It's Wonderific Wednesday, Ya Beatniks! (MyLot Exclusive #1475)

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3. “Happiness is a choice” When someone is not feeling particularly happy, the last thing they likely want to hear is that they are choosing those unhappy emotions. -----"10 Positive Phrases Americans Find Cringiest in 2023" ((Linked Below)) I don't often agree with The Reader's Digest---Because it's a very Conservative/Nanny State type publication that often praises the likes of Ronald Reagan while dissing things like cigarettes and alcohol and extolling evils such as seatbelts---But on the rare occasions when they get something right, they really get it right. Today's example of them being right is up there at the top. The only fault I can find is that they didn't go far enough. “Happiness is a choice” isn't just cringy. It's also stupid, insensitive, obtuse, and dangerous. Oh, it's great if you want to justify some sort of immoral behavior. Say you're the CEO of a giant corporation making $350 million a year and your problem is that the people who do all the work that makes you all that money want to make enough to pay rent, eat, and have some sort of decent life. And they want benefits on top of it. Giving them all that might force you to only make $100 million and that's unacceptable. So, what do you do? Start by saying, "If you're not happy, it's your fault because happiness is a choice!" Then say things like, "Go work somewhere else if you don't like it here!" But don't mention that all the other places to work are doing the same thing you're doing (Some of them already know it because they have to work second and third jobs at some of those other places just to barely live). But do tell them that Unions will ruin their lives. If we wanted to be here all day, I could go further with that example and add many more, up to and including what a boon "Happiness is a choice," is to rapists. If a third-rate game show host pretending to be a billionaire grabs you by the private parts without asking and you don't like it, you're the one in the wrong, not him. Because happiness is a choice. Stop whining and crying and choose to be happy about it. Because we don't want to be here all day, that's pretty much it for this one, except for the end bit. My Conclusion Department called in sick but that's OK because I don't need them. No one is better at concluding than I am. ************** RD.COM Knowledge Grammar & Spelling 10 Positive Phrases Americans Find Cringiest in 2023 Kiersten HickmanKiersten Hickman Updated: Dec. 13, 2023