As A Negative Emotion
While pity is seeming to be a positive, helpful emotion, it is usually seen as derogatory and contemptuous. According to this view, it's based in conscious or unconscious consideration of the sufferer as inferior, therefore implying a lack of respect to the sufferer's humanity and dignity.
Read more about this topic: Pity
Famous quotes containing the words negative and/or emotion:
“For those parents from lower-class and minority communities ... [who] have had minimal experience in negotiating dominant, external institutions or have had negative and hostile contact with social service agencies, their initial approaches to the school are often overwhelming and difficult. Not only does the school feel like an alien environment with incomprehensible norms and structures, but the families often do not feel entitled to make demands or force disagreements.”
—Sara Lawrence Lightfoot (20th century)
“Beautiful women seldom want to act. They are afraid of emotion and they do not try to extract anything from a character that they are portraying, because in expressing emotion they may encourage crow’s feet and laughing wrinkles. They avoid anything that will disturb their placidity of countenance, for placidity of countenance insures a smooth skin.”
—Laurette Taylor (1887–1946)