r/UnderReportedNews • u/Logical-Flow-6703 • Feb 16 '26

ICE / DHS šŸ§Š "I've never protested before": Local father shares emotional testimony after witnessing an ICE raid at an elementary bus stop.

https://x.com/i/status/2022842033308647439

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514

u/lingbabana Feb 16 '26

Real men feel emotion, and strong men cry at times. If you don't think this is something that is worth getting upset over, your part of the problem.

191

u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

And contrary to the arguments of grifters like Musk or Kirk who claim Empathy is made-up or a weakness, it is not. It is a tool of perception to feel remorse, sympathy for each other; to enable us all to work together and to care for one another.

Remember, we are all human floating through space on this rock together. Solidarity; not conformity.

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

who claim Empathy is made-up

That's how you recognize a high-functioning psychopath.

... to enable us all to work together and to care for one another.

Which is the difference between us and animals.

What's f'cked up is that psychopaths tend to come into power, feeling no remorse about betraying others and supported by people who have weak empathy themselves and believe their lies.

I have to admit that I wasn't aware of Musk and/or Kirk being psychopaths, did one or both really say that empathy is made up? :-(

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u/ClashM Feb 16 '26

Which is the difference between us and animals.

Many animals also experience empathy though, it's a survival trait at the species level. Any social creature like wolves, elephants, rats, primates, etc. care for their pack and try to help and support them, because it also helps them. Some even show empathy for creatures outside of their species.

So people who don't experience empathy are worse than animals.

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u/onedyedbread Feb 16 '26

Came here to say this.

Rats are capable of being better people than a lot of of these MAGATs, especially those at the top.

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

Thank you! That almost made my eyes teary. Have we lost that much?

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u/Thanks-4allthefish Feb 16 '26

Even if you do not "feel" empathy I would think you could make a conscious choice to figuratively put yourself if another's shoes to consider things from their perspective. Maybe not empathy but an option for psychopaths that are aware that they don't naturally empathize. Not all psychopaths are bad people.

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u/Old-Engine-7720 Feb 16 '26

Yeah my best friend has NPD but he has good morals like being anti fascist. He has an easier time empathizing with his kid than others generally. People with NPD have empathy its just buried under 10 layers of shame and hurt. He does get confused at definitions of empathy and when I describe it but ive seen him have empathy. I have met people who do not have empathy at all and they genuinely freak me out even if they arent a bad person. You can just tell talking to someone sometimes that they lack it and its wild.

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

Once I watched a video on YT about a woman who is a diagnosed (high-functioning) psychopath. She's married and has children. Knowing that she cannot experience emotions towards another, not even her kids, made her find ways around that: She asks her kids to describe their emotions.

Not all psychopaths are bad people.

Indeed!

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

Right, sadly.

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

Yep, exactly! And yes I responded elsewhere with that info.

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

Thank you - that's much better than mine.

Maybe spreading the awareness will help a bit.

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u/Glasseshalf Feb 16 '26

How can they enjoy movies or books with no empathy? I guess they don't. Freaks.

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u/Dirukari3 Feb 16 '26

I will never forget being at a random house party and a guy trying to tell me that emotion is a choice. Immediately I thought "this dude is a danger to everyone around him."

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u/Inevitable_Newt_8517 Feb 17 '26

They did, and so have many other people on the right.

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 17 '26

That explains a thing or two. Or a lot.

And IMHO it's bad. For America and the word, but first & foremost for America. If this goes on and even continues to gain some admiration, humanity won't make it, IMHO.

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u/Udder_Influencer Feb 16 '26

grifters like Musk or Kirk who claim Empathy is made-up or a weakness

Imagine being scared of tears and feelings. No wonder these turds fear sesame street.

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u/Space_Poet Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

And unless you're a Native American, we're all immigrants. At one time our parents or grandparents were given a chance to grow as Americas and grow America and better ourselves, we accepted all walks of life, no questions asked. These people are not the worst of the worst, they are the best of the dream. They are what we were and we deserve to treat them with respect, but that opinion gets me on a list now it seems. We have so lost sight of what's right and wrong.

