Empathize/Sympathize with animals a lot more than humans.

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Ikonovich
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23 Feb 2011, 9:01 pm

I find it impossible to 'feel' another person's pain or troubles or etc, but when I see animals injured it often hits me at a somewhat deeper level...It's a little messed up, but I can see videos of horrible things happening to kids, women, just people in general, and feel no emotion whatsoever, and see similar videos of a dog or a cat and get almost sick to my stomach.


Is this unusual? Does anyone know where I'm coming from?



FJP
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23 Feb 2011, 10:38 pm

I am the exact opposite. I don't understand why people get so worked up about animals, but ignore the suffering of their fellow humans.



AspieDa
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23 Feb 2011, 11:10 pm

Because you know that animals have no guile in them that they are the truly innocent that is why it affects you so.


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eddie82
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23 Feb 2011, 11:35 pm

I like horses a lot. They seem to like me too. I also got teased for being the only boy who had 2 cats instead of the usual dog. Not that I don't like dogs, I have had 2 of those as well. Cats just seem to have humans figured out IMO. ..silly people..feeding me, petting me, and scooping my poop while I relax all day.. fools!


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23 Feb 2011, 11:41 pm

I empathise with animals more than people but I'm beginning to empathise with people. When I was younger I was probably more like you though.


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ocdgirl123
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24 Feb 2011, 12:14 am

I'm the complete opposite, I find it hard to empathize or sympathize with animals other than cats. I can sympathize with baby animals, but certainly not empathize. I don't sympathize with adult animals all that much though. I have a really hard time understanding animals.


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buryuntime
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24 Feb 2011, 12:37 am

It is difficult for me to believe that a lot of animals are real. When I see one they feel incredibly alien in their movements and looks. I get confused and think I'm looking at a wind-up toy or a robot in fur. The scariest animals for me are other primates, panda bears, and sometimes cats.

But I recently got a pet that I love, and am starting to like them more regardless. Alternatively, I love insects.



LostAlien
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24 Feb 2011, 5:09 am

For me, I think I react emotionally similarly to humans and other animals. I think I'm more lightly to try to protect other animals when I view that they have difficulty to protect themselves.


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Kiran
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24 Feb 2011, 6:23 am

I can sympatize with both humans and animals, but I can read animals emotions better than humans. I have a hard time reading people's facial expressions and body language, but I can look at a dog or a cat and know exactly how it's feeling.


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donnie_darko
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24 Feb 2011, 1:41 pm

I'm kind of the same way. Like those commercials of the starving children in Africa don't really phase me, I mean yeah it's sad but I'm not really emotionally affected for some reason, but the ones of the abused animals break my heart. I guess because I love my cat so much.



persian85033
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24 Feb 2011, 1:50 pm

I do know where you're coming from. When reading about Stalin's Russia, the Holocaust and other things, I can read through them just fine, even the camps and all that. However, when I read Animal Farm, I was almost in tears when they were taking Boxer away. I can read just fine the things that happened to real people, yet I'm affected by what happened to a horse in a satire?


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Dragonfly92
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25 Feb 2011, 6:15 pm

I find it hard to empithise with people or animals. I still like animals though.



persian85033
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28 Feb 2011, 1:10 pm

I also sympathize with robots. I was so upset when Giskard 'died' in Robots and Empire. It just broke my heart when Daneel was like 'Recover, friend Giskard. Recover.'.


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Ikonovich
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28 Feb 2011, 1:44 pm

<3 Asimov.