Main Character Syndrome and Suicidal Empathy: a Toxic Mixture

Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

We've all been told that mixing bleach and ammonia, two toxic but common household cleaners, makes them much more dangerous than either one separately. 

You don't want to be careless with either in the first place, but when you mix them, they create a poison gas that is even more dangerous, to the point where even careful handling won't save you from nasty consequences. 

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Well, these days two characteristics that are all too common, especially in AWFLs, often combine into a third, even more toxic social phenomenon that is eating away at our society. 

One is "main character syndrome," in which a person sees herself at the center of all things, no matter how distantly related to her life. It is now a flaw shared by many, driven by the proliferation of social media — especially TikTok — because addicts literally do treat their lives as if they were reality shows. Every moment is broadcast for clicks and likes, and the more drama there is, the more social reinforcement comes your way. 

The other is "suicidal empathy," in which every situation is filtered through the "oppressor/oppressed" matrix to identify who is the good guy. Once the victim is identified, the "empath" identifies with him or her regardless of the actual circumstances or consequences. It is suicidal, not just silly, because the matrix filters for people and characteristics that are destructive to the social good. Think: identifying with child predators as the good guys because they are illegal aliens. 

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People who exhibit main character syndrome are supremely annoying, because they become narcissists who always suck up all the oxygen in the room; suicidal empaths are dangerous because they, everywhere and always, choose the side of a conflict that leads to social decay. 

Put these together, though, and you get the social equivalent of a toxic gas that becomes a weapon of mass destruction, especially in a world where TikTok amplifies the effect. 

I chose that Sunny Hostin clip because it exemplifies the combination and its effects beautifully. Sunny, it seems, was a holdout juror in a high-profile criminal case (I had never heard of it because I don't follow crimes unless they have large-scale social impacts). The case was notorious enough that its perpetrator had a nickname: The Butcher of Thompson Square Park.

It was notorious because it was both gruesome and entirely preventable. 

Hostin sat on the jury and was the lone juror who insisted that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, and in the end she won the battle to change the verdict from guilty to not guilty because putting the guy in an asylum was better than letting him go in any way. 

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Obviously, Hostin is proud of her determination to ensure the guy wasn't sent to prison, and she's happy to discuss the story in terms of herself. What was important — and you can see this in how she discussed the case — was not that he murdered a woman, boiled her head, and fed the "soup" to the homeless. 

It's that she stood up for the guy. And she did so because he was a "victim" in her eyes. Sure, he did some nasty stuff and loved the idea of being a cannibal and getting others to be one too, but he was sick, so that's understandable. 

The same could be said of any other gruesome murderer, though. At some level, they are all sick. Paedos are clearly sick. Serial killers are clearly sick. When people tell us something about themselves we find repulsive, we often exclaim, "What is WRONG with you?!" 

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Drug psychosis with a furry onlooker has to be one of the most Portland situations I've ever experienced

Within seconds of starting my walk I found her writhing and and flailing like she was on flacca next to the max train line. I called 911. She was still there an hour later banging her head against the sharps bin

The thing is, identifying with people who destroy what's good in society destroys that society. We see the same thing in the anti-ICE protesters who are determined to "save" criminals and illegal aliens who are tearing society apart. We see it in the homeless policies, "harm reduction" policies, and the impulse to always side with deranged men who are invading women's spaces. 

Suicidal empathy in itself erodes civilization, but people with main character syndrome have to perform it every day. They create endless narratives and become the Batman of oppression for the applause of others with the same suicidal empathic tendencies. It becomes a competition to be the loudest, most empathetic person in the world. 

"Look at me!" "I am applauding Lindsay Clancy the loudest. I showed up to cheer the child-killer on as she entered the courtroom."

The reality is that, for the purposes of society's functioning, it doesn't matter whether a cannibal is psychotic or not. What matters is getting him off the streets permanently. It doesn't matter whether the 15-time felon had a hard childhood; he is still going to kill somebody on the light rail. 

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If Sunny Hostin decided, out of empathy, to try to help The Butcher of Thompson Square Park by visiting him in prison and encouraging him to get help, that would be one thing. I admire people who try to help on an individual level, and while the impulse would seem idiosyncratic given that many more people likely benefit from her empathy, have at it. 

But instead, she had to perform for the crowd and show everybody that she is the empathy GOAT, and in doing so she put society at risk by making it possible for a cannibal to get out once the psychiatrist decides that the patient is "cured." That's how we get felons with long rap sheets still out on the streets. 

It's pointless to consider banning social media, because that genie is out of the bottle. But stigmatizing suicidal empathy and shaming people with main character syndrome makes perfect sense. Rather than tiptoeing around, we should heap scorn on these people every opportunity we have. 

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John Sexton 5:10 PM | September 22, 2026
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