If someone advocates a policy change that will not affect you personally, but does affect someone close to you,do you take it personally? What if it does directly impact you?

Cuts in social security will hurt the elderly. If this does not affect you directly, and if you’re not counting on social security, it may never affect you that much.

Hypothetically, let’s say you believe in the social security program. You think it’s crucial for the elderly and for the economy. Would you hate the people who want to cut the program? Can you respect them even while hating the policy they believe in? Do you think they are deliberately malicious towards the elderly?

If you were elderly, and your benefits were cut and you could no longer afford to stay in your home, would your view towards them be different? Would you take their view as personal animosity towards you?

And what about, for example, a psychic reader? What if she advised you to do something like divorce a spouse and this threw you into poverty? Would you hate her even if she firmly believed the stars said to do this? Should you respect her and just hate her horrible advising skills? Or would you take it personally, as evidence of malice towards you?

I would also like to point out that this could work equally well with people who believe that keeping taxes on the rich low is crucial for the economy. They might believe that anyone who doesn’t see that is ignorant. Should they hate those who do not agree with them and accuse them of personal malice, or should they respect the person even though that person’s policies might ruin the country?