Here is my quick review of Gad Saad’s Chapter 2 (“Forbidden Knowledge”) of Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind

The attached image matches the decorative Art Deco-style chapter header for this section.

Chapter 2 dives into “forbidden knowledge”, meaning truths that get suppressed not because they’re false, but because they’re unwelcome or might rattle favored narratives. Drawing from Roger Shattuck and Milton’s Paradise Lost, Saad shows how suicidal empathy turns into a censorship machine. Instead of facing reality, people start hiding or softening hard truths simply because someone might get upset or outraged. He calls this dangerous and self-destructive form of empathy “suicidal empathy.”

Harvard’s Treatment of Roland Fryer

One of the sharpest examples in the chapter is Roland Fryer Jr., who became Harvard’s youngest Black tenured professor. When he published data showing that the narrative of constant white supremacy in policing and education didn’t match reality, the backlash was swift and severe. Claudine Gay, then a dean and later Harvard’s president, led the campaign against him. Harvard ultimately suspended Fryer for two years without pay and permanently shut down his research lab. Saad presents this as suicidal empathy in action: shielding a preferred victimhood narrative took priority over truth and merit. The irony is hard to miss as Gay herself was later found to have plagiarized in multiple academic papers and resigned as president.

More Suppression of Unwelcome Scientific Inquiry

Saad extends the Harvard example to other cases, such as the hostile reception that greeted Philippe Rushton’s research on race and cranial size at a psychology conference. He uses this to show how entire lines of research become “forbidden” when they challenge liberal assumptions. Suppressing research in the name of empathy prevents honest discussion of topics like group differences, crime statistics, or immigration patterns. It puts protecting certain political views ahead of finding out what’s actually true.

Trump’s Ban from Twitter

One clear example is Donald Trump’s ban from Twitter. Many on the left didn’t just think it was okay — they believed it was good and necessary. They saw Trump as such a serious threat that normal free speech rules shouldn’t apply to him. Saad uses this as a perfect example of suicidal empathy: people were willing to break important principles if it meant stopping someone they strongly opposed. The same pattern appeared when the Hunter Biden laptop story was kept quiet before the election, and when certain topics were treated as too dangerous to discuss openly. Saad also notes that this kind of control over information has old roots, from historical inquisitions to recent U.S. government efforts like the Disinformation Governance Board  (the  board only existed under the Biden administration).

Homelessness Policies and the Cost of Misplaced Empathy

Gad also addressed homelessness which is a topic dear to me here in Austin. Progressive cities often handle homelessness by refusing to address the real root causes of severe mental illness and addiction. Instead of requiring treatment or enforcing basic behavior standards, many leaders blame capitalism and push euphemisms like “unhoused” to avoid uncomfortable realities. This approach turns public spaces meant for everyone into de facto shelters.

I saw this firsthand recently at the Austin Public Library at Republic Square. It’s a beautiful, $125 million facility built to be a safe, family-friendly place. Instead, large parts of it have been taken over by homeless individuals using it as a daytime shelter. People were sleeping on the floor, spreading out their belongings around the computers, and treating the space more like a Greyhound station than a library. Outside in the plaza, benches and open areas were occupied with makeshift setups. The atmosphere felt uneasy and unwelcoming. It is not the kind of place where families, mothers, or children would want to spend time.

This is what happens when empathy has no boundaries. Public resources meant for the whole community get repurposed, safety standards slip, and regular citizens, especially families, end up avoiding spaces they once used freely. The book argues this isn’t compassion; it’s suicidal empathy that ultimately harms everyone, including the people it claims to help.

How This Mindset Spreads Into Culture

Chapter 2 shows how this same “protect feelings over facts” thinking shows up in other parts of society. After George Floyd, many news outlets started mentioning race in their crime reporting in uneven ways, highlighting it in some cases but downplaying it in others. In academia, fields like Fat Studies push the idea that feelings matter more than biology, which has even led to things like “weight stigma czars” in some cities. The chapter also points out the rise of strange new language, such as rebranding pedophiles as “minor-attracted people.”

Saad closes the chapter with a critical reminder: sometimes you must make practical decisions to protect yourself and your family, even if it makes people uncomfortable. He uses the old story of the Scorpion and the Frog to make his main point: reality doesn’t care about your feelings. When empathy is pushed too far and used to avoid hard truths, it often ends up hurting the very people it claims to help.