to the fellow-feeling one gets from identifying with the issues of the other (what compassion - common passion - used to mean but doesn't any longer). I contrast that with accountability, which is holding the other accountable for their behavior and attitudes. I see the combination of these two as representing the essence of a balanced, healthy relationship with the other. Moral polarization, on the other hand, splits empathy and accountability, as in feminism which has empathy without accountability for women and accountability without empathy for men. In other words, feminism "gets" all of the ways that women are powerless and none of the ways that they are powerful, and vice versa for men.
I counsel empathy and accountability for both men and women, which means that we "get" the ways that women and powerless AND the ways that they are powerful, and we "get" the ways that men are powerful AND the ways that they are powerless.