Move over, racial quotas and DEI questions. Colleges are letting high schoolers virtue-signal their way in.



Administrators at elite American colleges are simultaneously outsourcing some of their work evaluating potential students to juvenile critics around the world while giving applicants an opportunity to virtue-signal their way into contention by telling strangers what they want to hear about hot-button topics like abortion and the war in Gaza.

Colby College, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University have partnered with Schoolhouse.world and will welcome applicants to submit "Dialogues" certifications on the peer-tutoring platform as an optional supplement to their college application this fall.

One of the upcoming 'Dialogues' focuses on the topic of DEI.

According to Schoolhouse, which was founded by the CEO of Khan Academy, Sal Khan, "The Dialogues portfolio is a certificate you can submit to our university partners as part of your college applications to demonstrate your open mindedness, empathy, and communication skills."

Students on Schoolhouse can engage in one-on-one Zoom conversations with other students for "Dialogues" credits.

Topics include abortion, "addressing racism," affirmative action, climate change, euthanasia, "free speech vs hate speech," "future of gender equality," "income inequality," "Israel Palestine Conflict," and "threats to democracy."

At the time of publication, one of the upcoming "Dialogues" focuses on the topic of DEI.

Students participating in sessions on this particular topic will be: provided with an overview on the subject; prompted to discuss their views on diversity, equity and inclusion; and allotted 60 minutes to discuss the matter and take up relevant questions.

RELATED: 'As a woman': Duke Law quietly pushes insane diversity statements for law journal applicants

  LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images

In order to receive credit for the session, students ages 14-18 must complete a post-event survey, which asks them to select up to five terms from a list of real and HR-championed virtues — including empathy and kindness — that best describe their partner's strengths in the discussion. These responses are reflected in the other student's "Dialogues" portfolio.

Students can improve their scores by attending more sessions, signaling the attributes strangers online want to see, and challenging their own views.

"It's very easy in anonymous or asynchronous forums to just completely 'other' the other party — to think they're idiots, think they’re evil, whatever," Khan told Education Week. "That’s very hard to do in this [face-to-face] setting."

Harvard sophomore Alex Bronzini-Vender noted in a recent New York Times op-ed that in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling against affirmative action in college admissions, colleges exploited a "loophole": "Though the court would no longer allow colleges to screen applicants for race per se, they would probably still be allowed to ask applicants how race had shaped their lives."

This "identity question" apparently gave way to a "disagreement question," where applicants were prompted to detail a moment where they engaged in a difficult conversation or encountered someone with a differing opinion.

'Not exactly subtle.'

Schoolhouse, which rewards literal virtue signaling, appears to afford colleges another way of "tone-polic[ing]" admissions files, suggested Bronzini-Vender.

Forbes noted in 2022 that colleges were drawn to Schoolhouse by the promise that it could provide evidence both of applicants' academic preparation and whether they might make positive contributions to campus life.

James Nondorf, the University of Chicago's vice president for enrollment and dean of college admissions, told Forbes, "In our first year of the partnership with Schoolhouse.world, students from 15 different countries and 14 states submitted certifications to UChicago, and UChicago enrolled an incredibly diverse group of 13 students with Schoolhouse.world transcripts."

"College admissions basically adding 'virtue signaling' to [their] list of enrollment requirements," said Austen Allred, co-founder and CEO of the coding boot camp BloomTech.

"'Let's debate immigration then I'll grade you on empathy,'" Allred added. "Not exactly subtle."

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Simone Biles’ Attack On Riley Gaines Had Nothing To Do With ‘Empathy’

Wokeness has always fancied itself a movement rooted in empathy. In reality and in practice, it's a cult of self-hatred.

Emotional blackmail: How empathy became a tool of control



The sin of empathy.

When you write a book with that title, you need to be prepared to explain it. And sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

A friend recently sent me an image from the Mexico side of the southern border. It shows the word “Empathy” graffitied on the border wall. Presumably, the person responsible views the border wall as an affront to the modern virtue of empathy. In doing so, the person communicates the fundamental argument of my book.

 

For years, empathy has been pitched as sympathy 2.0. It’s compassion — but upgraded. In a famous viral YouTube video, Brené Brown describes the way that sympathy is cold and judgmental, standing aloof from suffering. Empathy, on the other hand, is a sacred space that fuels connection by staying out of judgment.

But pay attention to the fine print. What sounds like a simple call for human decency and kindness actually masks emotional blackmail. For, as the artist in Mexico said so clearly, empathy means no borders, no walls, no boundaries.

