Unidirectional Empathy Is Now the Cornerstone of Modern Society

In the aftermath of 9/11, Americans were given a persistent and unquestioned drumbeat of messages instructing them not to seek retribution, but to show grace and mercy towards those whose people had carried out the attacks. They were told to go shopping with their Islamic neighbors so that they would feel more comfortable. They were told to walk to work with their Arabic or Asian coworkers to avoid any possibility that the members of the society in the same people group as the attackers would feel separate from those against whom the attacks were directed. This mantra has been repeated over and over again following attack after attack in America and Europe. However, the response to the attack in El Paso has confirmed that this phenomenon is solely unidirectional in nature. When a person whose ancestry lies outside America or Europe commits an attack against the native population, the messaging is to show kindness to the remainder of the group as they were not involved in the attack and should not bear a social cost for the individuals that carried it out. However, when a person from Europe or America carries out an identical attack, the messaging is that every person in that group is responsible, that the group is flawed, and that the entire people group should bear both social and legal costs as a result.