Comments on: The new America http://www.iamspencer.com/2009/05/27/the-new-america/ music, politics, sports, etcetera Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:55:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Spencer http://www.iamspencer.com/2009/05/27/the-new-america/comment-page-1/#comment-24965 Spencer Fri, 29 May 2009 17:06:37 +0000 http://www.iamspencer.com/?p=1533#comment-24965 Good words Howard. I think this is an important point that people miss - we don't need leaders just like our selves, we need leaders that can understand the what connects us, what separates us and lead based on that understanding. The court doesn't need talkers - it needs listeners. Good words Howard. I think this is an important point that people miss – we don’t need leaders just like our selves, we need leaders that can understand the what connects us, what separates us and lead based on that understanding.

The court doesn’t need talkers – it needs listeners.

]]> By: howard http://www.iamspencer.com/2009/05/27/the-new-america/comment-page-1/#comment-24962 howard Wed, 27 May 2009 17:51:33 +0000 http://www.iamspencer.com/?p=1533#comment-24962 It seems the word of the day (no, maybe word of the month? season?) is empathy, and it seems to have a different value depending on which side you ask. For my money (and, it would appear, Obama's), I can't understand how you effectively gain context without getting into the litigants shoes a little bit -- I mean, isn't that why the justices ask all those tiresome questions when the cases are presented? Aren't they trying to gain some context on someone else's situation? In that regard, empathy seems not only helpful, but necessary. However, in the dog whistle fashion I've heard the word empathy used by some Republicans, it seems to be another way of trying to conjure images of women (or even Hispanics?) as too emotional. Which would fall right into line with similar despicable trends that have clung to Republican politics like a cancer. And the third, somewhat different thought that pops into my head when I hear the empathy discussion: isn't every normal human being (and thus, most judges too) laden with a sense of empathy unique to their own experience? And wouldn't a diversity of empathy on the Court broaden the chances for a more thorough hearing of each case? Anyway, sorry for the tangent, but it's been bubbling over in my mind the past several days ;) <abbr><em>howard’s last blog post..<a href="http://nonbreakingspace.com/haiku/handwritten-haiku/preemptive/" rel="nofollow">preemptive</a></abbr></em> It seems the word of the day (no, maybe word of the month? season?) is empathy, and it seems to have a different value depending on which side you ask.

For my money (and, it would appear, Obama’s), I can’t understand how you effectively gain context without getting into the litigants shoes a little bit — I mean, isn’t that why the justices ask all those tiresome questions when the cases are presented? Aren’t they trying to gain some context on someone else’s situation? In that regard, empathy seems not only helpful, but necessary.

However, in the dog whistle fashion I’ve heard the word empathy used by some Republicans, it seems to be another way of trying to conjure images of women (or even Hispanics?) as too emotional. Which would fall right into line with similar despicable trends that have clung to Republican politics like a cancer.

And the third, somewhat different thought that pops into my head when I hear the empathy discussion: isn’t every normal human being (and thus, most judges too) laden with a sense of empathy unique to their own experience? And wouldn’t a diversity of empathy on the Court broaden the chances for a more thorough hearing of each case?

Anyway, sorry for the tangent, but it’s been bubbling over in my mind the past several days ;)

howard’s last blog post..preemptive

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