This was the warning issued in the early 2000s by Edwin Friedman, a rabbi and family systems counselor.

"Our focus on empathy is one of the major factors that has everybody stuck," Friedman said. "The concept of empathy has wound up encouraging everyone to lose their own boundaries, so it works against the very self-regulation that is necessary for it to be employed objectively."

In other words, empathy frequently becomes untethered from what is true and good, and it becomes a power tool in the hands of the sensitive. It elevates a person’s immediate feelings over healthy boundaries and thereby becomes a means of emotional manipulation.

Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of a guilt trip knows how easily we can be steered by our empathy and compassion. In fact, if we’re honest, we’ve likely put those we love on a guilt trip ourselves. It’s easy to throw a pity party or to adopt a martyr complex to influence and steer those we love.

And of course, emotional blackmail is not new. I’m sure that Adam and Eve (and Cain and Abel) engaged in their share of emotional manipulation. One hundred years ago, G.K. Chesterton asserted that the modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. They “have gone mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone. Thus some scientists care for truth, and their truth is pitiless. Thus some humanitarians only care for pity, and their pity (I am sorry to say) is often untruthful.”

Forty years later, C.S. Lewis warned that “Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful,” describing this noble virtue as a man-eating weed when it is transplanted from the rocky crags of justice to the swamp of humanitarianism.

In a world that demands all empathy and no borders, choose a better way.

But modern society has institutionalized this ancient human impulse, buttressing it with ideologies like critical theory and intersectionality.

The result? The Victimhood Olympics that we witnessed over the last decade, in which various “oppressed” groups competed to see who was the most oppressed.

In a society flooded by untethered empathy, victimhood confers invulnerability. Victims (real or imagined) cannot be questioned or challenged but must be affirmed, validated, and permitted to set the agenda for everyone else. What’s more, they are absolved from all responsibility for their actions, and they can count on the members of society to excuse all manner of behavior out of misguided compassion.

Of course, the man-eating weed of untethered empathy is very willing to selectively adopt the tenets of justice when it wants.

For example, the Biden administration facilitated the invasion of our country, abusing programs like Temporary Protected Status and expanding programs for asylum-seekers to flood the country with millions of migrants. And now, as the Trump administration seeks to undo this invasion, all of a sudden it’s vital that every illegal migrant receive an individual trial. Thus we see not only a corruption of compassion, but a corruption of justice and a bureaucratic and judicial tyranny that usurps the role of the nation’s duly elected officials.

This is the challenge for us as individuals and as a society: How can we actually be compassionate without giving in to the empathetic manipulation that dishonors God, destroys lives, and smothers justice? Because it is amazing how much cruelty can be done in the name of empathy. You can murder the unborn. You can castrate and mutilate children. You can facilitate an invasion. All in the name of empathy.

Resist any of these efforts and you will be called heartless, cruel, and ungodly, as Sunny Hostin did on "The View."

But true compassion, the kind that Christ calls us to, is not steered by false accusations and labels. True compassion weeps with those who weep while seeking their ultimate good. Because it is tethered to truth, goodness, and reality, it refuses to lie to appease the manipulators who would steer us by our kindness. It always reserves the right not to blaspheme.

So in a world that demands all empathy and no borders, choose a better way. Good fences make good neighbors. Firm boundaries enable true compassion.

Exhibit A: How liberals hijack the Bible to push their agenda on you



If you ask some Christians, Lent is apparently a season for calibrating your heart toward progressive social activism.

For the 40-day Lenten season, a group of broadly liberal and progressive Christian leaders are urging Christians to embrace a contemporary expression of the season by "returning to Jesus." But that return apparently requires adherence to an agenda that more resembles liberal politics than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Exhibit A: Those leaders recently signed a 1,200-word letter bemoaning a "growing crisis in America."

These claims are designed to manipulate Christians — and they're not even based in truth.

What exactly is that crisis, you ask? You can probably guess. President Donald Trump, basically.

Though it does not name Trump specifically, the letter claims "the political accumulation of wealth, power, and control" is threatening American democracy, offering the Trump administration's policies as evidence of the "brutal abandonment and targeting of the people Jesus commands his followers to serve and protect."

The letter is a prime example of how progressives and liberals contort the Bible to push their agenda. Here is a breakdown:

Who are the 'least of these'?

