Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

I’m not always the cheeriest person around, and I know my outlook isn’t constantly optimistic. But I can’t help but notice there’s a lot of negativity out there. I’m only going to draw on one example, and it may seem insignificant but it’s something that caught my attention today.Earlier, I looked up the actor who played Jacob in Hot Tub Time Machine, knowing I’d seen him in something else. (I now know his name is Clark Duke and I’ve recently seen him in Greek.) As I scrolled down his IMDB profile, I saw the normal panel of lists that users have created. Normally they have titles like “10 Hottest Actors”, “Most Underrated Actors” or “My favorite Actors”, with the actor you’re looking at being included on them all. And yeah these titles were there, though I scarcely acknowledged them before my eyes were drawn to the third one; “Actors I Don’t Like”. Somebody out there has taken it upon themselves to list every actor they don’t like and stick it on the internet. I don’t find it surprising; there are plenty of people out there who think their opinion on celebrities is truly valued. I suppose I find it disappointing. I don’t like every actor or comedian or presenter I see, but I by no means have a mental ranking of who it is I dislike the most. And more importantly, I respect the fact that they’re only doing their job, and often it’s a character or a persona that I am passing judgment on. I have no idea what the real person is like and if I met this celebrity then I might find I like them. I like to think my opinion is open to change. Often I’ve only seen one film or show with somebody in before I decide I don’t like them. Although I may not be too enthusiastic, I will be willing to watch a second and see if I prefer them in that. I have no intention of sustaining the type of negativity that would make someone list people they don’t like as opposed to people they do. Surely that can only lead to bitterness? I for one prefer something sweet.