This is an underappreciated point. In a sense, it's only empathy for the "bad" guys that matters. Everyone treats the "good" guys well, regardless of empathy. E

This is an underappreciated point. In a sense, it's only empathy for the "bad" guys that matters. Everyone treats the "good" guys well, regardless of empathy. Empathy is exactly what allows you to treat the bad guys like the good guys, in the sense of according them basic decency and good faith. If you only give empathy to those who "deserve" it, you're basically doing the same thing as people who have no empathy and just treat people well or badly based on arbitrary tribal markers.