Empathy is becoming unpopular—shocking, even controversial. Some influential voices now call it a disadvantage. And, disturbingly, they have a point.
Here’s the truth: showing empathy makes you a target. Someone who truly listens and feels for others is more easily manipulated than someone cold, detached, or indifferent. Imagine a scammer choosing their victim. Who do you think they’d pick—the compassionate person, or the one who doesn’t care? The answer is obvious.
So yes, empathy can be risky. Harsh? Absolutely. True? Unfortunately, yes.
But why does this feel more accurate today than ever before? We live in a world saturated with information—most of it negative. Stories of exploitation, injustice, and betrayal dominate our feeds. Over time, this constant exposure breeds a dangerous lesson: empathy is weakness. And society is listening.
Where does that leave us? A world that prizes indifference over understanding is edging closer to barbarism. Only laws, money, and technology keep us from sinking fully into cruelty. That is not progress. That is a warning.
Empathy is under siege. And if we don’t fight to preserve it, what kind of society will we leave behind?