Episode 212: Gaza and the Political Utility of Selective Empathy

23 snips

Nov 20, 2024

Muhannad Ayyash, a sociology professor and policy analyst, delves into the concept of selective empathy in media narratives, particularly regarding marginalized groups. They discuss how certain communities, like Palestinians, face dehumanization compared to others deemed 'deserving' of empathy, such as Ukrainians. The conversation critiques disparities in media coverage of conflicts and examines the racial dynamics involved. Ayyash emphasizes the urgent need for a nuanced understanding of violence and compassion in shaping public perceptions and responses.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Selective Empathy and Dehumanization

Media coverage perpetuates dehumanization by portraying certain groups as inherently violent.
This selective empathy justifies violence against these groups while promoting empathy for others.

ANECDOTE

Dehumanization During Spanish-American War

During the Spanish-American War, U.S. media depicted Filipinos as savages to justify imperial violence.
This dehumanization, portraying Filipinos as bloodthirsty and uncivilized, fueled public support for atrocities.

INSIGHT

Culture of Violence Theory

The "culture of violence" theory, often applied to marginalized groups, blames their inherent nature for violence.
This ignores socioeconomic factors like poverty and lack of resources that contribute to crime.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

"Salvadoran Ties Bloodshed To a 'Culture of Violence'", reported The New York Times in 1981. "The violence in Lebanon is casual, random, and probably addicting," stated the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in 1985. "Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims," wrote long-time New Republic publisher and editor-in-chief Marty Peretz in 2010.

There’s a recurring theme within media coverage of subjugated people in the US and around the world: they’re mindlessly, inherently savage. Whether the subject is immigrants from Central and South America, Black populations in major American cities, or people in Lebanon or Palestine, we’re repeatedly told that any violence they may be subjected to or carry out themselves is inevitable, purposeless, and baked into their "culture."

The pathologizing of violence in certain racialized communities is one side of the coin. The other side of the coin, which reinforces this notion, is the equally sinister concept of selective empathy. It’s a conditional sense of compassion, reserved for victims who media deem deserving—say, Ukrainian victims of Russia’s invasion—and not for those who media deem undeserving, like Palestinians under siege by Israel in Gaza. What motivates this asymmetry, and how does it shape public understandings of suffering throughout the world? How is empathy as a form of media currency central to getting the public to care about victims of certain violence, while a lack of empathy––and even worse, pathologizing violence in certain communities––conditions the public to not care about those whose deaths those in power would rather not talk about, much less humanize.

In this episode, we look at the concept of selective empathy in media coverage, examining how it continues centuries-old campaigns of dehumanization – particularly against Arab, Black, and Latino people – bifurcates victims of global violence into the deserving and the undeserving, and influences contemporary opinion on everything from pain tolerance to criminal-legal policy.

Our guest is Dr. Muhannad Ayyash.