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> There is even a Russian proverb on the topic: “Smiling with no reason is a sign of stupidity.” No there is not. There is a saying that "laughter without a re
by ssambros 8y ago
> There is even a Russian proverb on the topic: “Smiling with no reason is a sign of stupidity.”
No there is not. There is a saying that "laughter without a reason is a sign of a fool" ("смех без причины - признак дурачины"), not smiling. I doubt any American will consider unreasonable laughter to be normal.
- sigfubar 8y agoI'm Russian, and I parse "смех" as equivalent to "laughter" and "smiling". Yes, they're technically different words, but a person who smiles without a reason looks equally as idiotic as another who laughs without a reason.
- Swizec 8y agoAs another slav, we use smeh for laughter or smilih, nasmeh for just smiling, and krohot for just intense laughter. We also find The American Smile to be weird. Especially the forced toothy grin part. Took me years of practice and Americans still can’t tell when I’m smiling while everyone back home thinks I’ve gone crazy.
- eps 8y agoThe OP's right though. This particular proverb refers to laughing or giggling, not smiling, and the article twists it to fit the narration.
- pandaman 8y agoAs another Russian I don't see how it's just about laughter or how any native speaker could think that. "Смех" in proverbs stands for general happiness just like "плач" (literally "crying") does for general unhappiness.
- zzzcpan 8y agoI think your confusion comes from not fully understanding the meaning of the word "smiling" here. You overgeneralize it a bit into laughter and giggling.
- pandaman 8y agoThe proverb is not far from English "Ignorance is bliss" it says that one who is happy without reason might be just stupid. TFA is actually talking about how Americans are trying to seem happy with their smiles so this proverb is appropriate here in my view. As for the literal interpretation of proverbs in general and this one in particular: nobody needs a proverb for "if you are laughing like a maniac for no reason then there might be something wrong with you".
- azinman2 8y agoAs an American I don’t think that “ignorance is bliss” indicates that the ignorant person is a fool, per se. Ignorance might be purposefully and carefully chosen. It’s often used as a general debate on whether you wish to know something or not. For example, if you could know the exact date on which you die, would you wish to know? Choosing yes or no wouldn’t indicate foolishness. It also sounds different from the several translations the Russians provided here.
- pandaman 8y agoSo, as an American, do you see any similarity between "you might be happier if you did not learn about your situation" and "if you are happy now it might be because you are not aware of your situation"? Could there be a common theme of ignorance leading to happiness or I am just seeing things?
- gdy 8y agoBut that's just your personal interpretation of a Russian proverb which may or may not be shared by other Russians. I, for one, don't. The article, however, misquotes the proverb without any mention of such extended interpretation.
- onemoresoop 8y agoIn Romanian we inherit the same proverb and its direct translation would be something akin to laugh like a fool (for no apparent reason)
- onemoresoop 8y agoRomanian is not slavic but our cultures intermingle quite a bit
- Chyzwar 8y agoProverbs are not exclusive to one ethnic group.
- nbabitskiy 8y agoYou cannot "parse" proverbs to your liking, they have usus. No one would say that to a smiling person. I believe it's ever being said now only to children, who burst with laughter after whispering around or on hearing the word "toilet". And clearly this proverb is irrelevant to the topic, since we "parse" US smiles as happening for an obvious reason - social convention.