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Students Show a Dramatic Drop In Empathy

Posted by kdawson on from the well-boo-hoo dept.

MotorMachineMercenar writes "Several news sources report that today's college students show a precipitous drop in empathy (here's MSNBC's take). The study of 14,000 students shows that students since the year 2000 had 40% less empathy than those 20 and 30 years before them. The article lays out a laundry list of culprits, from child-rearing practices and the self-help movement, to video games and social media, to a free-market economy and income inequality. There's also a link so you can test your very own level of narcissism. Let's hope the Slashdot crowd doesn't break the empathy counter on the downside."

13 of 659 comments (clear)

  1. Who cares? by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't give a rat's ass about what college kids feel!

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.
    1. Re:Who cares? by An+Onerous+Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ha! My test said I'm empathetic as hell. Take that, you hard-hearted, non-empathizing bastards!

      --

      You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!

    2. Re:Who cares? by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wow, I got modded insightful for that, way to boost my ego!! Thanks whoever you are, my superiority complex thanks you!!

      --
      Qxe4
  2. In what units do you measure empathy? by mykos · · Score: 3, Funny

    Subject one contains 160 milliempathetals, while subject two's milliempathetals measure only 96.

    1. Re:In what units do you measure empathy? by williamhb · · Score: 5, Funny

      In millilitres per day, of course (from your bleeding heart).

      I'm here all week, try the bean salad...

  3. This Narcissism Crap by Black+Gold+Alchemist · · Score: 5, Funny

    You know, after hearing this, I felt the need to write extensively about the subject on facebook, so everyone can see what I feel.

    --
    Responsibility is an addiction
    Virtue is a temptation
    Community is a cartel
  4. Glaring omission by spruce · · Score: 4, Funny

    Isn't this one we can pretty much all agree is /b/'s fault?

  5. Re:Oh god.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's a shit test, and measures nothing.

    You could show a little more empathy for the people who made the test you insensitive piece of shit.

  6. Re:or to the point THE JOKER IS RARE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    i would put bets that folks that could pull off WHY SO SERIOUS during a real disaster are say 1 in 200,000 worldwide (which means that The Joker has roughly 29 "friends")

    Apparently none of them are mathematicians.

  7. Re:and the score is by roman_mir · · Score: 3, Funny

    look at the response to my post, I am like the most caring person here, you fucking pieces of shit, get out of my fucking comments, go to hell, all of you.

    --
    You can't handle the truth.
  8. Re:Leftist propaganda by Protoslo · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was convinced that it was going to be some kind of gross "get-off-my-lawn" Republican screed (Kids don't need self esteem! They need to play Cowboys v. Indians outside like the Greatest Generation! The idiot box is destroying their minds!) until I got to the second half where the author blames Ronald Reagan and conservatism for destroying empathy in the millennial generation (!!!). I think that she is not so much liberal as insane.

  9. 70/70 by JackSpratts · · Score: 3, Funny

    i got a perfect score. seriously.

    now go fuck off.

    - js.

  10. Re:Oh god.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    i beat you. i scored 28!! but i'm just going to college in july.

    And to jail for rape in December!