Democrats — and progressive Christians — love to cite Matthew 25 to defend and promote a social justice agenda.

The letter continues that sordid tradition, asserting that "to better defend the vulnerable," Christians must focus their "political persuasions" on Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25:31-46.

At the conclusion of His famous apocalyptic teaching about sheep and goats, Jesus declares, "Truly I tell you: Whatever you did for the least one of these, you did for me," referring to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned (Matthew 25:40).

Democrats and progressives use this teaching against conservative Christians, suggesting that obedience to Jesus requires supporting progressive policies on immigration, social welfare, and crime. That interpretation not only weaponizes the Bible to steer Christians toward a specific political agenda, but it makes a significant interpretive assumption about Jesus' teaching.

In other words, that argument fails to ask the question: Who are the "least of these"?

It turns out that most biblical scholars do not think Jesus is referring to anyone and everyone.

In fact, the consensus among New Testament scholars, based on evidence within Matthew's Gospel, is that Jesus was referring to disciples specifically (i.e., Christians). Theologian Kevin DeYoung goes even further and suggests, "'The least of these' refers to other believers in need — specifically, itinerant Christian teachers dependent on other Christians for hospitality and support."

Foreign aid, Jan. 6

The letter then attempts to use Jesus' teachings to compel Christians to oppose the Trump administration's campaign to end waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending. It does this by appealing to Christian empathy and emotions, claiming that cuts in foreign aid are "resulting in deaths."

But the letter does not provide any evidence to prove that claim.

Moreover, the letter characterizes President Trump's decision to pardon Jan. 6 defendants as a "blatant act of political corruption," juxtaposing that decision by claiming there are "millions" of Americans who "remain incarcerated by a broken, unjust, and racialized criminal justice system."

Do you notice the rhetorical sleight of hand? Pardoning Jan. 6 defendants is framed as a moral evil, while fighting for the release of Americans found guilty by a jury of their peers is framed as a moral good.

The letter thus attempts to steer Christians to oppose the Jan. 6 pardons and toward progressive criminal justice reform.

Biblical or political action?

Finally, the letter demands Christians use Lent to take action, giving up their time and resources. But to serve which gospel?

You guessed it: the progressive political agenda.

First, the letter claims that defending foreign aid disbursements is a "gospel issue." Second, it demands Christians "oppose massive spending cuts" to Medicaid and other "welfare programs," while declaring that any deficit reduction must only impact the "wealthy." Third, the letter demands Christians oppose "racial discrimination," including "the disproportionate impact of budget cuts on Black and Brown families, and the end of federal anti-discrimination federal policies and protections by executive orders."

These claims, once again, are designed to manipulate Christians — and they're not even based in truth.

As a matter of fact: Jesus did not require Christians to support the funding of "faith-based organizations" for international aid when he announced the good news about the Kingdom of God (i.e., the gospel).

Meanwhile, it's simply not true, as the letter suggests, that the Trump administration plans to make low-income Americans foot the bill for budgetary reductions. On the other hand, it plans to eliminate income taxes for Americans who earn less than $150,000 per year. Moreover, there is no evidence the Trump administration is planning to impose an agenda of racial discrimination, contrary to what the letter suggests.

Truth at Lent

Contrary to what these Christians advocate, the beauty of Lent is found in the work of Christ — not political activism or a progressive social gospel.

The 40-day Lenten season is a time for repentance, self-discipline, deepening one's relationship with God, remembering the work of Christ, and preparing for Easter, the most significant Christian holiday. Lent is a time for Christians to reflect on their sinfulness, their need for a savior, and the beauty of grace and salvation.

Sadly, what most stands out about this letter is not Christ but partisan politics.

Yes, Christians should care for the vulnerable — it's something the church has always done — and influence their communities, being agents of good that bring order and flourishing where there is chaos. But the Christian calling transcends politics, and one is left wondering if these same Christian leaders would sign a Lenten call to action demanding Christians oppose liberal policies.

Perhaps the lack of such a letter under, say, the Biden administration is the unspoken answer.

As we approach Easter, let us remember the biblical Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world — not the "Jesus" recast by progressive politics.

Jane Fonda lectures Republicans on ‘empathy’— and laughs about the murder of pro-lifers



Liberals everywhere are sharing Jane Fonda’s acceptance speech for her SAG Life Achievement Award — but what they don’t know is that while she might believe she means what she says, her actions tell a different story.

“Make no mistake. Empathy is not weak or ‘woke,’” Fonda said in her speech. “And by the way, ‘woke’ just means you give a damn about other people.”

