Is empathy a virtue or a weakness? Vance, Musk and others say it's gone too far

Conservative public figures argue that excessive empathy towards convicted criminals and Islamist migrants has severely weakened Western societies. They contend that this misplaced compassion is nearing a critical point, potentially leading to societal collapse. The core of their argument rests on the idea that misplaced empathy is a significant contributing factor to societal decline.

• Several conservative public figures believe Western society is close to collapse.
• They attribute this to misplaced empathy for hardened criminals and Islamist migrants.
• This misplaced empathy is seen as a driving force behind societal decline.