Originally posted by Scribble
I guess what we're talking about ultimately is compassion
as you suggested, sympathy and empathy are too intermingled to draw a line between. and yes they're both products of basic compassion. maybe sympathy is more of an instinctive reaction (as you might wince sympathetically when someone bumps their head), while being empathetic requires a higher thought process. either way, i don't like when 'sympathy' is used as a synonym for ineffectual and semi-fake internet/media feelz.
Originally posted by Bashar TegYeah I was accidentally too dismissive of it before, true sympathy isn't something to be mocked. I like those distinctions between empathy and sympathy as well, couldn't really sum it up better myself.
as you suggested, sympathy and empathy are too intermingled to draw a line between. and yes they're both products of basic compassion. maybe sympathy is more of an instinctive reaction (as you might wince sympathetically when someone bumps their head), while being empathetic requires a higher thought process. either way, i don't like when 'sympathy' is used as a synonym for ineffectual and semi-fake internet/media feelz.