Basic Trope: Character A tells Character B about their difficult situation, but Character B tells him to suck it up.
- Straight: Bob tells Alice that he's broken his arm while he was working, but Alice harshly tells Bob to get over it.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob tells Alice about his difficult situation, but Alice beats him up as a result.
- Bob commits suicide because whenever he went out in public he got harassed. But he screws it up and doesn't die. When Alice gets the news...Alice: Well, maybe if he didn't have such a piss-poor attitude, this kind of thing wouldn't happen.
Charlie: ALICE! He got pushed into a lake just for being in the general vicinity of some jerk!
Alice: ...Not my problem.
Charlie: Then STAY THE FUCK OUT OF IT!!! - Alice caused Bob's suffering in the first place and she shows no remorse.
- Lack of Empathy.
- And There Was Much Rejoicing.
- Downplayed: Bob tells Alice that he's feeling depressed in work, but Alice tells Bob he'll be okay while ignoring the fact that she can help him.
- Justified:
- Alice thinks that what Bob is going through is nothing serious and is annoyed with his complaint.
- Alice feels that Bob may have done something bad to deserve this suffering.
- Bob's broken arm really was his fault because he ignored Alice's warning to not do something stupid, and she doesn't want to hear him vent at her about it.
- Alice went through an upbringing or training where she was constantly Punished for Sympathy.
- Alice is simply a Jerkass looking for every opportunity to berate Bob for her own mere amusement.
- Bob isn't exactly all that empathetic with her problems either, and Alice only gives in what she gets back as a general rule.
- Alice is going through a even worse trauma than Bob, and feels that his problems are small in comparison.
- Alice only cares about her own problems.
- Alice is a religious fundamentalist woman who believes that Bob's suffering is either because the deity is testing his faith or that the deity is punishing him for his "sins". The worst part is that Bob hasn't done anything morally reprehensible according her faith's standards, and yet she still uses this logic.
- Alice believes that there are other people who are suffering far worse than Bob is, not that Alice has ever suffered before.
- Alice feels that treating Bob this way will make him tough.
- Alice feels that showing sympathy is a sign of weakness.
- Alice is mentally incapable to express sympathy towards others.
- Bob is one of Alice's minions whom she feels have failed her to advance her evil plans.
- Alice tried to help Bob in the past, but he clearly doesn't want to be helped, so she would rather spend her time helping people who actually appreciate her efforts to help them.
- Alice hates Bob because he treated her horribly. When Bob talks about his suffering, she feels he's getting what he deserves.
- Bob is a pathological liar who has lied to Alice in the past, so she doesn't believe him.
- Bob has a history of exaggerating his problems (either to garner sympathy, or being melodramatic for the sake of it), leading Alice to believes he's "making a mountain out of mole hill".
- Inverted: Bob has a minor paper-cut on his left thumb, and Alice feels so compelled by his situation that she spends hours fussing over him.
- Subverted: Alice tells Bob to get over it at first, but then, seeing that she's upset him, softens and apologizes, offering to listen to his troubles.
- Double Subverted: ...But she gets bored after 2 seconds and then goes back to berating him for making her feel remorse.
- Parodied: Bob tells Alice that there's no food in a fridge, but Alice harshly tells Bob to get over it. Later, when she opens the fridge, she hysterically screams that there's no food in it.
- Zig Zagged: Alice's sympathy (or lack of it) depends on how whiny Bob is, and how bad his situation is.
- Averted: Alice shows empathy for Bob's situation.
- Enforced: The writer wants to show how much of a Jerkass Alice is.
- Lampshaded: "You'd think with you being my best friend and all, maybe you'd care a little more."
- Invoked: Claire tells Bob to ask Alice about his problems to invite Alice's abuse.
- Exploited: Dehlia, Alice's rival in her workplace, comforted Bob and convinced him to sabotage Alice's work to get her fired.
- Defied:
- Alice feels that it would be cruel to not show any sympathy for Bob's situation. So the two talk it out instead.
- Bob doesn't tell anyone about his problems, hoping to avoid the unsympathetic response.
- Claire tells Bob to come to her when he has problems, knowing everyone else would give a unsympathetic response.
- Bob decides to end his relationship is Alice, considering how lousy of a friend she is.
- Discussed:Danny: Did you ask Alice for help?
Bob: Oh, I sure did. The only thing "helpful" is the lines "Oh, blah! Life Isn't Fair! Suck it up, you big baby!" - Conversed: "After watching this episode, I think it's best for me to never tell anyone about my problems."
- Implied: Bob doesn't tell anyone about his problems. Everyone around him doesn't seem to care about Bob either.
- Deconstructed:
- Knowing the lack of sympathy Alice has given him, Bob becomes even more depressed and decides to take his own life. Alice lives with this guilt for the rest of her life.
- It turns out that Alice and Bob's relationship is strained due to offing each other on their problems and rant about their own.
- Reconstructed: But then others remind her that Bob is a coward for taking his own life and not deal with his own problems. While Alice didn't like to hear that, she tries to forget about Bob and tries to move on with her life; however, Alice has a hard time in forgetting Bob and the guilt returns. Then others show her no sympathy for her problems, making Alice asking the question "is this how Bob feels?"
- Played For Laughs: Alice and Bob are both characters from a Sadist Show, and Bob is the Chew Toy. He's complaining about how- after a night out- he woke up with the words "BUTT MONKEY" permanently. tattooed onto his forehead. Alice simply smirks and laughs at him.
- Played For Drama:
- Alice is ignoring Bob because she feels personally responsible for his misery, and Bob's problems get worse and worse and worse. Eventually, he is Driven to Suicide due to the lack of support he is receiving. Alice never quite forgives herself for letting Bob die or at least, pretending to be do so and in secret, thinks Bob is a spineless coward for killing himself.
- Because Alice shows no concern for Bob's injury, her friends decide that she's a jerk and ditch her.
- Knowing the lack of sympathy given by not only Alice, but also from almost everyone else, Bob comes to the conclusion that Humans Are Bastards and seeks to brutally kill all of those who showed him no pity.
I don't want to hear about how depressed you are. Quit crying and get back to No Sympathy!
