RE: adults have lost the ability to smile, why?
original post by living kindfully
i'm going to reply from the perspective of an american who's absorbed enough endless bleakness in both the news and in the true crime documentaries my mum is always watching. why have adults lost the ability to smile? if you'll pardon the pun, i'm willing it's because optimism is frowned upon. let me explain.
a lot of media made in the united states that isn't for children is dripping with cynicism. think back: when's the last time you've heard good news from one of the mainstream media news networks? when's the last time you've had a friendly interaction with american strangers on facebook or twitter? when's the last time you've watched a non-kids movie/show that wasn't full of profanities, violence, and horrible people? they're far and few between. i'm sure they exist, but you have to actively look for them, they don't look for you. but the bleak media gets shoved in your face daily, it feels.
it's part of a cynical, bleak view of humans that the american powers that be possess: that anger and frustration sells more than happiness. make the public angry, then sell them something that will make them "feel better". but they're never truly happy. and time after time, americans keep agreeing with them. they are hard-wired to believe that bitter cynicism is just a part of growing up. and thus, they won't look at another human without assuming they're either in their way or out to get them.
it's an awful way to live, and i don't like it at all. if i can help it, i will be different and choose kindness over distrust.