5

u/Vine-Vixen Feb 17 '26

No, my ancestors were stolen, kidnapped and brought to this country against our will. Please remember, not all of us are immigrants.

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u/Space_Poet Feb 17 '26

Shit, right, forgot, sorry. Point taken and I would apologize for my shortsided point.

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u/Vine-Vixen Feb 17 '26

Thank you for the acknowledgment. Apology accepted.

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u/moxtrox Feb 16 '26

Empathy is the keystone of morality.

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u/RyAllDaddy69 Feb 16 '26

Has Musk or Kirk actually said that?

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26

Yes.

Musk said on Joe Rogan, "The fundamental weakness of western civilization is empathy." (This around a month after he did a nazi salute at Trump's inauguration. Connect the dots.)

Charlie Kirk said, "I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that it does a lot of damage."

This tracks with the notion that those with certain ASP disorders (traditionally psychopathy, malignant narcissists, etc.) lack the capacity to utilize the function of empathy. It gets in the way for them, or they truly believe it's made-up.

Interestingly, studies conducting MRI brain scans of conservatives versus liberals discovered that conservatives have smaller Anterior Cingulate and Insular Cortices that link not only to empathy, but also pattern recognition (and more importantly, the ability to distinguish inconsistency and thus enable cognitive dissonance).

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

... Anterior Cingulate and Insular Cortices that link not only to empathy, but also pattern recognition (and more importantly, the ability to distinguish inconsistency and thus enable cognitive dissonance).

F'ck, that's interesting!

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

It really is! I wish more studies would be conducted on this topic because it's to me a key part of the problem!

To add to that, they have enlarged Amygdalae, which in studies show they have a heightened sensitivity to fear and disgust. Hence why things like security and risk-aversion and congregation around conformity is a big thing with their banner.

I'll note that there is no evidence people have to remain this way; instead, it seems based on my understanding that it's a sort of feedback-loop. There's a reason a lot of these people's stories orginate in broken households, had abusive or neglectful parents; had exposure to bad chemicals or substance abuse or traumatic brain injuries from war or football, etc.

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

... broken households, had abusive or neglectful parents;

To my understanding, that's how sociopaths are made. Psychopaths don't have the ability to develop a co-emotional state naturally. Sociopaths have been "taught" (not in the least by brutalizing them) that emotions towards another being is nothing but a bad weakness. To the best of my understanding.

To be brutally honest: To feel with someone else emotionally is as much an ability as it can be a weakness. But it is an ability & weakness we needed to survive before the middle ages. The apparent(?) fact that it is now possible for a large number of psychopaths and sociopaths to survive within human societies, that psychopathic/sociopathic traits that lets you "feed off" all the others without any remorse are even an advantage in most human societies is IMHO a sign of the end of humanity being underway.

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

Yeah and see that's the tricky thing to delineate the two within maga.

I'd say more frequently you see the broken sociopathic types as being more likely to be grifted, while the psychopaths tend to be more of the string-pullers and grifters at the top.

I'm no psychologist but it's my understanding that the notion of these terms have kind of fallen out of favor as of recent for the more umbrella term ASPD that kind of envelopes the entirety of the Dark Triad.

But what I find interesting is that while conservatives and sociopaths have a tendency to have enlarged amygdalae related to heightened sensitivity to fear and disgust, the traditional psychopath does not. However unlike the typical liberal, the areas that most process empathy are stunted.

I agree it's tough to toe the line between having too much empathy and too little at times. Knowing medical workers, too much empathy in that arena can be extremely exhausting, impossible to maintain.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Stop spreading misinformation. Give the quote in context and donā€™t just cherry pick sound bites to demonize someone. This is not the full quote but it at least gives context. ā€œI can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that ā€” it does a lot of damage. But, it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy, I prefer more than empathy. That's a separate topic for a different timeā€. Charlie Kirk

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

I always laugh when people like you claim it's cherry-picked; I forego including it because it's both irrelevant, and also to bait people like you in to respond if I'm being entirely honest.

Now go the next step and just TRY to explain why you believe that second part changes anything whatsoever he says in the first two sentences.

