Dear Pitiful People,

Language drifts. Words’ meanings change through context and use, and when considering the word pity, many of us have lived through the transformation from a noble expression of the heart to the trivialization of another’s pain. I would suggest the culprit who spun pity from blessing to insult was none other than television’s A-Team’s most memorable character, who frequently used the phrase, “I pity the fool!” Of course, I refer to Mr. T, who said things like, “I pity the fool who hurts my son E.”