Image: Lisa Simpson giving a presentation with a determined disposition.
Caption on the screen: The “double-empathy problem” is misnamed because it is not a problem. It is a theory that explains why we observe limited empathy between autistic and non-autistic individuals. Not only is it not a problem, it is a solution because it helps us understand why things are the way they are. Stop calling it a problem. It is now the “interneurotype empathy divide”…or something. Idk, but it is not a problem.
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I looked this up, it absolutely is a problem. People being unable to empathize with each other due to differences in the way they percieve reality is a problem. It’s not that people perceive the world differently, it’s the fact that it causes a lack of empathy between two or more parties that is the problem. A lack of empathy can lead to one or more parties taking action that hurts another party.
That honestly seems like a problem, especially since the world seems to be suffering from a critical lack of empathy as it is. Simply reframing or ignoring it won’t make people suddenly, magically, universally empathize with each other. If anything, reframing it risks causing the problem to go unaddressed and result in larger issues down the road.
I agree that the inability to empathy between neurotypes is a problem, but having a theory to help us understand it is not. What Lisa here is arguing is that the theory is not a problem; it is a theory. And, having a theory is more of a solution than a problem. bing bong!
I just read a whole lot of words and am no closer to understanding what this post is talking about
Historically, autism has been associated with an inability to empathize. However, recent observations have found that autistic people can empathize with each other, while neurotypical people have trouble empathizing with autistic people. This resulted in the formation of the so-called double-empathy problem that posits that autistic people can empathize with autistic people and NTs can empathize with NTs. In the meme, Lisa is pedantically arguing that the double empathy problem is not a problem, but a theory.
A question to be considered, solved, or answered. “math problems.”
A situation, matter, or person that is hard to deal with or understand. “was having problems breathing; considered the main problem to be his boss.”
A personal matter that causes one difficulty or needs to be dealt with. “felt her tyrannical boss had deep-seated problems.”
Lisa argues that a theory that explains that there is a divide in empathizing between neurotype is not a problem because it helps us understand the phenomenon. Ultimately, this can help us further research to understand social matters better and make accommodations to function better together. It’s kind of akin to calling our acceptance of wave-particle duality a problem. It’s not a problem. It’s the understanding and acceptance of what we observe. The problem (if any) would be the consequences of wave-particle duality, but acknowledging it as reality is not a problem.
