Caring sucks (or why Jon Stewart is my personal saviour)

They say that people working in the social sciences (in academia) and social justice realm tend to have the highest levels of depression, and I totally buy it. My personal therapy of choice?

The Daily Show.

Some time ago I decided that it would be best if I don’t watch the news on tv anymore, I was just getting too depressed. Instead I go to Google for my news and information. But that’s not entirely true; I do watch one news source. I have long looked to Mr. Stewart to present me with the news in a manner which will not have me wanting to jump of a cliff in despair for humanity’s future.

But the other day, Mr. Stewart struck a chord with me on another level. He was interviewing a former solider who had been acquitted of brutality charges during the current Iraq war. Now it became clear very quickly that this individual was in full support of the invasion and the justifications provided by the Bush administration for these actions. But what also became clear was the passion and genuine level of caring this man felt for the men under his command. And rather than go on the attack as he so brilliantly does usually, Jon Stewart displayed levels of both sensitivity and empathy I was incredibly impressed by. He realized that despite their divergences on the political and economic dimensions of the war, there are some things that go beyond that. There is a level of humanity that must be paramount in all our considerations. And he shifted his focus to showing a genuine concern for whether or not soldiers returning home are receiving the support and care they need.

I have incredible respect for that. So often, you are called weak for exhibiting any kind of emotion or compassion when dealing with important political or economic issues. I have great deference for the fact that he was willing to show that the real import in these kinds of issues lies in the human dimension. The fact that we are dealing with the lives of real people who live through heartbreaking experiences, who suffer tremendously, and many of whom ultimately lose their lives.

What’s brought all this on? Well, ABREA (the Brazilian asbestos victims group I work with) has just lost their organizer in Rio de Janeiro to asbestosis. Rosa was not yet 60, and an incredible woman, I feel privileged to have had the chance to meet her on my last trip. This was the second death ABREA has had in the last few weeks. And a short time ago a friend of mine in the US lost her husband to mesothelioma.

But I’m supposed to sit back and digest these losses with some kind of objective scientificity if I want to have any legitimacy in the discourse over asbestos. As though the suffering and loss experienced by these people should simply be quantified in a sick cost-benefit analysis. Bullshit. Compassion is not a weakness, it’s what differentiates us from sociopaths.

And so I say, bless you Jon Stewart (and not in an intelligent design is responsible for our place in the food chain sort of way).