Theologian Joe Rigney received a torrent of bad press after claiming in his recent book, “The Sin of Empathy,” that “The so-called virtue of empathy is the greatest rhetorical tool of manipulation in the 21st century.”

“Because love is a real virtue, empathy’s power is in posing as selfless care for victims,” Rigney continues.

Political commentator Allie Beth Stuckey echoed this idea in her 2024 book, “Toxic Empathy,” explaining how the left frames their cause as the only compassionate or kind position one could have, essentially emotionally bullying Americans, especially Christians.

These book titles are gripping in a way that gives writers at Vox the perfect headline to preach to their choir of readers. Empathy isn’t a sin, nor is it toxic, they say. And while perhaps technically true, this is not, as far as I can tell, what Rigney or Stuckey are arguing. What they argue becomes completely obvious as soon as we look around at the events of recent months.

Crowds of leftists gathered across American cities for “no king” rallies on Saturday, June 14, a sort of unofficial climax to mass demonstrations that began not-so-peacefully in Los Angeles. The cause for which they marched was somewhat haphazard. Attendees were angry about Palestine, gay “rights,” abortion restrictions, but most of all, ICE raids and deportations.

Rioters were so angry about the alleged cruelty of ICE that they looted stores, graffitied cities, threw rocks at police, and totaled cars. This, they would have us believe, was the compassionate thing to do.

Influencers on TikTok are releasing nearly identical statements condemning ICE raids, ostensibly at the behest of leftist marketing agencies. Their arguments against deportation efforts are remarkably similar: put yourself in the hardworking undocumented worker’s shoes and realize you are a bad, unkind person if you care about border security more than them.

The problem with this line of thinking is not just a problem of competing notions of how to secure our border, but that it completely ignores the victims that would result, and indeed have resulted, if ICE were to stand down. Laken Riley was murdered by a criminal illegal alien on a morning jog in February 2024, after valiantly fighting her would-be rapist for 18 minutes. Europe stands as a warning to the U.S. as years of open borders have presented a clash of cultures between the West and Islam, and women face a rise in “rape gangs.” One particular instance stands as yet another example of the danger of misplaced empathy, as British police allegedly failed to prosecute the brutal rape of thousands of British girls for fear the perpetrators’ Pakistani ethnicity would fan flames of racism.

Misplaced empathy, in so stalwartly focusing on perceived victims, actually creates more actual victims. The age of social media exacerbates such a problem, as creators without any actual expertise or knowledge of a topic are encouraged to “speak out” on any and everything, for fear of being accused of inhumanity. When it comes to the riots in Los Angeles, attendees have been so taken in by the “sin of empathy” that they are destroying property, putting police officers in danger, and terrorizing the locals, all while deeming themselves the compassionate ones.

Regardless of one’s viewpoint, it is essential to think clearly despite our emotions. It is not that belief cannot inspire certain emotions. Our belief that the rape of little girls is deeply craven no doubt inspires emotions of disgust and anger that officials would cover up such a scandal, as they likely did in Britain. However, the emotions themselves cannot be the starting point of our political opinions, especially when, as in the case of influencers, we are disseminating those opinions across a wide audience. Social media creators should utilize their vast influence wisely, avoiding the most obvious emotional tactics.

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The republication of this article is made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

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