Empathy Is a Choice, Not a Feeling

And we have a long way to go in how we empathize with addicts

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Last week, the new Max medical drama, The Pitt, wrapped its first 15-episode season. If you aren’t familiar, this show features former E.R. star Noah Wyle as Robby Robinavitch, the head emergency room (E.R.) physician at a busy Pittsburgh hospital. After seeing dozens of reviews and claims that it may be the most medically accurate show ever seen, I finally caved and started watching. Not only did the show do a great job depicting procedures and patient interactions, but it also focused heavily on the social and political environment of the E.R., as well as the complicated identities of the people working there.

One character in particular, a physician named Frank Langdon, quickly became a popular subject. About two-thirds of the way through the season, Frank is discovered to have an addiction to benzodiazepines. This is revealed by a medical student who suspects him of tampering with vials and stealing medications from patients. The way the show handles Frank’s addiction is as interesting topic of discussion, but it isn’t nearly as interesting as the way viewers reacted to this story line.

For the last several weeks, I’ve been sifting through hundreds of conversations on social media discussing Frank’s behaviors since being caught…