Leaders Without Empathy Are Not Role Models

Warning to border crossers

Source: E. A. Segal

Yesterday I watched the video clips of 50 immigrants—men, women, and children from Venezuela—being dumped at a local airfield in Martha’s Vineyard, a very small Massachusetts island off the coast of Cape Cod. It was a political move by a state governor to make a “statement” about the state of immigration in our country. Many saw it not as a statement but as a stunt, one that some thought the governor hoped would give him publicity. You can follow the specifics in the news and decide for yourself if it was a statement or a stunt.¹ While the politics of immigration are important, I am concerned about the humanity of immigration.

Aren’t immigrants human beings too?

So what did I see in those video clips? I saw a total lack of empathy. I confess I cried when I saw those clips. My pain was both global and personal. I saw how difficult and frightening it is to be displaced by war, famine, and danger and end up in a place you do not know and where you do not even speak the language; the global crisis of immigration. Personally, I saw my grandparents, who were immigrants to this country. I saw how difficult their journey was: fleeing danger, poverty, and oppression, with fear for their lives.

How did two state governors, elected to the highest office of their states, who together represent one out of every seven Americans, not see what I and many others saw? What is it that allows them to play with people’s lives to make a political statement? Why did I feel people’s fear and these elected leaders did not? How could these powerful leaders see these people as props to make a political statement? What was the difference? The difference was empathy.

Why do people in power lack empathy?

Not all powerful people are lacking in empathy, but research shows there is a strong relationship between having power and having less empathy.² I have written a more detailed account of power and empathy, but here are the most salient points: people in power tend to pay less attention to those around them and they are not strong at seeing the world through the eyes of others. People in power are more focused on their actions. Because of their narrow focus, they engage in less perspective-taking. Perspective-taking is the skill we often refer to as "walking in the shoes of others" and it is a key component of empathy. People in power are focused on tasks that matter to them, and sharing the emotions of others takes away from their focus. Thus, those in power, and those attracted to power, are more comfortable in having their narrow focus and not worrying about the situations of others. This is what contributes to their lower levels of empathy.

Is race a factor?

That two white men played with the lives of people of color suggests that there is another piece of the empathy puzzle at play. We know from research that empathy across races differs, and especially differs for those who have racist thinking.³ Did these two powerful white men not see these immigrants as like them, making it less likely they would see themselves in those others? If so, this is a barrier to empathy. If we see people as others who are different enough, we can lose sight of our shared humanity. I highly doubt either of these governors would have treated a family member or friend that way, and they would likely have been infuriated if someone else did what they did to people they care deeply about.

Empathy Is Humanizing

We are diminished when we follow the lead of those who lack empathy. When we treat others like objects, we become attuned to not seeing others as people like us. This is a dangerous behavior because we unconsciously reflect what we see. We risk learning to see ourselves as objects, and others who we might care about as objects. It's a trait that can be learned or unlearned, practiced or not; we can make a choice about whether we want to view others with empathy.

Political leaders may find it useful to view other human beings as objects, but it does not build healthy communities. We need to call them out on this behavior and instead teach our children that other human beings, no matter their race or background, are still human beings, just like us. Political leaders may be powerful, but that does not make them good role models.