About the viral video (3yo bday girl having her candles blown out by smug big sister) I’ll speak on it once here & then I’m done bc I’m tired today & have other things to do:

Yes some convos around that viral video were indeed out of order but I blame our disordered internet culture & lack of collective knowledge about psychology more than individuals who correctly identified warning signs of empathic dysfunction & were expressing concerns/critiques

Our modern education system & society don’t exactly teach/reinforce healthy communication skills, either. Nor do they teach/reinforce empathy or how to be compassionate & clear w/ what we express to or about others. In fact, I’d argue they encourage narcissism, confusion, & drama

Texting, Twitter, & our reliance on tech (esp in a pandemic) don’t help. But none of that negates warning signs & concerns over non-empathic behavior people see in a viral video—behaviors most adequately described as empathic dysfunction (which is not a diagnosis/disorder btw)

In my personal/professional opinion, the fact so many ppl identified empathic dysfunction (again, not a diagnosis/disorder) from a viral video & had negative reactions/opinions/concerns about it is a win... Bc I worry often our society is losing our glue: our collective empathy.

That said, that some folks talked about that video & behaviors in it in out of order/negative ways wasn’t the only critique I saw from a few mutuals. So I felt the need to speak on it bc of my pro experience; to share knowledge & correct some misassumptions about psychopathology.

Further, I think it’s rly important to acknowledge that—as w/ anything viral—people are reacting to that video w/ widely different contexts around family dynamics & social acceptability. Many people are also acting qualified to diagnosis or rule out psych disorders & dysfunctions

IMO it’s not appropriate to give a tutorial on psychopathology or antisocial behavior on Twitter. I will say ignoring warning signs of empathic dysfunction is a disservice & can be detrimental—esp if seen early. This thread is more addressing people who choose to ignore the signs