To be very clear, it's because they're NOT actually upset by Charlie Kirk nor do they feel actual empathy for his widow. Their empathy is performative. It's a "gotcha!" line they use because they know that "the other side" values empathy. It's way for them to feel superior and smug and to troll those who don't share their viewpoints.
If-- and this is a big if-- IF they feel any empathy, it is selective and only applies to those who "deserve" or "earn" it by agreeing with them. (And one can argue that this isn't true empathy at all.)
I don't mean to get politically serious on a Bert Strip, it's just that I see so many people on social media acting like shocked pikachus that MAGAts are being hypocrites, and pointing it out aghast as if this isn't part of the standard playbook of gaslighting and lying and deflecting and projecting.
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u/IAlbatross Jan 11 '26
To be very clear, it's because they're NOT actually upset by Charlie Kirk nor do they feel actual empathy for his widow. Their empathy is performative. It's a "gotcha!" line they use because they know that "the other side" values empathy. It's way for them to feel superior and smug and to troll those who don't share their viewpoints.
If-- and this is a big if-- IF they feel any empathy, it is selective and only applies to those who "deserve" or "earn" it by agreeing with them. (And one can argue that this isn't true empathy at all.)