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Why the War on Empathy Is Really a War on Humanity Itself
On the growing empathy deficit and its impact on our happiness and collective survival
‘Do you think Trump’s administration will make it harder for your brother to get the green card?’ my Polish mother asked me on the phone the other day.
I was caught off guard by the question. Not because I didn’t expect her to worry about my brother, but because until now, it hadn’t occurred to her that Donald Trump’s presidential victory might affect him at all. Despite having not one but two children who are immigrants, both of my parents have always leaned conservative and held less-than-favourable views on immigration. Of course, in their minds, we don’t really count. There’s Us, and then there’s Them, the Others. And They clearly deserve the scrutiny.
Except… that’s not how any of this usually works, is it?
President Trump’s immigration crackdown, launched within his first days in office, has already led to arrests of both undocumented residents and American citizens. It’s also set to impact green card policies, visa programs, and more, making it harder for many people to stay in the country legally — including scientists like my brother. Few are truly safe from the relentless machinery of Otherisation, which casts anyone…
