Why don't we care more about whether people in positions of power have empathy?

It’s a long weekend for parts of Canada, so I figured I’d do a more personal video today.

I’ve seen some really awful stuff lately from people who still occupy prominent positions in our society. A former major politician (who is arguably eyeing political a comeback) dismissed the value of fighting for trans rights. A right-wing columnist emailed a progressive newsroom to congratulate them (in reality, it was more of a gloat) after a female reporter was laid off. Then there are the larger, societal cruelties we’ve all witnessed lately. There’s been genocide. Families ripped apart by ICE agents. Indigenous communities left to burn in wildfires while we all but abandon the fight against climate change.

In light of that, I sat down in front of my camera and just ranted about something that’s been on my mind lately: why do we let really cruel people control so much of our public policy and opinion?

I’m sure there are, to some degree, real answers to this question that have to do with things like capitalism, political influence and the “who” and “how” of people pursuing power. Rather than sit down and look for whatever studies I can find on the issue, I’m engaging with these questions in a very human way today.

In today’s video, I ask: could we cultivate a world where empathy is a primary quality we demand from both our politicians and the people who inform us about what’s happening in the world?

I think we could — and should.

We can push for kindness to matter (and not that fake, kiss-ass kindness — I mean people who actually think about the impact of their actions on others). We can demand empathy be a prerequisite for positions of power.

While there’s no way to know for sure whether someone is a good, caring person (some people are very good at pretending, for a while anyway) I argue we should account for track records and whisper networks.

I’d love to hear what you guys think. This is a more casual video than the kind I normally make, which means the thoughts in it aren’t as polished or carefully crafted. But I’d argue this is a conversation we should have.

I hope you agree :)