What is suicidal empathy? Elon Musk agrees with professor Gad Saad's comparison of George Floyd and Iryna Zarutska's deaths

Cornell University professor Gad Saad recently reacted to the horrifying deaths of George Floyd and Iryna Zarutska. According to Saad, "suicidal empathy", a phrase widely used by the professor in the past, had affected the society at large. In the tweet posted on September 9, he wrote,

"A society that burns neighbourhoods and calls for the defunding of the police for the guy on the left and largely ignores the public butchering of the woman on the right is one that is drowning in the infinity pool of Suicidal Empathy."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacted to the tweet. He shared his view in which he agreed to the opinions expressed by professor Saad. Musk wrote in his tweet,

"As Gad Saad accurate states, The West is dying from suicidal empathy."

As of now, Elon Musk's tweet has gained more than 19 million views and many netizens resonated with the same. As far as "suicidal empathy" goes, Jabra Ghneim stated that according to Saad, it meant an "excessive compassion that undermines societal cohesion, values, and security."

In January 5, professor Saad revealed that he was working on a book called Suicidal Empathy. According to him, the book dealt with this particular psychological state. To explain the concept further, he said that a result of "suicidal empathy" was the involvement of trans women in women athletics. According to him, this violated the rights of "actual" women.

What happened to George Floyd, since the reference made in Gad Saad's tweet?

While Iryna Zarutska's case has recently gained massive momentum after the viral footage capturing the alleged attack, a mention to George Floyd had also been made by professor Gad Saad. For the unversed, white cop Derek Chauvin killed a black man George Floyd, back in May 2020. 

Floyd was detained after being accused of trying to make a purchased using a counterfeit $20 note. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for several minutes while the latter was getting handcuffed. Two others officers present at the scene provided assistance to Derek Chauvin in detaining George Floyd. A fourth cop ensured that bystanders did not intervene.

This eventually caused the black man's death at the scene. Later, autopsies happened that ruled Floyd's death as homicide. In April 2021, Chauvin was convicted of the following charges: unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

A month later, in May 2021, Chauvin received his sentencing of 22.5 years behind the bars. All the officers involved in the situation faced federal charges in connection to violation of civil rights. George Floyd's death sparked conversations and protests globally across issues like racism, police brutality, and police accountability.

This year marked the fifth year since the incident that transpired in 2020. According to the BBC, gatherings took place all across the city where he grew up, to remember him.

Floyd's family members gathered near his gravesite in Houston and a service was led by the Rev Al Sharpton. According to The Associated Press, the gatherings included many civil rights activists as well. 

Many believed that it was unfair that George Floyd's case was given due importance, but Iryna's case did not get sufficient attention until the footage surfaced. 

As far as the current situation related to Iryna Zarutska is concerned, people are questioning the authorities, particularly since the accused was roaming freely despite having a questionable track record.