this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2024
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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

the phrase "the free rat would usually save at least one treat for the captive - which is alot to expect of a rat"...

it clearly isn't "alot to expect" if it's automatic normal behavior for their species. It actually implies it's the normal for a rat. It just isn't normal for those humans.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

I think it means "chocolate chips are precious to rats" by that - ie that it is a big sacrifice.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

now make the rats comprehend fascism.

Would be an interesting study if that was possible.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Another run of this experiment found rats free those with the same fur color faster or more readily

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 hours ago

huh, that's definitely an interesting paper to write.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

You don't see them fuckng each other over for a goddamn percentage!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

If a rat has a better developed sense of empathy than you do, then you've probably made some seriously awful life choices somewhere along the line.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

... which isn't news to me.

For a time it seemed that everybody wanted to shit on animals as being way inferior to humans in every way, including lacking empathy emotion feelings and stuff.

But that was always wrong. Who has ever worked with animals be it horses dogs or farm animals knows they have a soul. Well, but also a lot of them are just evil bastards.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Empathy is the new intelligence.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

What does this mean

[–] [email protected] 27 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

The owners use their captured public education and for profit media to turn us on one another and make us monsters.

They tell us avarice/greed, a well known character deficit and social blight for thousands of years is instead virtuous rational self-interest.

They force us to compete against one another rather than cooperate with one another as the basis of our economy, when an economy is meant to be a lowly tool of society for the explicit use of maximizing the efficient, equitable distribution of goods and services for the benefit of the citizens of the society. Our tail wags the dog. We are slaves to economic growth/metastasis we as a society do not benefit from.

The problem is that the sociopaths, mentally ill people literally incapable of empathy, something most humans have a strong need to exercise, that are among us quickly game society using their mental deficit as an advantage to take more than they need and manipulate others into elevating them, then manipulate those below them into fighting one another perpetually to stay on top.

Humans are social creatures. We've been conditioned to act as monsters, condemning our fellow humans literally dying in our streets of exposure and capital defense force brutality as "lowering our property values."

This isn't natural. It's why our nation's mental health is basically its own apocalypse of mass depression, anxiety, and never ending trauma. We are strongly discouraged from supporting one another, as we're supposed to do the impossible, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, then claim we did it alone. That's the American delusion. 🇺🇸

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This really resonates with me. You are an excellent writer.

The part about empathy is so real. A lack of empathy is a real advantage in today's world, unfortunately. I think empathy should be one of the most important values a society should strive for, and we decided to make a society that rewards sociopathy instead.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

Thank you, sincerely.

I know my comment history is basically the same points rehashed over and over as applied to the symptoms of the day we're experiencing, but it helps me feel like I'm holding onto sanity in an insane society to describe the core rot as I see it, and I appreciate your kind words.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 days ago (2 children)

A lot of animals are better at solving "prisoners dilemma" situations than us. Most animals would rather work together for the greater good but I guess they haven't heard of capitalism.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

I wonder if there is a more mutualist economic system. Oh wait!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Rats live like 2 years.

In two years, they learn how to be better to each other than a large part of the human race.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I think of it in another way: What these rats display is the natural behavior.

These rats live two years, so they don't have time to learn otherwise. Human greed is a learned behavior, and it takes a lot of time to learn that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Sounds like greed needs to have some cognitive feedback.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Greed is a pattern which is adopted to our current competitive environment, where everything is directed at progress and hard work. Really, humans often work 40 hours a week or more, which is significantly more time than wild animals spend to gather food. (I don't have a source for this unfortunately, but if i remember correctly it's maybe 2-3 hours a day.)

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 days ago
[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 days ago (3 children)

After observing all of the animals I've ever lived with, I've come to the opinion (unsupported, I suppose, by any real evidence) that empathy is an important part of being alive. I think every living being has empathy, and humans just got quite good at beating it out of other humans to the point where displaying psychopathic traits became something culturally celebrated.

We've been trained to be this way, and we need to reverse that trend.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'd say this is the case for mammals and birds, but I think other branches of the tree of life are more hit or miss since they're less social animals.

I'd be curious to see a study of empathy on octopi, the smartest non-social animal.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago

Altrusim is a good trait to ensure the survival of a species, while being a selfish bastard is a good trait to ensure the survival of the individual. It all depends on the situation.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

But don't you see all the wealth we are creating by doing things this way?!

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