3 ms·

Yes, my point is that his emphasis on the positive side is an outlier.

• dredmorbius 8y ago
  Yes, for small stories, addressing others, especially. But most of us prefer to subscribe to large-scale myths or ideologies offerring hope, salvation, redemption, etc. That is the backbone of every major world religion, and most political ideology. It's certainly what the economic orthodoxies mantra of perpetual growth pretends. Sad songs say so much, but Pop is overwhelmingly Happy. Story arcs tend far more to Comic than Tragic. "Hollywood ending" is a trope for reasons. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/hollywood-ending http://www.dictionary.com/browse/hollywood-ending And in politics, realism is the kiss of death. Carter's "Malaise" speech: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=32596 http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=32596 We remember (or have been indoctrinated with) Churchill's "we shall fight them on the beaches", but not the full paragraph, and far bleaker thoughts, which follow it: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old. https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/apr/20/greatspeeches1 https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/apr/20/greatspe...