If the HasanAbi Dog Clip Is Real, He Should Step Away from the Spotlight

There’s a video circulating online right now showing Hasan Piker, better known as HasanAbi, and his dog Kaya. In it, the dog yelps after Hasan tells her to “go back.” Some viewers immediately claimed it was a shock collar moment; others said it was something else. Hasan himself denied using a shock collar, saying theContinue reading “If the HasanAbi Dog Clip Is Real, He Should Step Away from the Spotlight”

When the Law Might Not Be Enough: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Could Threaten Federal Workers’ Back Pay

The 2025 federal government shutdown has placed hundreds of thousands of federal employees in an incredibly precarious situation. While the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) was enacted in 2019 to ensure that workers furloughed or required to work without pay would receive retroactive compensation once a shutdown concludes, the political and legal landscape ofContinue reading “When the Law Might Not Be Enough: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Could Threaten Federal Workers’ Back Pay”

Walking Out on Netanyahu: Why Shunning is Not Radical Empathy

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rose to speak before the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, many delegates responded by standing up and walking out. The gesture was meant to be symbolic—a protest against Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, widely described by human rights organizations as genocidal in nature. The walkout was coveredContinue reading “Walking Out on Netanyahu: Why Shunning is Not Radical Empathy”

Radical Empathy in a Time of Violence: Seeing Beyond the Badge and the System

The past week has been marked by unsettling headlines. In Dallas, Texas, an armed man fired on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, killing one detainee and wounding others before ending his own life. In New York City, an undercover NYPD officer was violently shoved onto the subway tracks, barely escaping with his life,Continue reading “Radical Empathy in a Time of Violence: Seeing Beyond the Badge and the System”

When Politics Breaks Friendships: Reflections on the Fallout After Charlie Kirk

Sometimes the most unexpected moments reveal the fault lines that have been hiding beneath the surface of our relationships. Recently, I witnessed two people I knew online—one a close friend of mine, and another who was more of a mutual acquaintance—have a falling out. The reason? What happened to Charlie Kirk, and the differing waysContinue reading “When Politics Breaks Friendships: Reflections on the Fallout After Charlie Kirk”

Conditional Empathy Is the Language of Authoritarians

One of the most dangerous ideas creeping into our culture right now is the notion that empathy can — or should — be conditional. That empathy should be extended only to the people who “deserve” it, to those who think like us, vote like us, believe like us, live like us. This mindset isn’t justContinue reading “Conditional Empathy Is the Language of Authoritarians”

Why America Needs Radical Empathy Now More Than Ever

The United States is in crisis. Not just a political crisis, not just an economic crisis, not just a cultural crisis—but a crisis of humanity. Violence has become normalized. Division has hardened into identity. Mistrust is the default. Every headline, every tragedy, every new eruption of outrage points back to the same truth: we noContinue reading “Why America Needs Radical Empathy Now More Than Ever”

There Is No Empathy Paradox: Why Humanity Cannot Be Conditional

In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s killing, I saw a video from a leftist commentator framing the issue in terms of an “empathy paradox.” The argument was that it’s somehow contradictory to show empathy for someone who was not a good person, who actively caused harm, who dedicated his life to pushing a destructive ideology.Continue reading “There Is No Empathy Paradox: Why Humanity Cannot Be Conditional”

When Compassion Becomes Conditional: The Violence of Selective Empathy in America

Empathy and compassion should be the foundation of any society that hopes to thrive. They are not luxuries to be extended only to friends or allies, but necessities for the survival of a diverse and fractured nation. Yet in America today, these values are increasingly treated as conditional, given only to those who pass certainContinue reading “When Compassion Becomes Conditional: The Violence of Selective Empathy in America”

Radical Empathy in an Age of Vitriol: Why I Choose to Show Compassion, Even to Charlie Kirk

Empathy is not easy. It never has been. But in today’s fractured world—where politics, culture, and identity are so fiercely polarized—empathy feels almost impossible. When news broke about Charlie Kirk, I watched the reactions unfold. Some were shocked. Some were quietly relieved. And many were openly celebrating, mocking, and dismissing his pain. Over and over,Continue reading “Radical Empathy in an Age of Vitriol: Why I Choose to Show Compassion, Even to Charlie Kirk”