The War on Empathy

Last year, I was left stunned after reading that empathy was out. Passé. A toxic tool for the weak.

I’m talking cartoon-character-stunned. Eyes bugging, mouth agape. If only I could have left a me-shaped hole in the wall. (Apparently I missed Nietzsche’s denunciation of compassion in my college philosophy class 25 years ago.)

Elon Musk declared the idea of empathy as a weakness of civilization in early 2025, at the very beginning of our Big New World. His prominent role in the new administration as Dr. DOGE gave him credibility and a visible platform. Musk and others (pastors, professors, and podcasters, oh my!) then opened the door for MAGA supporters, including their many Christian followers, to declare the idea of caring about others as dangerous. To be clear, the me-shaped hole would have been in response to that fact - that Christians no longer wish to be Christ-like. 

(Without delving too deeply into my complicated relationship with religion, I will tell you that as a child, I was well educated in the teachings of Christ. What I know to be true because I read it repeatedly in the Bible and was taught it on more than one day of the week is that Jesus Christ embodied compassion and empathy in their purest forms.)

By declaring empathy as weak and sinful, MAGA supporters have found a way to justify Trump’s executive orders, words, and behavior that promote the mistreatment of marginalized people.

So here I am again waxing political - and religious! - on a blog post for my nonpartisan, secular, kid-focused nonprofit. Sigh. (Oh let us go back to Chummy’s winter blogs of yore when we wrote about shoveling your neighbor’s sidewalk. More ice, less ICE?!) 

But here’s my point. Chummy is empathy in an organizational form. I will never give up on my belief that our ability, as humans, to recognize and respond to the reality and pain of others is the key. It’s what makes us successful as a species - not to mention happy! And right now, particularly during this horrendous four-year storm, I promise to keep doing my best to reach our children who will help us heal in the years to come (since apparently, many of the adults have left the building). 

Thank you for supporting empathy, compassion, and Chummy.