Are all feelings created equal?

Let's explore the moral intuitions and confusion relating to disgust. Disgust is an interesting, often involuntary response that is so automatic that it can be hard to find words to describe what you find disgusting or why. The evolutionary explanations for disgust are intuitive as they relative to rotten food, foul odors, etc., somewhat intuitive with some cultural items like piercings or the permissiveness of some sex acts, and less so with regards to more mundane cultural habits that are too varied to dive into. Are these emotions, or all emotions for that matter created equal? The answer is no.

The Validity of Emotion

The first question that should be asked about an emotion is: "Is this feeling a valid emotional response?"

Not all emotions are created equal. Not all emotions are ethically valid. To test whether your disgust response is valid, you have to ask yourself, “Is this manner of thinking or acting that I find disgusting unethical?” In other words, does it cause harm to others or treatment others unfairly? If no, you may find you are still disgusted by it, but the realization that its not unethical should halt you from interfering. Furthermore, over time you may be able to condition yourself to accept thoughts and actions you previously found disgusting which are undeservedly so.

Political Example

People of conscious have experienced many negative emotions since Donald Trump was elected president. The rapid decay of ethically based social norms that the Trump presidency is demolishing is fear and anxiety inducing for any rational person who is paying attention to what is happening. The millions of morally bankrupt followers of Trump are equally, if not more concerning.

Xenophobic people (ranging from mildly to fully racist) experienced similar negative emotions when President Barack Obama was elected. The fears and the falsehoods they believed to be true filled them with dread. Rightwing media fanned the flames of their fears to a fever pitch with an onslaught of false accusations and conspiracies.

False Equivalence

Conservative commentators and illiberal alike have encouraged democrats to go easy on conservatives. They have tried to draw parallels between the emotional reactions of conservatives and liberals to these two political figures. Conservatives had a visceral xenophobic (disgust) reaction to Obama and liberals have had experienced visceral ethical outrage (disgust) reactions to Trump.

Is this a situation where “both sides” have equally valid emotional responses to a political stimulus? I have already provided the answer with the setup of the question. The basis of disgust for liberals and any conservatives with a conscious towards the words and actions of Trump and his well termed “basket of deplorables” is ethically valid. Trump lacks empathy and a moral compass. He is a sociopath who only understands power. He stokes fear of the “scary others” with every new crazy lie. Almost everything his says and does exists on some scale of unethical thought and action. Every word and actions from Trump has some malicious intent for some individual or group. He wants to cause harm to "others", he wants to treat "them" unfairly. He wants to shield himself from any harm or perceived unfairness. His rules for conduct do not pass the “veil of ignorance” test. He has no sense of ethics at all.

Contrast that with President Obama, whose intellect and empathy was clear for everyone to see. “No drama Obama” had an eight year long administration with no scandals. President Obama worked tirelessly to extend security to all, first by saving the economy, and then by extending medical insurance protections for all. His administration was not perfect, but it was arguably one of the best in US history. The amount of rampant racism he had to deal with in the country and in Congress was unbelievable; and he and his family dealt with it with grace few could achieve if tested. Most of us never experience a fraction of irrational hatred the Obamas endured, and few of us could face it with the same grace.

The Ethics of Emotion

While ethical knowledge is rooted in emotion, “I feel, therefore I know ethics,” not all emotions are ethically valid. Some emotions, like seemingly unconscious disgust responses, can be hard to put words to but introspection can helpful. You can test your emotional response with ethical inquiry. Does this act do harm unto others? Would I feel the same way if I was on the receiving end of this emotional response, or would I want to be treated with more grace? Emotions, no matter how strong, are not ethically valid until test. Testing your own B.S. is hard, but it's doable if you try.