It's certainly about a feeling, and I think superiority has more to do with it than 'empathy'. This much is clear with the aggression, bullying and moral grandstanding that's usually behind the language police.

I empathise with myself first, and will use what ever word feels right in the situation. I'd rather speak my mind than please everyone. That's sanity for me and for many others.

"I only care about myself and do what I want." Thats just being shitty, for you and many others.

Holy false dilemma, Batman! If that's your reading from what I said, you really can't be helped.

Your exact words are "I empathise with myself first, and will use what ever word feels right in the situation."

Empathising with others and yourself isn't mutually exclusive. What's hard to grasp with that?

> I empathise with myself first and will use what ever word feels right in the situation

And you're doing the same right now. Isn't your use of the word 'selfish' in the thread 'hurtful', and therefore not empathetic to me? By chiding me aren't you empathising with yourself more, and wishing that I would defer to your feelings instead of my own?

The difference between you and I is I don't claim that a virtue is supreme and then immediately enact its opposite, which is really what makes this drive for 'inclusive language' and 'empathy' so repugnant to me.

Empathy and calling out people's self-declared self-centered behavior are, as you say, not mutually exclusive.

After I've patiently explained it to you, you really think that you aren't exhibiting the same behaviour? In a much more worse way because it comes in seemly guise?