I didn't try to turn this political—I did turn it political. Why? Because I knew that my comment would draw out the politics of who gets empathy/compassion and who doesn't. Obviously this is an awful, awful story. I hope this young woman is found, alive, and able to recover from whatever trauma she is experiencing.
The thread derailed long before my input. This story, and the universal reaction of empathy (benefit of the doubt to those using awkward humor), provoke me to wonder where the lines of empathy/compassion are drawn for people—and, absurdly, how these "lines" indeed are, or have become, political.
I fully expect negative reaction to my input—no problem with that—but don't see why it can't be accompanied by something along the lines of "yes, dick, both situations deserve our empathy and compassion."
Alas, it is once again clear that some people apparently believe that some people simply don't deserve basic human empathy and compassion. This is alarming and I feel worth exploring, even as it may detract from this particular tragic missing person story, even as it may "derail" the thread.
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