The Hierarchy of Sympathy

Why Some Suffering Goes Viral — and Some Is Left to Rot in Silence

There are moments when personal experience collides with public events in a way that makes certain questions impossible to ignore. This past week has been one of those moments for me.

In Nova Scotia, a young boy was killed in a horrific dog attack. The loss is unimaginable. Within roughly 24 hours, a GoFundMe campaign created to support his mother raised…