Reading It

Badge tells Rollo to show empathy -- visibly. Rollo has empathy, but that's not enough; it has to be performed, displayed, made legible to observers. Rollo names it precisely: 'That's performance, not empathy.' You've been told to 'show more enthusiasm' by someone who didn't care whether you felt it.

Deeper Read

Mandatory empathy is a contradiction. The moment caring becomes a deliverable, it stops being care and starts being compliance.