#no empathy

[status-quo-hater]

Hello neurotypical. Are you normal about the fact that I am unable to feel empathy as an emotional response?

[wheatiewintry]

things that don't make you human:

empathy

love

intelligence

romance

friendship

art

things that do make you human:

belonging to the species Homo sapiens

defining humanity by the things we do or feel rather than what we are is always going to exclude someone. maybe someone you care about. not all humans love, not all humans have or want partners or friends, not all humans are nice, not all humans feel empathy or remorse, not all humans make art, not all humans will make sense to you. they're still human. they're still human. they're still human.

(and if they're not human? they're not! (this post is inclusive to alterhuman and otherwise non-human beings!!!!!!!))

[clover-wasnt-here]

“Autism doesn’t cause low empathy! In fact we’re all just hyperempathetic we’re not bad peo-“

SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP.

There’s a few things going on with this statement.

1. Assuming that low empathy makes someone a bad person. It does not. Actions are what matter, not empathy levels.

2. Demonizing autistic people whose low/no empathy they attribute to their autism. Autism fundamentally impacts the way you interact with the world, others, and yourself. That includes empathy.

Anyway I love you people with low/no empathy this is a safe space for you <3

Signed,

A very pissed off autistic person with fluctuating empathy levels

[dsmvotion]

routine reminder that empathy ≠ morality and you don't need to have empathy to be a good person. you also don't need to "work on" empathy in order to be a good person. you can be a good person even if you never experience empathy and you are not inherently good or bad for having or not having empathy

[asexual-amanita]

You can choose to do the right thing while lacking empathy.

You can choose to do the wrong thing while having empathy.

Empathy doesn’t determine your choices or morality.

[youlookkindadead]

i've seen quite a bit of confusion about this, so let me attempt to clear things up :

empathy is the ability to feel somebody's emotions as though they are affecting you personally. for example, somebody tells you "my dog died last night!" -> you now feel as though you've lost a pet personally -> you feel grief and sadness just like the other person. not everyone has empathy. it's a trait some people develop and others don't. some have high empathy, some have low empathy, some (like me) have none.

sympathy is the ability to understand and care about somebody else's struggles, even if you don't feel them yourself. so, somebody tells you their dog died -> you realize how this affects them emotionally -> you care about this person, and are upset that they are suffering. not everyone has sympathy either! it's a scale, just like empathy.

compassion is doing something to relieve another person's suffering or make them feel better. somebody tells you their dog died -> you don't want them to remain upset -> you come up with ways to help them feel better, like offering comfort and distractions, or other forms of support. compassion is a learned trait, not something you can be born with like empathy or sympathy. anyone can learn to be compassionate, although some may struggle more with it than others; it's a skill, just like anything else.

however, none of these are required to be a good person. that's a choice you make on your own accord. i hope this clears things up!

if you're reading this please boost my mutual aid post if you can to help me not starve

[aspec-mafia-official]

Happy Pride to:

Disabled aspecs

Neurodivergent aspecs

Low/No empathy aspecs

Caedsexual/caedromantic aspecs

Sex/romance repulsed aspecs

Young aspecs

You are not "just stereotypes" or "bad representation". You are not hurting your community, and you have just as much right to be here and to celebrate your identity as any other aspecs.