That guy in the Discord who called empathy 'a scam' still bugs me

Ran into a dude in a writing server who argued empathy is just 'emotional manipulation training' and that all advice posts are disguised grifting. He spent 20 minutes breaking down a viral therapy thread like it was a crypto whitepaper, and honestly I couldn't tell if he was trolling or dead serious. Has anyone else dealt with someone who treats every heartfelt take like a conspiracy? It makes me want to double-check my own hot takes before posting.

2 comments

2 Comments

ramirez.vera3d ago

Honestly, that kind of take used to make a little sense to me back when I was super burnt out on online drama. I’d read those big heartfelt threads and wonder if people were just farming sympathy for clout or whatever. But then my friend went through a rough patch and a stranger’s random comment on a post actually helped her feel less alone. That’s not manipulation, that’s just people being people. Sure, some folks grift, but painting all empathy as a scam is like saying all food is poison because you once ate a bad taco. It just shuts down the good stuff to avoid the occasional fake.

daniel_cooper343d ago

The "all food is poison" line got me. That's exactly how I used to think, honestly. I was so jaded from watching people post sob stories and then bounce back like nothing happened that I just assumed every heartfelt post was a grift. I rolled my eyes at everything. But @ramirez.vera is right about the difference. I saw a local dad post about losing his job and the comments rolled in, nothing fancy, just people saying they'd been there. One guy offered to cover his kid's soccer fees. No one asked for anything back. That stuff sticks with you. It's not worth shutting down the real kindness just to avoid the occasional faker.