Inglorious Bastards

Call this rant overdue but humor my bitterness and continue reading.  Sympathy arose as a common topic while discussing the last several chapters of The Great Gatsby last week.  Sympathy in the direction of Gatsby and Tom in particular began to aggravate me.  I did not warm up to these two characters (and sources of almost all of the story's conflict), so their veils of wealth and generosity do not phase me.  My explanation: they never earned my respect to receive sympathy.  Allow me to attack Gatsby's reputation first.  Jay Gatsby changes his name upon exposure to the life of wealth, obtains wealth via the illegal business of bootlegging alcohol, uses his money to impress the love of his life, and encourages infidelity.  Seems like a moral fellow right?  Wrong.  I am truly sorry Mr. Gatsby however the disregard you pay your family, the willingness to break the law for prosperity, the pretentiousness to flaunt your money, and the shallowness to challenge a marriage out of selfishness puts a little chink in your reputation's armor from my perspective.  Likewise, Tom's resume shows few positives.  His record includes: wealth by parents, cheating, domestic abuse, and assistance to murder.  Why another flawless gentleman--nope.  Party-goers indulged themselves at Gatsby's house where bootleg profits funded their carousals--kind of like investing in a black market business  Yet he still receives sympathy upon his death.  Similarly, Tom receives some sympathy when a car (driven by his wife nonetheless) hits and kills his mistress instantaneously.  These guys make a mockery of the American dream and stomp on the reputation of Americans as a whole all the while garnering the respect and sympathy from others.  I may not speak for all I guess.  Some may approve of separating oneself from ancestors, illegal sources of income, condescending views due to wealth, affairs, domestic violence, and murder--I do not.  Now, with a little taste of logos can one justify sympathy for these two devils?  I recall even some feelings of sympathy myself for these men during discussion.  After some more thinking however, throwing a bone to these two compares nicely to improving the living conditions of convicts on death row--something undeserved.  Save one's sensitive thoughts for people that need them, rich bastards like Gatsby and Tom can go out and buy sympathy anyway.  All in all, I encourage those with sensitivity to others' circumstances to determine if the potential recipients of their emotional and physical support truly deserve it first.