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Matt Van Swol@mattvanswol · Aug 28, 2025

I've been wanting to write this for a long time, I think now is the time. Empathy is a virtue... and it is being…

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Summary

The author argues that empathy is being weaponized to shut down legitimate policy discussions by selectively directing compassion toward certain groups while dismissing concerns about victims, unintended consequences, and fairness. True empathy should consider all people affected by policies, not serve as a tool for political control.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    I've been wanting to write this for a long time, I think now is the time. Empathy is a virtue... and it is being weaponized against those of us who truly and honestly care. It's insidious. By design. Here's how it works on so many... including me, for so long. 🧵

  2. #2

    The pattern is always the same: ➡️ Present an emotional story. ➡️ Frame any opposition as cruel and harmful. ➡️ Rebrand neutrality as complicity. ➡️ Make the policy solution an empathy test.

  3. #3

    A trans person just shot up a school. Notice how fast the narrative shifted: a) Not about the victims. b) Not about parents who will never see their kids again. But about “protecting the trans community from backlash.” It's empathy, pointed the wrong direction...

  4. #4

    It's not just the trans issue... immigration. They say: “It’s just families seeking a better life.” Ok... but then you learn about the fentanyl, gangs, human trafficking? That's not good. But if you bring that up, suddenly you’re “heartless and racist.” See the game?

  5. #5

    You see a homeless person on the street with your kids. They say, “These are vulnerable people with nowhere else to go.” So cities allow open drug use, tents, and crime. If you disagree, you’re accused of, "lacking compassion" while the entire community suffers because of it.

  6. #6

    It becomes even more apparent when talking about crime. “They just made a mistake.” Suddenly, you discover there is vastly more empathy for criminals than empathy for victims... that doesn't sound right. Where's the accountability? ...you’re “ignoring systemic oppression.”

  7. #7

    What about all the foreign refugees? “They’re fleeing war zones, have a heart.” And of course... many truly are. Nobody denies that. But when you rightly raise concerns around vetting, crime, or cultural integration... ...empathy is used as a shield to shut you down

  8. #8

    Ok sure, but what about all the students in debt? “People are drowning in debt, they just want a chance at life.” That part tugs at my heart. Nobody likes seeing people struggle to barely make it. But the second you bring up fairness... ....like the plumber who never went to college and would be paying for their degrees Suddenly, that's "selfish."

  9. #9

    And now, after a mass shooting... Instead of focusing empathy on the kids who were killed… We’re told the real victims are the group the shooter belonged to. That’s weaponized empathy at its ugliest possible form.

  10. #10

    So I'll end with this... Real empathy DOES NOT ERASE REALITY. It cares about ALL people impacted by a policy, or a tragedy. So when empathy becomes SELECTIVE, politicized, and manipulative… It’s no longer compassion. It is NO LONGER EMPATHY. It's control.