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Do your politics make you more empathetic?

A comic on who you extend empathy to — and how that affects your worldview.

The Highlight by Vox logo

Humor, political cartoons, and graphic journalism from The Highlight, Vox’s home for features and longform journalism.


This essay is an excerpt from Are You at Risk for Empathy Myopia?, available in print from Radiator Comics.

  1. Why liberal hearts bleed and conservatives don’t, Psychology Today
  2. A deep dive into party affiliation, Pew Research Center
  3. Winning the lottery makes you more conservative, study finds, The Guardian
  4. Republicans, Democrats split on why people are rich or poor, Pew Research Center
  5. America’s geographic giving divide, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
  6. Giving differently: Liberals and conservatives have radically different views of charity. Forbes
  7. Why white people don’t feel black people’s pain, Slate
  8. Self-control is just empathy with your future self, The Atlantic
  9. White people become less racist just by moving to more diverse areas, study finds, The Independent
  10. How wealth reduces compassion, Scientific American

Ezra Claytan Daniels is the creator of the award-winning immersive graphic novel app, Upgrade Soul, and co-creator of Fantagraphics Books’ BTTM FDRS with artist Ben Passmore.

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