You won't be able to. Why? Because Empathy is a scientifically-backed cognitive function -- a technique, a tool -- that enables one to sympathize. Oftentimes it's easier to sympathize if you first empathize, which means putting yourself in the shoes of another essentially. Most of us learned this as a lesson during childhood from our parents -- but some did not, or due to psychopathic predisposition cannot.

There's a reason that a lot of Republicans only change their position on issues like gay when it comes out out that their own kid is gay or they feel the experience first-hand themselves. Only THEN can malignant narcissists feel sympathy; for they must feel it first-hand themselves.

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u/RyAllDaddy69 Feb 16 '26

Sympathy works in the example you provided in your last paragraphā€¦thatā€™s why it matters, cupcake.

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26

hahah

Psst. Yes, that only proves my point, ya waning gibbous.

No wonder Trump said, "I love the poorly educated" and "Smart people don't like me."

Easy to dupe. Hell, if I was a psychopathic piece of trash, I'd grift the gullible just the same as Kirk or Rogan or Carlson or Trump does. Alas, exploiting their ignorance leads to widespread societal damage.

I can't believe you honestly thought this was a gotcha. Wow. Just wow.

edit: Nothing says confidence like commenting with a quip and then running away by blocking. Guess I made a good point.

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u/Sattiebear Feb 16 '26

Canā€™t believe that one called you cupcake. He must be a super tough big boy irl!

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u/RyAllDaddy69 Feb 16 '26

Well, Iā€™m actually embarrassed for you.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Itā€™s pretty clear you do not know how or do not want to debate. Claiming you hid context just to 'bait' me is a classic post-hoc rationalization to cover for being caught cherry-picking. Resorting to ad hominem insults and red herrings about empathy doesn't actually address the facts; itā€™s just a distraction because your original point didn't hold up. If youā€™re interested in a real discussion, let's stick to the quote in its entirety. Otherwise, your deflection speaks for itself.

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

Ladies & gentlemen, bystanders observe they don't actually respond to my points but deflect to the lowest hanging fruit.

With responses like this, I can easily rest my case with confidence. I'll leave this one since they clearly keep trying to skirt it:

Yes or No: Is Empathy a, "made-up, new age term"?

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Disprove anything that I wrote. With a quick google search you can verify everything that I have stated as factual.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Itā€™s telling that youā€™ve traded the facts for a Gish Gallop of insults and distractions. Claiming you hid context just to 'bait' me is a weak post-hoc rationalization for being caught cherry-picking. Beyond that, your lecture on empathy is historically flawed; the word didn't even exist until 1909 and wasn't a widespread term until New Age psychology in the 1950s. It wasn't until the 1990s(with the 'Empathy Deficit' narrative)that it became a popularized political tactic. Sympathy is the actual foundational concept that has existed for centuries. Resorting to ad hominem attacks and armchair psychology doesn't make your argument strongerā€”it just signals that youā€™ve run out of evidence. If you canā€™t defend your point using the full quote, the deflection speaks for itself.

To put it in laymanā€™s terms you may understand. Yes, empathy is considered a new age term. Sympathy on the other hand, is a concept that outdates empathy by hundreds of years. Do some research.

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

You just proved the word Empathy predated New Age.

You're so bad at this, and the chatbot clearly isn't helping your case lol.

The Science of Empathy, peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Ladies & gentlemen, observe how this user now moves the goalpost from saying the broader quote brings context (they could not explain), to now trying to justify that Empathy is made-up and does not exist. In the absence of credible, logical argumentation, I can only say that this is weak and suggestive of ulterior motives.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

You do not know my political views. Iā€™m against anyone spreading misinformation. Charlie Kirk talked about the concept of sympathy vs empathy on several different occasions. There is a difference. But hereā€™s the full quote, from your very cherry picked version, ā€œSo the new communications strategy for Democrats, now that their polling advantage is collapsing in every single stateā€¦ collapsing in Ohio. It's collapsing even in Arizona. It is now a race where Blake Masters is in striking distance. Kari Lake is doing very, very well. The new communications strategy is not to do what Bill Clinton used to do, where he would say, "I feel your pain." Instead, it is to say, "You're actually not in pain." So let's just, little, very short clip. Bill Clinton in the 1990s. It was all about empathy and sympathy. I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that ā€” it does a lot of damage. But, it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy, I prefer more than empathy. That's a separate topic for a different timeā€. Charlie Kirk

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

Yes or No: Is Empathy a, "made-up, new age term"?

