Empathy Crusade

Theory of Self-Relativity defines “Empathy-Crusade” as “Appealing to the emotions of the weak and the susceptible, in order to manipulate them for personal gains.”

Increasingly, especially in motivational and leadership teachings, as well as politics and society as a whole; there have been individuals and entities who try to win over quantities of followers by engaging in what Theory of Self-Relativity has termed as “Toxic-Sympathy.”

Theory of Self-Relativity defines “Toxic-Sympathy” as “Intentionally nurturing victimhood in order to manipulate and win over the weak and the susceptible.”

They do so through philosophies and ideologies disguised as being sympathetic and empathetic, not because they have genuine empathy for the people; but they do so for their own personal or group agenda.  By appealing to people’s emotions, these entities manipulate the followers in order to persuade the masses to support their ideology and their agenda.  An appeal-to-emotion is a logical-fallacy that one deploys by manipulating the recipient’s emotions; for example empathy, in order to persuade or to win an argument in the absence of, or contrary to, factual-evidence.  Appeal-to-emotions become stronger and wider accepted as more people get manipulated and persuaded to subscribe to and support the fallacy or the ideology.  Theory of Self-Relativity further refers to such manipulative tactics of appealing to people’s emotions, especially their empathy, as the “Empathy-Crusade.”  The empathy-crusade, similar to toxic-sympathy, is intended for personal gains of the manipulator, which is derived at the expense of the followers and the believers; commonly, without the followers’ or believers’ awareness.

This is why Theory of Self-Relativity advocates and teaches factual-thinking, so that we can learn to think for ourselves, based on facts and how reality is, and to avoid subtle and intentional manipulations that seem good for us on the surface; but when unpacked, we recognize they have no nutritional value. Factual-thinking teaches us awareness, so that we can see through manipulation and deceptive tactics.