“Sympathy is Truly a Knife”
What is sympathy supposed to be?
Sympathy has many dictionary definitions. It’s a feeling of concern, a reaction to distress, an act of compassion, the sharing of emotions, an honorable impulse; but most of all, it’s a sense of pity. Sympathy is supposed to be “empathetic concern,” a tool to use when comforting someone in distress. It’s something meant to help. However, this purpose has shifted, and nowadays sympathy might be something to avoid.
What is sympathy now?
As Cancel Culture continues to climb, sympathy has been on a major decline. Nowadays, the only sympathy shown to others in a public light are posts pitying their situation. For example, “Guys please go easy on [insert name], they’re trying their best.” Sympathy has a negative connotation. If people sympathize with you it means you can’t handle the heat; you need people to go easy on you.
Sympathy from the public is something you earn. But, you can only receive it once the internet has collectively decided that you have had enough of the negative comments, hate posts, and personal attacks.
To receive sympathy is to know you are weak. Although you may be receiving sympathy, it doesn’t change society's perception of you or your situation- They are merely giving you a break out of guilt.
Sympathy is a Knife (listen here)
Charli XCX said it best, “Sympathy is a Knife.” I think this song perfectly encapsulates what sympathy feels like. When those hard times hit, sometimes all you want is sympathy, despite the embarrassment attached to the feeling, “I’m embarrassed to have it but I need the sympathy.” Sympathy is simply a facade. It’s lost all of its positive connotations. It’s fake empathy shown when you can’t bring yourself to empathize, but you can’t further criticize the person on the other end. The pure intentions of sympathy have been lost.
Throughout the chorus, Charli switches between “sympathy is a knife” and “sympathy is a lie.” Sympathy is only negative; you never want to feel it, and you hardly ever want to give it. While sympathy is not actually synonymous with being a “lie” or a “knife,” the human experience speaks for itself.
Sympathy is defined by the human experience as provocative, pity, and dishonest, begging the question “why is all this f***ing sympathy a knife?”
Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9810822/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/28/opinion/sympathy-empathy.html