r/interesting • • Aug 20 '26

Additional Context Pinned Hit and run gone wrong

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u/stopkeepingscore Aug 20 '26

Yes, not too hard for me to empathize with people even if they are 1000% in the wrong. But I don’t see too much of that online.

-3

u/shaihuludinthehood Aug 20 '26

Because we really shouldn't be empathizing with people like this.

This is an adullt who is operating a machine that requires a license, and after striking a vehicle she almost struck a person. And we're... meant to feel sorry for her? We all have to conform to the same laws and responsibilities. Her grandma could be the meanest cur in the world, and she may be going through some shit, but that still doesn't excuse this behavior in any way.

It doesn't happen online much because it shouldn't. There are some situations where accountability take precedence over situational speculation.

15

u/thalastor Aug 20 '26

You can empathize with someone and not give them a free pass. They don't stop being people just because they did something bad and its ok to feel sorry for them, even if punishing them is still correct.

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u/Blobbem Aug 20 '26

Agreed. She looked like she needed help as well as punishment. What she did was wrong and irrational, but she wasn't in a rational state of mind by the looks of it.

1

u/StaticMarzipan Aug 20 '26

This video hurts to watch. The guy in it is a huge piece of shit.

He had his evidence. I’d bet 1000 dollars of it was a man my size in that car he would’ve ran away or tried to shoot me.

People who act like this are scum bags.

2

u/ObnoxiousOptimist Aug 21 '26

Thank you. As hard as it is to watch her, the guy in the video is beyond cringe. He has her blocked in and he’s egging her on with comments like “double felony”, “you almost hit me!”

Get whatever video you need to document her and her car, but it was clear she was going to do whatever she needed to get out of there. I’d take self-preservation measures for me and my car, then let the cops and my insurance figure it out. Dude just wanted to bully her and make it worse. He was actively making the situation more dangerous.

The guy sounded like Reddit personified.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 21 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Special_Peanut2379 Aug 22 '26

He's trying to block her from leaving.

1

u/shaihuludinthehood Aug 20 '26

That happens when you're under the influence. Other posts clearly state part of her punishment was rehabilitation.

The mental gymnastics needed to empathize with someone under the influence, causing property damage, and attempting to harm others is astounding.

5

u/Blobbem Aug 20 '26

The mental gymnastics needed to empathize with someone under the influence, causing property damage, and attempting to harm others is astounding.

Really? I find it quite simple to rationalise empathising with someone who is struggling with an addiction.

2

u/shaihuludinthehood Aug 21 '26

It's simple, but it's not right.

This person demanded understanding for themselves while refusing to recognize the humanity of the person they've caused harm to (the person who was the victim of the hit and run).

This person showed no remorse and continue harming others when they could have stopped (by getting out of the car and doing the right thing).

The person attempted to manipulate the victim (the person recording) into feeling sorry for them specifically to escape accountability.

None of those behaviors deserve empathy. And this comes from the son of a former addict.

Empathy explains. It does not excuse.

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u/Blobbem Aug 21 '26

You expect rationality from the irrational. They could have stopped the car. They could also have not hit and run in the first place, or consumed any addictive substance. But they didn't because they weren't able to think clearly. And while none of the behaviours you listed deserve empathy, the person themselves does if it is apparent that they need help.

And no, nobody is excusing illegal behaviour. It is why the woman in the video was arrested. It is why I said they should be punished, as well as provided help.

Please do not mistake empathising with "we think this person did no wrong and should be free to do whatever."

3

u/thalastor Aug 20 '26

People think the definition of empathize is "set free and give 500 dollars." apparently.