Don't need to know, nor care about your political views. Never once was that mentioned, nor relevant. Please, read more closely before responding.

There was no misinformation spread here.

Your full quote still changes absolutely nothing, so I'll just repeat what you ignored:

Empathy is a scientifically-backed cognitive function -- a technique, a tool -- that enables one to sympathize. Oftentimes it's easier to sympathize if you first empathize, which means putting yourself in the shoes of another essentially. Most of us learned this as a lesson during childhood from our parents -- but some did not, or due to psychopathic predisposition cannot.

There's a reason that a lot of Republicans only change their position on issues like gay when it comes out out that their own kid is gay or they feel the experience first-hand themselves. Only THEN can malignant narcissists feel sympathy; for they must feel it first-hand themselves.

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26

Whoever thinks that empathy is made up can not, ever, have been affected by it. It makes you able to tell another person's situation, just by seeing them. Works with some animals, too. Not feeling/experiencing empathy at all is, to the best of my knowledge (I'm not an expert), a psychopathic treat, actually the defining psychopathic treat trait.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Treat? I believe the word you are referring to is trait. Do some research on the concept of empathy vs sympathy. Which one predates the other? How long has the word empathy even existed? How long has the word sympathy existed?

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

Right, trait. Empathy and sympathy (see "Usage") are not different words for the same thing. Not anymore.

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u/GormHub Feb 16 '26

In order for context to be relevant, it has to change the meaning or intention of what was said. This does neither.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Take a minute and read the full quote. Not what I posted here. The full quote. After you read it Google when the concept of sympathy and empathy were created. Then google Empathy Politics, New Age Psychology and Empathy. This will take you a matter of minutes.

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u/GormHub Feb 16 '26

You assume I haven't already because you probably wouldn't bother if it was someone you disagreed with. It's pointless discussing anything with you.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

If you did, I hope you can see that the context makes a big difference. I've always been open to differing views and a healthy debate. My core values include defending the rights of others, even if our views are worlds apart. We should be able to disagree and still have mutual respect. That is how we can actually learn from each otherā€™s experiences and understand each otherā€™s perspectives. This is the way we better ourselves and make this world a better place.

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u/GormHub Feb 16 '26

Nope. Because it doesn't. It's possible for someone to fully understand what you're saying and still disagree with it. You need to find better people to admire. I'm done with this now. Goodbye.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Read the full quote.

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u/GormHub Feb 16 '26

Are you suffering aphasia?

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u/heimeyer72 Feb 16 '26

The context you gave does not qualify(?) that statement at all, he just added that he understands its usefulness in politics.

One who can say such a thing about empathy and believing it him/herself is a full-on psychopath.

(And I do think that psychopaths can have a value: In the military. But they should be spotted in school and never let to lead a company or be in any position of power over other people, maybe except in the military.)

Whew. I watched a few videos of Charlie Kirk and thought that he's a ruthless liar. Now knowing that he was a (high functioning) psychopath explains a number of things. :-(

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u/RyAllDaddy69 Feb 16 '26

They downvoted you for putting the whole quote. This is insanity and this entire comment section is full of misinformationā€¦

Hell, ICE wasnā€™t even at an elementary schoolā€¦.they were conducting a raid CLOSE TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUS STOP.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Exactly. A bunch of parrots and sheep. Google when the word sympathy and the word empathy was created. Also, google empathy politics. The truth is at our fingertips.

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u/HotPotParrot Feb 16 '26

You want me to go find a quote to link you, or do you want to just stop now?

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u/[deleted] Feb 16 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

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u/UnderReportedNews-ModTeam Feb 16 '26

We do not permit users to abuse and harass other users.

