We talk about demonstrating active compassion in the face of systemic injustice.
Our prompt came from a friend of the show and was paraphrased from a verbal conversation:
I really like your show, but I have a hard time figuring out how to apply your ideas. I work in an industry where I see active misogyny all the time, but even being a small business owner, I don’t feel like I have any power to help the people around me. If I refuse to work with a supplier or bank because they treat women like shit, they won’t even notice. I’m not doing well enough to hire more than a temp employee, and I put my own livelihood at risk if I call people out. How do I keep from feeling powerless and how do I act compassionately instead of just feeling angry about what I see?
As resources for battling altruism fatigue, we recommend Kelsey Piper, who blogs at theunitofcaring.tumblr.com and is newly a staff writer for Vox; and DeRay McKesson, a civil rights organizer, activist, and writer.
Melissa discussed friend of the show Lucy Arnold. Gregory discussed LeftTube, including ContraPoints, Philosophy Tube, Shaun, HBomberGuy, Lindsay Ellis, and Folding Ideas. ContraPoints’s recent video, “Incels,” is embedded below.
If you have a submission of an everyday situation where it’s difficult for you to stay empathetic or compassionate, write us at: us@avery-weir.net