Compassion fatigue - 6 Minute English

The suffering brought about by the coronavirus pandemic seems to be making people tired of feeling sorry for others and themselves. This is what is called 'compassion fatigue'. Are we being dehumanised? Is our compassion for others finite? After more than a year, have we reached our limit? Rob and Sam talk about the phenomenon and teach you vocabulary along the way.

This week's question:
Humanitarian workers see human suffering on a daily basis and can easy fall victim to compassion fatigue. Founded in 1971, Médecins Sans Frontières is one of the biggest humanitarian organisations. But what does Médecins Sans Frontières mean?

a) Medicine to the frontline
b) Doctors without borders
c) Medicine first

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
compassion fatigue
emotional exhaustion which reduces your ability to empathise or feel compassion for other people’s unhappiness and pain

numb
unable to feel any emotions or think clearly because you are so shocked, frightened or tired

learned helplessness
psychologically giving up trying to feel better because your previous attempts have not been successful or rewarded

finite
limited or having a definite, fixed size

headwinds
forces blowing in the opposite direction which stop you moving forward

news cycle
the reporting in the media of a particular news story, from the first instance to the last, as well as people’s reactions and opinions on the original report

[Cover: Getty Images]

To download the audio and a transcript, go to:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-210527.

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