NO I will NOT smile for you. Ass.

[batskeets]

There have been a few separate times when I've been walking the streets, usually in the morning, on my way to get a coffee before work. I haven't been in a bad mood at all, generally... tired and not fully awake yet, perhaps, but not in poor spirits.

And then, some random douche on the street gets my attention, and says, "SMILE!" And that act basically puts me in a bad mood.

I have several problems with this whole commanding people to smile thing:

1) If you don't know me, how can you possibly know what state of mind I'm in? I wasn't in a bad mood at all, and I was actually better off *before* the person spoke to me. So, in effect, they've made my day worse through their act.

2) If you don't know me, then you also don't know what circumstances I'm under. Maybe I'm feeling really sick and still have to do errands, as I was when this occurred today. Maybe someone very close to me passed away yesterday. Maybe I've just learned that I have only 6 weeks to live. Maybe I simply found a fly in my morning oatmeal. If I *am* in a bad mood, you don't know the reason WHY, and there are some circumstances where you can't tell a person to smile without coming off like a complete asshat.

3) If I am just being a grumpwad on a given occasion, who are you to tell me not to be? I'm a human being, and I have a right to do with my emotions as I see fit. It's as though, by telling me to smile, these people are saying that I'm not allowed to show that I'm angry, or sad, or whatever negative emotion I might be experiencing. Who has the right to impose that upon others?

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're going to say: that guy's just trying to make you feel better, make you see that things aren't so bad, etc., blah blah fishcakes. I call bullshit on that. If someone truly wants to lighten my load, they'll listen to my problems, offer sympathy, offer cupcakes, or even just say something funny that'll elicit a genuine smile.

But, simply being commanded to smile by a complete stranger? That is pretty much guaranteed to NOT help me in any way. Kthxbye.

------

Anyhoo, yes, I'm feeling bad enough today to admit that I'm sick. I slept for 14 hours, my sinuses are still gunked to hell, and my right eye is now puffed up something terrible. (both eyes, actually, but the right moreso than the left) This blooooowwwws.

I also want to go to wushu tonight, and do something, anything for Boy's birthday (which is today), but I don't think I'm up to either one of those things. :/ At least Boy isn't one to make a big deal about birthdays, so I think he'll understand. But damnit, I want to traaaaain. Grrrr.

Comments

[sarapada.livejournal.com]

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're going to say: that guy's just trying to make you feel better, make you see that things aren't so bad, etc., blah blah fishcakes.

No, I will NOT say that - you're in the right, 100%. I remember reading on someone's LJ that they had been commanded by a stranger to smile one time, and they had replied (truthfully), "I just lost my job, I have cancer, and my mother passed away. Bite me." (Or something along those lines.) I'm always tempted to take this approach just to see the person's reaction, and to (hopefully) get them to see that their perspective isn't the only one.

[skeets.livejournal.com]

Heh, when the guy at Walmart did this to me earlier today, I actually glared at him and said, "I'm SICK," and he mumble-rambled something about how it's no fun being sick... of course, all I really wanted was for him to shut up, so it didn't exactly work the way *I* wanted it to.

I'm *definitely* tempted, the next time this happens, to say something like, "my mother just DIED, you incredible asshole!" just to turn it around on them and see what they do. XD