Look familiar?
If you use Facebook you see them frequently. They are the emoji choices provided as a way of reacting to other people’s posts. They do not encompass every single reaction one might have but, then again, there are always gifs. And, if all else fails, there are…words. Strung together in phrases, or even complete sentences, they make useful replacements for emojis.
In a time of almost complete emotional and intellectual exhaustion, I sometimes have to remind myself of that. Me. A lifelong preschool teacher. “Use your words, Julia.”
So here are some words about a particular image you see above. This one:
New Reactions for COVID-19
In March 2020, Facebook added a Care emoji reaction as an additional option in response to COVID-19. This is displayed similarly to a hugging face holding a red love heart. - - emojipedia
Do you remember when it was introduced? I do. I wasn’t sure at the time if I would use it. It seemed a rather facile response to an overwhelming world tragedy. People are sick and dying. You are isolated in your home. Here, have an emoji.
I do use it now, though. It can mean: sending hugs, I feel for you, I’m with you in a hard time, I know that’s rough, I care about how you feel, I know - - I understand.
As I write those words today it’s clear that this little emoji is an endangered form of expression. Think about it: it’s the empathy emoji.
Empathy has been under attack lately. Have you noticed?
We’ve got civilizational suicidal empathy going on. … The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy, … a bug in Western civilization which is the empathy response. - - Elon Musk
You can find a basic analysis here: Elon Musk wants to save Western Civilization from Empathy, Zachary B. Wolf, CNN
Just for fun, Google “empathy under attack.” Okay, maybe it’s not so fun.
As attacks on empathy have been ramping up from one side of the political spectrum, a chilling reminder has surfaced from the annals of twentieth century history. G.M. Gilbert, the chief psychologist who interviewed the Nazis on trial at Nuremberg, wrote:
I told you once that I was searching for the nature of evil. I think I’ve come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It’s the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow man. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.
As the new political administration makes its mark by removing facts from history, eviscerating public service, and even disappearing real human beings as they attempt to travel and go about their daily lives, it does look like empathy is a stumbling block for them. The path of destruction would be so much smoother if people didn’t care about other people.
Think of how easy it would be for them if we all just lost our ability to care. To be…human.
Would Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg make a point of eradicating something as small as a care emoji? Wouldn’t that just be a ridiculous gesture? Well, yes. But I also thought it was ridiculous when he stripped Facebook of everything that the new President didn’t like and followed it up by placing the blame for Meta’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on a woman.
Is Zuckerberg capable of bending even lower? What do you think?
Apparently there was once a “Yay!” Emoji on Facebook. I confess that I don’t remember it. So there is a precedent for removal, as silly as that sounds. I can just imagine a lame excuse like, “The Care Emoji was created as a response to the COVID pandemic and, now that the pandemic is over, it’s no longer necessary…” blah, blah blah…
Am I serious about the plight of a semi-animated image on a social media platform? Not entirely. I am serious about how desperately important it is for us to maintain our ability to care for others. Empathy is precious. We must feed it, nurture it, practice it.
Sending hugs
I feel for you
I’m with you in a hard time
I know that’s rough
I care about how you feel
I know - - I understand
We don’t need an emoji to have empathy. We do need to keep on giving each other the strength to be human.
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