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My issue isn’t with people expressing shock, my issue is with the sheer amount of shock and grief, in both the media and social media, which I think is a great example of western hypocrisy. We’re talking about the roof of one building.
And I disagree. You state that comparison as if it’s an obvious fact. I think we’re capable of far more complex empathy, than simply feeling the most emotion because something is close by.
Fyoosh-
At the risk of exposing myself as a cuck/libtard/snowflake/virtue-signaller, I agree.
Justin Webb and John Humphrys seem to think this is a reasonable position too - it is one they used in their questioning of John Sentamu on Today this morning.
It's obviously a huge thing, a building many of us are familiar with, etc. But it's also quite unbelievable that three days later it's still the top news story in lots of media outlets. Maybe it's actually something to be thankful for, if this is the worst thing that has happened in Western Europe in the last three days.
But I think what @William. suggests about it being obvious you'll care more about people closer to/more like you is part of the problem - this is what feeds into the idea that bad things are normal in other places, and helps to perpetuate negative stereotypes of whole continents or races.
tbc
I think you are right to wish we would all have more empathy for those living through real disasters, e.g Mosul. I think it's wrong to suggest we shouldn't express grief / shock at disasters on our doorstep, as if that somehow makes us callous.
If someone dies in my street, of course I'll care more about that than a hundred people dying the other side of the world. It doesn't mean I have a blinkered world view.