John Paradis describes the alarming ways that empathy is under attack (“How did empathy become the enemy?” Recorder, July 26), including the use of techniques that are used to train soldiers to kill. This “Kill Talk” is being employed to devalue members of our own society, both citizens and non-citizens. As I read this, I realized how tempting it is to fall into the habit myself, devaluing those with whom I disagree. Many who voted differently from me have good reasons for their choices, including trauma in their lives like lost jobs, twice as devastating psychologically as divorce. Let us not contribute to the polarization in our society by assuming that all our political opponents are the same as their worst leaders.
Bruce Hawkins
Northampton