Does sympathy have to be earned?

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All these "do xxx bad people deserve our sympathy" threads are making me wanna ask this: Does it matter? Is sympathy only given to a subset of people who "deserve" it? Or should it be part of the respect we ought to have for every human being? If not, is it immoral to sympathize with immoral people?


As for me, by this definition

a : the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another
b : the feeling or mental state brought about by such sensitivity <have sympathy for the poor>

I consider it important and a moral duty to sympathize with everyone, when possible. Choosing who is and isn't worthy of my sympathy just seems judgmental and petty. And how can I decide someone is that terrible without even trying to see their point of view? I don't know what's going through anyone else's head, or what things have shaped their life. I just know, people are who they are, and there are plenty of ways to help them change, but hating them or even just not caring about them isn't one.

my sympathy does not have to be "earned".
i sometimes feel sorry for people who are having a very bad time, and they do not have to demonstrate anything to me about their character before i feel sorry for them.

I tend to feel sympathy for anyone that gives me that reaction really.

No ... sympathy is lost, not gained.