Editing Pity (section)

{{short description|Sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering of others}}
{{Other uses}}
'''Pity''' is a [[Sympathy|sympathetic]] [[sorrow (emotion)|sorrow]] evoked by the [[suffering]] of others. The word is comparable to ''[[compassion]]'', ''[[condolence]]'', or ''[[empathy]]''. It derives from the Latin {{lang|la|[[pietas]]}} (etymon also of ''[[piety]]''). [[Self-pity]] is pity directed towards oneself.

Two different kinds of pity can be distinguished, "benevolent pity" and "contemptuous pity".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kimball|first=Robert H.|title=A Plea for Pity|journal=[[Philosophy & Rhetoric]]|year=2004|volume=37|issue=4|pages=301–316|doi=10.1353/par.2004.0029|s2cid=144602784 }}</ref> In the latter, through insincere, pejorative usage, pity connotes feelings of superiority, condescension, or contempt.<ref name="Stuff Pitty!">{{cite web|last=Godrej|first=Dinyar|url=https://newint.org/features/2005/11/01/keynote/|title=Stuff Pity!|website=New Internationalist|date=November 2005 }}</ref>