To think, 'When it rains, look for rainbows; when it's dark, look for stars' is

[yesterdaysunshine]

Bollocks?

Why do these silly meaningless quotes take off when quotes that ACTUALLY mean something are ignored/sidelined?

Where's that great thread with all the pisstakes about this?

Today 19:32 Gottagetmoving

"It's not a bad thing to remember to focus on the positive instead of the negative.... . Of course you can choose to be miserable and cynical if that's your preference. Some people wallow in negativity."

Wow.. It's just people trying to be positive

Nope, its people promoting positivity with banality, and reducing human emotion to meaningless platitudes.

I don't think that most people choose to be miserable. After watching a close family member die after a long illness, no amount of dancing in the rain would've helped really......

I normally can't be doing with all those bullshit quotes on FB, but I do have a framed pic of the 'when it rains look for rainbows, when it's dark look for stars' quote at home.
It was a special gift from friends on my DDs first birthday; she was a 'rainbow' baby after my first child died. So we explain to my DD that her sibling is in the stars (she's still too little to understand), and I think the quote is appropriate.

I still think anyone who shares a passive aggressive 'minions quote' should be banned from FB for 24hrs and forced to take a look at themselves

There's a brilliant Amy Schumer sketch/song by the way where it's all about celebrating how brilliant you are, even if you treat others like shit. Most of those quotes are so similar.

Ugh!

The worst one is "Cheer up it might never happen"

(Well thanks for that Susan but it already flipping has!)

Saying that I love a good thought provoking quote, just not a predictable one...

I think the main point of these memes is that they can help you keep positive, which is a great thing, if you are having a bad day.

But they are extremely irritating if you are, as above, losing a baby, parent, caring for an SN child day in day out or experiencing any other extremely difficult situation.

I don't do trite sayings. But I do naturally approach difficult things pragmatically which has the same outcome as these trite sayings. So I'm not the person who needs them.

If they help just one person handle something better or eases their pain just a little then I think they are worthy of existence.

There are people out there who would be genuinely cheered up by someone saying to you: "Dance like no one else is watching etc etc"?

DH and I wanted to open a card-shop called 'Meaningless Platitudes'. We'd do 'Meaningless Platitude' cushions and those block letters too.

^^ what SeaCabbage says

DocMcFanjo

That takes me back! That 'powerthirst' video was all the rage when I was about 15.

Totally agree with SeaCabbage. Being positive/looking on the bright side is fine but sometimes life is utterly shit and people are allowed to feel sad and angry.
There are people out there battling with mental health problems or painful debilitating illnesses or having the shit bombed out of them in Syria and I think they're perfectly entitled to say that they've had enough of dancing in the rain and they want the storm to fucking stop.

They aren't meaningless IMO. Most of them basically say that if shit happens how distressed you are can partly be affected by your own attitude. I have experienced quite a bit of shit this year and found some of them uplifting.
Granted they don't fit well with the rather cynical vibe sometimes coming from MN.
Some of them do sound like nonsense to me but they might speak to someone else.

Love the one about the corkscrew btw.

PS-can see that they aren't applicable in situations like Syria misshoolie but illness, relationship problems etc.-well they may help some people.

They are emotional glitter. Performance feeling. You cant reduce all of the complexity of life into a meaningful sound bite.
Years ago there was a fad for handing out tiny cards for people to carry in their pocket, with a specially meaningful saying on it. It was supposed to give you a warm fuzzy every time you looked at it and make you think that someone Really Cared. Sayings like 'You Are Loved.'

"When shit happens, how distressed you are can partly be affected by your own attitude"

what about people with MH issues: should we just perk up our attitude? Dance in the rain / make lemonade better?

Oh these really irritate me. Along with that bullshit made-up Marilyn Monroe quote (always posted by demanding, bitchy and awful women who use it to say they can do what they want).

My favourite thing to post in response to these quotes is an image I found on the internet by the satirist Jack Handey (he has tonnes of these, they're called "Deep Thoughts")

I like that quote, I have a cushion with it on.

But I think most people can differentiate between when that quote is suitable and when it isn't. If someone is going through bereavement or divorce or has lost their job, spouting something about rainbows and stars isn't going to help. If you're having one of those days where nothing seems quite right but you can't quite put your finger on why, I've found it quite helpful.

I think the "shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars" is someone trying to "revamp" the Oscar Wilde quote, which doesn't need revamping because it's a beautiful quote and much less twee.

I think whatever helps people get through the day, I can't bring myself to get worked up about it unless I'm having the day from hell and someone is literally throwing lemons at me telling me to make them a jug of lemonade.

Ultimately- who even cares?

its a bit twee but a griend gave me a plaque with it in after an mmc and it is lovely as it reminds me how much she cared.

in all honesty it's right as well, it is best to try and look on the bright side.

But there are so many beautiful quotes by Oscar Wilde and others. So to bang on about perking up drives me mad. Why not use a tried and tested quote rather than some banal meme.