Very recently, we witnessed another glaring example of selective empathy at two of New York's most esteemed universities, where political bias and performative compassion seem to overshadow the basic tenets of equality and justice.
Following the recent election results, many professors at Columbia and New York University (NYU) granted distressed students the opportunity to skip class.
The reason?
Both institutions cited the emotional impact of the political outcome.
It was a gesture of understanding, signaling that their mental well-being matters.
Yet, for months, Jewish students have endured relentless anti-Israel protests, with demonstrators openly glorifying Hamas, while chanting slogans that implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) call for violence and genocide.
Where were the leniency or accommodations extended to these students?
Eliana Goldin, a student at Columbia, articulated the frustration shared by many, "Columbia has a serious problem with neutrality. For an institution that claims to care so much about equality and equity, their empathy doesn't apply to the Jews."
Her pointed observation cuts through the performative virtue signaling, highlighting a disturbing double standard.
Let's be frank.
If the response would have been different had Kamala Harris won the election instead of facing defeat, then what we're dealing with isn't compassion — it's ideological favoritism dressed up as empathy.
Selective empathy isn't just a cultural trend; it's a symptom of a deeper societal sickness.
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has written extensively about the growing political polarization on college campuses.
In his groundbreaking book, "The Coddling of the American Mind," Haidt points out that universities are becoming echo chambers where particular viewpoints are protected while others are vilified.
It's a trend that undermines intellectual diversity, creating environments where empathy is offered not based on universal principles but on selective criteria that align with the institution's ideological leanings.
The double standard is palpable.
When progressive students express distress over election results, universities bend over backward to offer safe spaces, counseling, and the option to skip classes.
But when Jewish students are subjected to hostility, hate speech, and calls for violence, the silence from the administration is deafening.
It's almost as though their pain doesn't fit the preferred narrative.
Academic institutions have long been seen as bastions of critical thinking and equality.
Yet, we are witnessing a dangerous shift where universities no longer uphold their principles of fairness and justice.
Antisemitism has found new life on college campuses, often masquerading as "pro-Palestinian" sentiment.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with supporting Palestinian rights or calling for an end to the conflict.
However, when student groups chant slogans like "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," it's not a call for peace — it's a call for the eradication of Israel and, by extension, its Jewish inhabitants.
Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, a renowned historian and the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism has warned about the normalization of antisemitism in academia.
In her 2019 book "Antisemitism: Here and Now," Lipstadt highlights how modern antisemitism is often cloaked in the language of social justice, making it more palatable and more challenging to confront.
When university administrations fail to respond to hate speech directed at Jewish students while simultaneously catering to the emotional needs of other groups, they're complicit in this normalization.
The discrepancy in how empathy is allocated raises an uncomfortable but necessary question: Are universities more concerned with signaling their virtue than truly supporting their students?
Empathy ceases to be genuine when it becomes a tool of ideological bias.
Instead, it becomes a performance, an exercise in moral grandstanding meant to reinforce a preferred narrative.
Take, for example, a recent study by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) that examined free speech and political bias on college campuses.
The study found that while 78% of students identified the importance of open dialogue, only 45% felt that their institution upheld these values consistently.
When asked whether they felt comfortable expressing their views, Jewish students reported feeling disproportionately targeted and marginalized.
The irony is painful: universities claim to be free thought and expression havens, yet their selective empathy undermines these ideals.
They preach inclusivity but practice exclusion when the victims of hate don't fit their preferred narrative.
It's time for a severe reckoning.
If universities want to be true to their mission of fostering an environment of equality and fairness, they must address the blatant double standard in offering support.
Empathy cannot be a partisan issue, nor should it be conditional on a student's political or religious affiliation.
As Eliana Goldin pointed out, "Neutrality shouldn't be negotiable."
The hypocrisy of selective empathy at America's elite universities is not just a problem for Jewish students — it's a threat to the integrity of the entire academic system.
If these institutions continue to abandon their commitment to universal principles, they risk becoming nothing more than ideological echo chambers, failing the very students and communities they claim to serve.
Michael Levine is an American writer and public relations expert. He is the author of books on public relations including Guerrilla PR. He's represented 58 Academy Award winners, 34 Grammy Award winners, and 43 New York Times best-sellers, including Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, and George Carlin among many others. Levine also appeared in "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," a 2011 documentary by Morgan Spurlock. Levine has provided commentary for Variety, Forbes, Fox News, The New York Times, and USA Today. He has been referred to in different publications as the "Michael Jordan of Entertainment PR." Read More of Michael Levine's Reports — Here.