"How we relate to the pain of others is a question that always lurks beneath our politics, but it's one that is particularly relevant now. In its first months, the Trump administration has begun to implement a radical rightwing regime featuring mass deportations without due process, draconian cuts to domestic and foreign aid programs, and venally self-interested foreign policy—a set of policies that amount to a prescription for mass suffering and death. Whether Trump succeeds or fails in his quest to remake US society is very much a question of how much of the pain of others Americans are willing to abide in the pursuit of making America great again.
The rightwing movement against empathy seeks to dismantle and discredit one of the essential tools for any society—our capacity to recognize and respond to suffering. We should see the campaign against empathy by Trump supporters for what it is: a flashing red light warning of fascist intent."
– Loathe thy neighbor: Elon Musk and the Christian Right are waging war on empathy
