You're a bad manager or a bad friend if attempted "commiseration" doesn't involve a push for attempting to interpret a situation in the light of everyone having

You're a bad manager or a bad friend if attempted "commiseration" doesn't involve a push for attempting to interpret a situation in the light of everyone having the best intentions first (not only but definitely first). Going around constantly complaining about how X and Y are awful bad intentioned monsters out to get you makes you a bad manager, bad friend, bad person. If there are instances of bad intentions at work, it is the role of the manager to get to the bottom of them and try to get them fixed, not to sit around and complain / listen to complaints. We all get frustrated, make mistakes, and even are intentionally mean at weak points; having it met with private bitchfests just fans the flames. The insinuation that friends are for this kind of negativity breeding behavior is wrong, it's just as bad if your friends engage in it with you as if your manager does.