- published: 24 Feb 2016
- views: 12902
Sympathy is an extension of empathic concern, or the perception, understanding, and reaction to the distress or need of another human being. This empathic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint, from a personal perspective to the perspective of another group or individual who is in need. Empathy and sympathy are often used interchangeably, but the two terms have distinct origins and meanings. Empathy refers to the understanding and sharing of a specific emotional state with another person. Sympathy, however, does not require the sharing of the same emotional state. Instead, sympathy is a concern for the well-being of another. Although sympathy may begin with empathizing with the same emotion another person is feeling, sympathy can be extended to other emotional states.
There are some specific conditions that need to happen in order to experience sympathy. These conditions include attention to a subject, believing that a person (or group) is in a state of need, and the characteristics of a given situation. An individual must first give their attention to a person or group. Distracting people severely limits their ability to produce strong affective responses. Without distractions, people are able to attend to and respond to different emotional subjects of experiences. Attention facilitates the experience of sympathy and without it, sympathy cannot be experienced.
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s. The Neptunes' sound is a distinctive brand of off-kilter, stripped-down electronic funk with sounds from Middle Eastern and Asian music including percussion and woodwind. Pharrell sings and (later) raps on records and appears in videos, unlike his production partner Chad, and sometimes vocal partner Shay Haley, who tends to stay behind the scenes.
The Neptunes are estimated to have a net worth of $155 million and are considered one of the most successful producers in music history, noted by twenty-four Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits during the late 1990's and 2000's. In 2009 Billboard ranked The Neptunes No. 1 on their list of Top 10 producers of the decade. Readers of Vibe Magazine named The Neptunes as the 3rd greatest hip-hop producers of all time behind Dr. Dre and DJ Premier.
Pharrell and Chad met at a summer camp from the school of The Gifted and Talented in Virginia Beach, where Williams was a drummer and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They were also both members of a marching band; Pharrell played kettle drum and Chad was a student conductor. In 1990 Chad and Pharrell formed a 4-piece "R&B type" group along with friends Shay and Mike Etheridge, which they named The Neptunes. Upon entering a local talent contest, they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was close to Pharrell's school. After graduating from high school, they signed with Riley as a group.
Don’t you come to me
If you want sympathy
I’m not the one to hold
You told me this would last
But it was over fast
Your story is getting old
You try not to, don’t want to, be left alone
I feel your pain but you’re bugging me
It’s time to open your eyes
Don’t look into my eyes
If you don’t want to find
I’m not the one to hold
You thought I would be nice
And asked for my advice
Don’t do what you’ve been told
You try not to, don’t want to, be left alone
I feel your pain but you’re bugging me
It’s time to open your eyes
I’m sorry if I don’t care
About your boyfriend and the drama involving him
I want nothing to do with that shit
But for some reason I am part of it
So that’s the end of this
Hopefully you’re not pissed
I’m not the one to hold
I hope you have a blast
Kissing his fucking ass
And being miserable
You try not to, don’t want to, be left alone
I feel your pain but you’re bugging me