The concept of “empathy” appears to have taken an extended vacation—perhaps lounging on a beach somewhere with a tropical drink in hand, while its less friendly relatives, “disregarded” and “overlooked,” have moved in and rearranged the furniture.

Potentially, if you offer someone a glass of water when they’re parched, you might as well expect to spontaneously combust into flames!

These Authors are Fun at Dinner Parties

Books are flooding onto shelves faster than you can utter the words, “What ever happened to kindness?” Paul Bloom has penned a cheekily titled manifesto called “Against Empathy.” Not one to shy away from the fun, Allie Beth Stuckey throws her own confetti with “Toxic Empathy,” while Joe Rigney enters the ring with his heavyweight contender, “The Sin of Empathy.”

Can you imagine the dinner parties? “So, how’s your book on hating empathy coming along?”

DOGE and the Politics of Anti-Empathy

In a stunning turn of events, Elon Musk has decided to take on the heavy mantle of social philosopher while simultaneously running a rocket company and X (Twitter for some of us that still have Facebook accounts). This is a man whose childhood friend was a spiffy teenage robot and now claims that “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” Yep, that’s right—our ability to understand each other and occasionally shed tears during sad movies might just be our undoing. Here we have Musk—born in South Africa, the birthplace of Apartheid (you know, that little hiccup in history)—delivering this bombshell during a podcast episode on the Joe Rogan Experience . His assertion? Empathy has been “weaponized.” Just when you thought X (Twitter) was only good for cat videos! And guess who else echoes this warning? A cadre of high-profile Christian conservatives stepping up as new-age advisors for “empathy no more,” rallying alongside Musk amid massive cuts to federal humanitarian programs.

Free-styling with the Golden Rule?

If by chance someone dares to point out that Rigney and his friends’ interpretation of Jesus doesn’t exactly align with His actual teachings (yikes), don’t sweat it! Just gather up a little tribe of yes-people who all share those same warm and fuzzy vibes. Sure, forming such echo chambers may feel socially awkward—like attempting to bust out some killer Macarena moves at a bustling party—but hey, salvation depends on it! So clench those believers close; after all, we can navigate this increasingly empathy-free zone together. Let’s raise our glasses—of water or whatever they’re serving—and toast to our unique approach in this brave new world!

Citations and Further Reading

Bonny, D. (2024). Grace City Church Pastor Lays Out Christian Nationalist Vision For An ‘Orderly’ Society. Source One News. https://www.yoursourceone.com/columbia_basin/grace-city-church-pastor-lays-out-christian-nationalist-vision-for-an-orderly-society/article_bd12c60e-82a6-11ef-b0d2-fb1da3a0ea19.html

French, D. (2025). Behold the Strange Spectacle of Christians Against Empathy. The New York Times.   https://www.realclearreligion.org/authors/david_french/

McCammon, S. (2025). How empathy came to be seen as a weakness in conservative circles. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/03/22/nx-s1-5321299/how-empathy-came-to-be-seen-as-a-weakness-in-conservative-circles

Rigney, J. (2025). The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and Its Counterfeits. Canon Press.

Wolf, Z. (2025). Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/elon-musk-rogan-interview-empathy-doge/index.html