Yes, this is of course true. The oppressed are not initiating violence. They receive it first.
What's the concern? Friere is not saying the oppressed cannot enact violence. Just that the oppressor is the first to do so.
What's the concern? Friere is not saying the oppressed cannot enact violence. Just that the oppressor is the first to do so.
Who is the 'we' that is teaching empathy, and who is the 'them' receiving it?
Are we possessors of moral wisdom, and they deficient, empty vessels?
It requires structural changes, yes, but different from what you suggest.
It starts with empathy for the student. Recognizing that everyone deserves love and care. Showing first and foremost that the teachers are not seeking to be better than, but rather alongside.
It includes adding marginalized voices to pedagogy. If all you've ever heard are stories from one perspective, you tend to other the outgroup. Simply listening to other human experiences is one of the strongest ways to build empathy.
Then we must ask the people learning to examine their society. Does it dispossess anyone? You've heard from marginalized people, are there structural reasons why those people are marginalized? Could we change them?
And you make this the norm for education. It's not wedged into every lesson, but it's considered by teachers. You grow empathy generationally. You make it available online, you speak about it regularly (society doesn't only teach in classrooms).
You start to provide everyone with basics. The less we need to compete to survive, the more room we have to collaborate.
Maybe you don't reach every adult. Thats ok. Maybe you cannot teach everyone. But if you surround all those people who do have well developed empathy, their ability to cause damage is severely blunted.