Hate of Empathy
I don’t hate empathy. I actually feel sad for those who do.
It reminds me of the middle school bullies who mocked my Payless shoes in seventh grade. They weren’t really mad at me—or even at the shoes. They were wrestling with their own unresolved demons, dancing restlessly on their souls. I remember feeling bad for them as I buffed out the scuff marks they left on my white kicks.
People who hate empathy usually fall into a few groups: those who don’t understand it, those who are deeply enmeshed and hurting, those who lack healthy boundaries, or those who’ve weaponized empathy for their own gain and don’t want anyone to notice. Whatever the reason, it’s usually clear that when bullies hate something specific, it’s because that thing scares the hell out of them.
So keep wearing your cool Payless shoes, kiddo. Keep pushing for healthy empathy practice, son.
Love empathy. Learn empathy. Read about it—its practice and its pitfalls. Understand how emotional empathy can sometimes drain your health and energy, and balance it by cultivating cognitive empathy and rational compassion.
Here are some things to read when it comes to the Hate of Empathy.
Is empathy a sin? Some conservative Christians argue it can be - Tiffany Stanley, Associated Press
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/is-empathy-a-sin-some-conservative-christians-argue-it-can-be
Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy - Zachary B. Wolf
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/elon-musk-rogan-interview-empathy-doge
"The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism."
Behold the Strange Spectacle of Christians Against Empathy - David French
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/opinion/trump-usaid-evangelicals.html
The Right’s Latest Culture War Crusade is Against Empathy - Nathan J. Robinson
Charlie Kirk Said, “I Can’t Stand Empathy.” - W. Kamau Bell
https://wkamaubell.substack.com/p/charlie-kirk-said-i-cant-stand-empathy
Point and Counterpoint on the Theme of Empathy in Healthcare Education Utilizing Paul Bloom’s book, Against Empathy? - Trevor Thompson
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10704415/
Adam Smith, Sympathy, and Spontaneous Social-Moral Order
https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/smith-on-sympathy-lauren-hall-12-1
