We start out by looking at the critical topic of empathy within the current socio-political landscape, highlighting the troubling viewpoint expressed by some Christian nationalists who deem empathy as a weakness or even a sin. This discussion is especially topical as we witness the harsh realities of our out-of-control government, where political gain often leads to the suffering and even death in vulnerable communities. The American Humanist Association is combating this trend by launching The American Empathy Project aimed at promoting empathy, which happens to be an essential humanist value.
Offering $100,000 in grants, The American Empathy Project encourages groups across the nation to create activities centered around themes like care for the marginalized, environmental conservation, and affirming the rights of vulnerable populations. We outline various project ideas that participants can engage in while emphasizing that empathy, far from being a liability, is a crucial asset for societal progress.
We transition to the various serious topic of the connection of public figures including those in the atheist and freethought movement with the convicted child sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein. These connections are proven with the release of many photos and emails in the Epstein criminal files held by the US Department of Justice.
Epstein had a personal or donor relationship with people like Lawrence Kraus, Steven Pinker, and Richard Dawkins and these men tended to mimic views about women that Epstein was known to express.
Content creator Rebecca Watson also details her appearance in the Epstein files and how that is related to the cancer of Misogyny that still infects the freethought community. She relates the dumpster fire that was the introductory speech by former Center for Inquiry CEO Ronald Lindsay at the Women in Secularism Conference in 2013. Lindsay is also in the Epstein files - naturally.
01:00 The American Empathy Project
20:54 Does Humanism Have A Jeffery Epstein Problem?
