The author seems to assert that empathy is being used as a cheap tool to subvert differing opinion out of self-interest. And it is true, some people sometimes a

The author seems to assert that empathy is being used as a cheap tool to subvert differing opinion out of self-interest. And it is true, some people sometimes act out of self-interest. Like self-preservation. You know, like if you're muslim, black, mexican, a woman, trans, gay, a member of the press, concerned about the environment, etc you probably perceive all the threats Trump has been making at you for a year. In order to prevent your new President from making good on all the threats he's made against you, you might want to try to get through to his supporters. Because maybe you don't want to be oppressed. So the crazy idea is that maybe we should employ empathy as a tool to understand the people who voted in favor of taking away our rights and setting back the clock of social progress by 70 years. That maybe by understanding their emotions and what drives them, we might be able to reach them, build some kind of common bond, and keep them from hurting us. This is apparently really shitty of us. I have never read another article where someone comes so close to understanding an idea and then zooms past it on rocket skates.