The Politics of Pity For a decade, the West has argued whether empathy should be its highest value. Some praise it as a superpower; others call it harmful. Gad Saad’s “Suicidal Empathy” topped the New York Times list. Elon Musk called empathy a weakness; John C. Reilly called it a superpower. Ideas should be judged by consequences. Compassion-justified policies have coincided with worse addiction and homelessness, rising crime, mass migration, social fragmentation, higher living costs, and controversial medical interventions for gender-dysphoric minors. When these fail, advocates often claim it was not implemented “strongly enough.” ## An Inversion of Truth A quote often attributed to Hannah Arendt claims “the death of human empathy” precedes barbarism, but no source supports it, and her writings argued almost the opposite. Arendt contrasted the American Revolution’s institutions and law with the French revolutionaries’ “politics of pity.” Pity is not compassion: it ranks “fortunate” and “unfortunate,” grants the pitier moral authority, and overrides rights. Arendt argued this enabled Robespierre’s Terror. ## The Trojan Horse Empathy can become projection—imposing your values as if they were others’ needs. Adam Smith warned about the “man of system.” Nietzsche described societies so “soft and tender” they side with those who harm them. Orwell noted equality preaching alongside elite privilege. Rob Henderson calls these “luxury beliefs.” I call it suicidal narcissism: acquiring moral status by appearing compassionate while policies erode the foundations others rely on. The reward is immediate; the damage comes later.
Leftist “Empathy” Is Actually Narcissism Leftist “empathy” is often narcissism, not real compassion. Over the past decade, Western politics has debated whether empathy is the highest value—yet many policies justified in its name have produced serious unintended consequences: safe-supply programs, lenient bail, mass migration, identity-based social policy, and gender medicine for minors. Hannah Arendt helps explain why. In *On Revolution*, she contrasted the American Revolution’s focus on institutions and limits on power with the French Revolution’s “politics of pity,” an effort to eliminate suffering through political action. Robespierre’s compassion for the masses helped justify terror. Pity isn’t compassion: it creates a hierarchy between the person who pities and the person pitied. Once you claim to represent “the oppressed,” you can stop listening to real people. Much progressive “empathy” projects idealized versions of others, erasing cultural differences and treating disagreement as ignorance or prejudice. Adam Smith warned about the “man of system,” who thinks society can be rearranged like chess pieces, ignoring human wills. Dostoevsky argued abstract love is easy; loving real people is hard. Nietzsche described a morality that flatters weakness and condemns what rises above the herd, while Orwell questioned whether some socialist intellectuals truly loved workers or simply used them to vent resentment. Rob Henderson calls these “luxury beliefs”: status-providing ideas for elites that impose costs on those below them. The moral prestige is immediate; the damage unfolds over decades. So “suicidal narcissism” may fit better than “suicidal empathy”: projection, superiority, and power disguised as compassion.
USA - Dangers and addiction to social networks: Meta will limit access to Facebook and Instagram to two hours a day and disable notifications at night for minors (translated)
A recent investigation has identified 73 sites of Francoist repression in the Balearic Islands, revealing a network of prisons and concentration camps more extensive than previously known, and highlighting gestures of resistance from prisoners who documented their suffering through drawings, letters, and writings on clothing. (translated)
After trying and failing to eliminate funding for unaccompanied minors’ lawyers altogether, US government is pushing cases toward entities that lack both immigration expertise and the capacity to take them on https://t.co/GADqUlzWww #Immigration #LegalAid #UnaccompaniedMinors #US
I see certain pornographic content on Twitter showing a minor masturbating. I report it. Twitter sends me an automated email saying that "we conclude that it is not subject to removal according to the legal grounds of Protection of minors. (translated)
On TikTok, minors can choose to set their accounts as “public”. Any user, including those without a TikTok account, may be able to view minors’ content. This setting also allows content published by older minors to be recommended to any other TikTok user through the For You feed #TikTokSafety #PrivacyConcerns #SocialMediaResponsibility #Nospecificcountrycodesarementionedinthetweet.
Today, we sent TikTok preliminary findings indicating that TikTok accounts of minors don't meet safety standards required under the DSA. Minors deserve a safe experience from the moment they go online. A high level of protection should not be an opt-in. https://t.co/V4BMz8iDhn https://t.co/9lqJ0j0UNP #SafetyFirst #DSA #ProtectMinors #Nospecificcountrycodesarementionedinthetweet.
Deux jeunes hommes accusés de la mort de l'adolescent Shemseddine à Viry-Châtillon ont été remis en liberté sous contrôle judiciaire en raison d'un vide juridique concernant la détention provisoire des mineurs, une décision qui a pris la famille de la victime par surprise car elle n'en avait pas été informée au préalable. #JusticePenale #Minors #ViryChatillon
The tragic funeral of 11-year-old Lyhanna, who was murdered in southwestern France, has sparked public outrage over police failures that allowed her suspected killer, Jérôme Barella, to remain free despite prior allegations of sexual abuse against minors, igniting calls for reform and accountability within the French justice system. #JusticeForLyhanna #ChildSafety #FranceMurderCase
An 11-year-old girl named Lyhanna, murdered in south-western France, was buried amid public outrage over police failings that allowed her suspected killer, Jérôme Barella, to evade justice despite previous allegations of sexual abuse against minors, igniting national calls for reforms in the judicial system regarding child protection. #JusticeForLyhanna #ChildProtection #FranceCrime
A new chapter in EU-Brazil digital cooperation 🇪🇺🇧🇷 Today in Brasília, we signed a Digital Partnership to advance a human-centric and inclusive digital transformation, strengthen cooperation on AI, resilient supply chains, data protection and the safety of minors online. https://t.co/71bAqVmCNm #DigitalPartnership #EUBrazil #DigitalTransformation #EU #BR
Consumer protection rules exist to be followed, not treated as mere suggestions. The collective lawsuit launched by consumer group SOMI in the Netherlands against Snapchat raises serious concerns about addictive design features, the protection of minors, and compliance with the #ConsumerProtection #AddictiveDesign #SOMI #NL
The article describes the harrowing experiences of two young women, Aaria and Farah, who were sexually abused by Abdul Halim Khan, a respected imam in London, between 2004 and 2015, as he exploited his position and manipulated his victims into silence through fear and deception, ultimately leading to his life imprisonment for multiple counts of sexual assault and abuse against minors. #SexualAbuse #ChildProtection #SurvivorStories #GB
The article recounts the harrowing experiences of 13-year-old 'Aria' who was sexually abused by a well-respected imam, Abdul Halim Khan, in East London, who manipulated young girls into believing he was protecting them from evil spirits and threatened them into silence; he has been sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple counts of sexual assault over a span of 11 years involving several minors. #SexualAbuse #ChildProtection #JusticeForVictims #GB
