> I can understand why you wouldn't at all feel sorry for an investor to the same extent as my examples above; presumably the investor hasn't ruined their life. However, my point is knowing the risks doesn't preclude someone from receiving empathy/sympathy.

I was not writing about a general case of risktaking: I was writing specifically about investors.

If I had been writing about athletes, stuntmen, gamblers, or any other kind of people, I would have written something that took into account the different contexts in which such people take risks.

I really don't see what you are trying to accomplish by changing the focus from a specific case to a general case.