09 April 2025

Toxic Compassion and Performative Empathy - Chris Williamson

Toxic Compassion is the prioritisation of short-term emotional comfort over everything else.

Over truth, reality, actual long-term outcomes, flourishing, everything.

It optimises for looking good, rather than doing good.

This is seen in much of popular culture as the desirable, fair, empathetic thing to do.

And it’s everywhere.