Fonda has been an activist for decades, beginning in the 1960s.

“Maybe you weren’t alive during this time, but you heard about it when she posed for a picture in the 1960s with an anti-aircraft missile in North Vietnam,” Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” explains. “South Vietnamese and Americans were obviously very upset about this because it seemed like a stunt to show that she is pro-communism.”


In March 2023, Fonda also joked about murdering pro-life politicians and activists with her friends on “The View.”

“We’re not going back, I don’t care what the laws are. We’re not going back,” Fonda said. When the other panelists asked what women could do outside of protesting or marching, she replied, “I thought about murder.”

“She’s sitting there very seriously looking off to the side so everyone knows she’s serious, we should murder pro-lifers. Shouldn’t be surprising at all that the very people who believe that we should murder unborn babies also want to kill people outside of the womb for disagreeing with them,” Stuckey comments, adding, “But now she gets to lecture us on empathy.”

During her SAG speech, Fonda also said, “A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way, even if they’re of a different political persuasion. We need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent.”

“We are going to need a big tent to resist successfully what’s coming at us,” she added.

“So she thinks, you know, Trump is a fascist, and we’re going to have tyranny and totalitarianism. She expects people who voted for Trump to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, Jane Fonda, all of you liberals were right, Kamala Harris really would have been a great president,’” Stuckey says.

“Well, it’s not going to happen. And by the way, their empathy gets people killed. Their empathy means killing babies in the womb, mutilating kids' bodies, opening the border so more Laken Rileys die, releasing murderers from prison. All so Jane Fonda and other people can feel better about themselves,” she continues.

“And that is why it is not healthy empathy, but it’s actually toxic empathy. Ignoring the true victims on the other side of the moral question,” she adds.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Marxists Have No Empathy | 1/30/24
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Marxists Have No Empathy | 1/30/24

 

Video shows NYPD officer break into tears after talking man off ledge: 'Come back brother, come back'



A suicidal man had a good view of the sunset over the Hudson River from his perch on the side of a Manhattan overpass earlier this month. It would likely have been the last thing he'd ever see — apart from the pavement below — were it not for New York Police Department officers Carl Fayette and Eleodor Mata.

The NYPD released body camera footage this week showing the officers' dramatic intervention on Oct. 5 along with their subsequent efforts to process this victory over death, noting, "Police Officers frequently interact with people having the worst day of their lives."

In the video, a distraught man can be seen leaning over the edge of a raised portion of Riverside Drive in Manhattanville near West 130th Street, several stories above the ground below and partitioned from officers by a railing and a fence.

Fayette calmly told him, "I've been in your shoes man. I've been in your shoes man, right. It's not worth it, right. ... There is solutions. There is a way to actually get out of this situation."

"I believe that you're a good man. You're a good man," continued Fayette. "And I promise you, brother. I promise you: We will do anything in our power to help you. Please, listen to me. I've been in your shoes, brother."

"I care about you and I care about your life," added the officer. "Life is beautiful. The sun is beautiful. ... Don't give up on me, brother."

Mata repeatedly reinforced Fayette's words of support, saying, "There's plenty of resources out here for you. ... We're here for you. Everybody's here for you. We're gonna help you. You are stronger than this, like Carl told you many times. You are. You can defeat this with our help. Just come back brother, come back."

The officers carried on with their impassioned pleas for nearly 40 minutes until harnessed Emergency Service Unit officers were finally able to rescue the man.

After the ESU secured the prospective jumper, Fayette retreated into the road, audibly overwhelmed by the incident. He took a knee and sobbed, ostensibly shedding happy tears in the company of fellow officers.

The 26th Precinct said in a statement on Meta, "Both officers demonstrated great compassion and care while keeping the male engaged, allowing ESU Officers an opportunity grab the man & bring him to safety."

On X, the precinct noted the officers had spoken to the suicidal man with "genuine empathy."

 
Police Officers Fayette and Mata responded to a suicidal male who wanted to jump from an overpass. \n\nThey spoke to the man with genuine empathy to let him know they cared and that help was available, & with the assistance of our @NYPDSpecialops, they got him help.\n\nAmazing work!
— NYPD 26th Precinct (@NYPD 26th Precinct) 1697062013 
 

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a free, confidential help line available across the United States. It is offered in hundreds of languages and can be utilized via phone, text or chat. Those in need just have to dial or text 988.

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