Suicidal empathy is a purported phenomenon in which excessive, misdirected and pathological forms of empathy are claimed to be destructive for the party that exhibits it. This is often claimed to happen through prioritizing compassion, understanding and empathy over logic and long-term consequences.
Origin and popularization of the term
editThe term was coined by Canadian marketing professor Gad Saad in his book Suicidal Empathy: Dying To Be Kind.[1] According to Saad, suicidal empathy is the inability to implement optimal decisions when one is psychologically conditioned to prioritize empathy or displays of empathy over a rational course of action.[2] He argues that suicidal empathy prioritizes minority groups such as illegal immigrants at the expense of survival and security of one's own groups and values.[3] For example, Saad claims that in the US, soldiers fighting for the country receive much less empathy than immigrant gang members.[1]
The Wall Street Journal linked Saad to Elon Musk, claiming the two had a 'public bromance'.[4][5] Musk's usage of the term popularized it.[6] In a 2025 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Elon Musk uses the phrase "civilizational suicidal empathy" to refer to the corrosion of American culture.[7] According to Musk, suicidal empathy refers to weaponized empathy to bring about political and policy modifications.[8][9][10]
Usage
editThe term is commonly used by right-wing commentators and Christian nationalist figures to criticize empathy toward groups such as immigrants and racial minorities. In this context, it is sometimes linked to the Great Replacement conspiracy theory.[5][10]
Iain Macwhirter has compared Britain's net zero strategy to suicidal empathy, arguing that the UK was undermining its own energy security and industrial base.[11]
Writing for The Bulwark, Cathy Young said the phrase was "becoming a right-wing buzzword".[12]
Reception
editThe concept has been compared to the Great Replacement, a "white supremacist conspiracy theory", as both posit the imminent destruction of western societies at the hands of immigrants. Pope Francis criticized JD Vance in 2025 for citing the medieval Catholic doctrine of ordo amoris to justify the withholding of empathy for migrants.[5] The news magazine Salon called the portrayal of empathy as a weapon is an "overt assault" on what is a "natural virtue" of human beings.[13] The magazine Eureka Street criticized Elon Musk for using the term "suicidal empathy" as a way to say "barbarians" are going to threaten "the American way of life".[14]
Historian of psychology Susan Lanzonia stated that she has never perceived a vilification of empathy as reflected in "current sources". Lanzonia believes that the disparagement of the concept of empathy is a structured attempt to dehumanize people who might be in need of it.[5]
The Guardian discussed Saad's book among other works critical of empathy, characterizing the topic as a right-wing effort "...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."[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 Dakin, Pauline (2026-01-28). "How can empathy be dangerous?". CBC. Archived from the original on 2026-02-02. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ "West's Suicidal Empathy Threatens Survival, Hits Israel Hardest". Israel Hayom. 2026-02-16. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ↑ Scheffer, Joakim (2026-01-14). "Gad Saad's New Book Blames Suicidal Empathy for Western Civilizational Decline". Hungarian Conservative. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ Berlatsky, Noah (December 11, 2025). "What We Can Learn from the Right's Attack On "Toxic Empathy"". The Revealer. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Wong, Julia Carrie (April 8, 2025). "Loathe thy neighbor: Elon Musk and the Christian right are waging war on empathy". The Guardian. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ↑ Bal, Aaratrika (2025-09-10). "What is suicidal empathy? Elon Musk agrees with professor Gad Saad's comparison of George Floyd and Iryna Zarutska's deaths". primetimer.com. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ Beckerman, Jim (October 16, 2025). "Are we capable of empathy? Or is it dying? And who cares?". North Jersey. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ↑ Szalai, Jennifer (2025-07-18). "How Empathy Became a Threat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ Cameron, Michael; Square, Shoshannah Bryn Jones (2025-05-07). "MAGA's 'war on empathy' might not be original, but it is dangerous". The Conversation. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- 1 2 Wolf, Zachary B. (2025-03-05). "Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ Macwhirter, Iain (2026-02-07). "British Energy Policy's Suicidal Empathy". The American Conservative. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ↑ Young, Cathy. "The Bizarre Right-Wing War on…Empathy?". www.thebulwark.com. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
- ↑ Marcotte, Amanda (2025-04-11). "Elon Musk and the Christian right call empathy "toxic" and "suicidal" — blame their shared misogyny". Salon.com. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ McFadyen, Warwick (2025-04-30). "The fable of suicidal empathy". Eureka Street. Retrieved 2026-02-18.