Barbara Held was interviewed yesterday on “The Current” (CBC, of course) talking about her book Stop Smiling, Start Kvetching. How to be negative in a positive (constructive) way. Creative complaining. To “be liberated from the tyranny of the positive attitude”. No need to “have a nice day” when it isn’t. Not healthy to put on that big smile when life is not good/happy.
On the other hand, when someone asks me/you “how are you?” do they really want to know or is it a rhetorical question, a way of starting a pleasant conversation? And if I really tell you that my this and my that are out of whack and I can’t imagine how to do this and such or why that "X" thing happened, wouldn’t that change the way I feel that day? Not just your response to what I say. What I say affects the way I feel. I am not solid nor are my feelings or words.
Ms. Held was saying that by complaining properly you can attract people to you who will help. I would be curious to learn what she means by complaining properly.