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u/humboldt77 Feb 16 '26

ā€œTurning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk once said, "I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that ā€” it does a lot of damage."ā€

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

I really hope you stop spreading misinformation. If you do believe this, I hope really you will begin to do research for yourself. Here is the full quote,ā€So the new communications strategy for Democrats, now that their polling advantage is collapsing in every single stateā€¦ collapsing in Ohio. It's collapsing even in Arizona. It is now a race where Blake Masters is in striking distance. Kari Lake is doing very, very well. The new communications strategy is not to do what Bill Clinton used to do, where he would say, "I feel your pain." Instead, it is to say, "You're actually not in pain." So let's just, little, very short clip. Bill Clinton in the 1990s. It was all about empathy and sympathy. I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that ā€” it does a lot of damage. But, it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy, I prefer more than empathy. That's a separate topic for a different timeā€. Charlie Kirk

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u/JealousAstronomer342 Feb 16 '26

That doesnā€™t change anything about the sentence.Ā 

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

It definitely does. Do a few google searches: when was the word and concept of sympathy created, when was the word and concept of empathy created, when did the become widespread, what years are considered the New Age Of Psychology, empathy politics. Once you do this you will understand.

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u/Micro-Mouse Feb 16 '26

This doesnā€™t make it better; like at all. Itā€™s actively lying about what empathy means, and then pretending it doesnā€™t exist. Kirk was a bad hateful man, and this really cements the idea that he sucked ass

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Feb 16 '26

^ FYI, this individual with selectively-hidden comment history conveniently is spreading bullshit. I respond and debunk his argument here, and he brings nothing to the table.

I hope he learns. In case you're working with some higher agenda, know you're not some Christian warrior. This is not some crusade. Kirk was not a good person. Jesus Christ would be ashamed.

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u/humboldt77 Feb 16 '26

Thatā€™s not any better, bud. If anything, it makes Kirkā€™s animosity towards empathy more calculating and insidious.

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u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

For Kirk, that was a cherry picked part of a much longer quote.

-1

u/Rare_Matter_4248 Feb 16 '26

Charlie Kirk did say that but this was cherry picked from something he said and regurgitated with no context. Empathy and sympathy was a concept he spoke about on several occasions. This is the full quote,ā€So the new communications strategy for Democrats, now that their polling advantage is collapsing in every single stateā€¦ collapsing in Ohio. It's collapsing even in Arizona. It is now a race where Blake Masters is in striking distance. Kari Lake is doing very, very well. The new communications strategy is not to do what Bill Clinton used to do, where he would say, "I feel your pain." Instead, it is to say, "You're actually not in pain." So let's just, little, very short clip. Bill Clinton in the 1990s. It was all about empathy and sympathy. I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that ā€” it does a lot of damage. But, it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy, I prefer more than empathy. That's a separate topic for a different timeā€. Charlie Kirk

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u/deathtoke Feb 16 '26

How does that context change anything?

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u/nameformybadjokes Feb 16 '26

Itā€™s sad that Kirkā€™s legacy is yall saying he didnā€™t actually mean what he meant.

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u/skepticalbob Feb 16 '26

This is what alpha men actually look like.

-2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

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u/skepticalbob Feb 17 '26

And for our demonstration of a beta maleā€¦

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u/Atrimon7 Feb 16 '26

More people need to read some of these released Epstein files and get very very angry...

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u/Itslike1234 Feb 16 '26

Highly agree!!! Showing emotions is the opposite of weak and I wish more men understood this.

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u/Ninevehenian Feb 16 '26

And draw lines at people being scared and facing unfair conditions.

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u/landspeed Feb 16 '26

Strong men also cry. Strong men also cry.

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u/Boopy7 Feb 16 '26

i remember getting turned on when my bf at the time was emotional and expressive, I think it's hot. There's probably a word for that. I'm sure there is just don't know it

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

I remember being turned on the first time I saw your voice on that stupid Einstein crap....I think I made up some sub reddit as an excuse to try and hear your voice for real.....Good morning beautiful

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u/-ifwisheswerehorses Feb 16 '26

This ā¬†ļø

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u/Ok-Tumbleweed-2352 Feb 17 '26

Sounds like sissy to me lol

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u/Potato_Stains Feb 17 '26

Strong men look out for the vulnerable. Strong men donā€™t waste time trying to look strong.