Happiness is often equated to goodness in our culture. It's understandable how we got to this sentiment; in general, we try to sculpt our lives in a way that will maximize our feelings of satisfaction and pleasure. Anything that seemingly goes against the common desire of happiness is thus labeled negatively and disregarded as something bad. This goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks; in Aristotle's "On Happiness" section of his book of Rhetoric, he makes the argument that whatever diminishes happiness, we ought not to do. This has lead to a present culture that tries its best to sweep unhappy feelings or thoughts under the rug--but this can turn into toxic positivity (AKA the cult of positivity) that ends up delegitimizing the plights of oppressed people and keeping the privileged in power.
Perhaps the most well-known example of toxic positivity is that of the happy housewife. Often, the rhetoric used against feminism brings up how unhappy the feminist is. Look at her, demanding her rights and not smiling in a kitchen making me food--if being a feminist means you look that unhappy all the time, why would you ever willingly become one? (If you'd like to see how this looks in modern times while also enjoying some commentary making fun of it, I suggest this Kurtis Conner video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1oHnA_Slto) This is also where we see the term "feminazi" being used; all of this is a way to take the pressure off the real issue and make the oppressors appear as if they have everyone's best intentions at heart because they just want us to be happy.
The issue of over-positive rhetoric extends beyond feminist discourse; we see this in practically every sphere that features discourse. The climate change "debate" is especially an example that comes to mind. Scientifically-backed arguments are ignored often because they're believed to be pessimistic--take Trump's tweet about Greta Thunberg after she gave a passionate speech about her worries for the planet, for example.
She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!
This tweet was directly feeding into toxic positivity. Its condescending tone is used to mock Thunberg's righteous anger and make the issues she brings up seem overexaggerated and unnecessarily negative. It's often the people who are in power that bring up the issue of happiness--there is an understanding that to disturb the status quo, which is masked in an illusionary veil of general happiness, is wrong. We've seen this today and throughout history in the form of civil disobedience and even legal protests for rights--people tend to turn their heads when something makes them uncomfortable, which helps keep unjust policies in place.
Protestors and activists, the leaders of what you might call "unhappy" agendas, are seen as killjoys. The article Multiculturalism and the Promise of Happiness by Sara Ahmed talks about this idea in depth, using the stereotypical "angry black woman" as an example of how our insistence upon happiness morphs into very real consequences for marginalized people.
In American society, happiness and patriotism are linked. If one is unhappy with the way things are in America, it is seen as a direct assault on the country and they are told they can "get out" if they don't like it. This, and the general rhetoric surrounding happiness, works to close down conversation that could lead to better lives for everyone.
According to the Declaration of Independence, Americans are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among them being Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. But happiness is not a solid experience that is felt by everyone unbiasedly, just as the rights of life and liberty have largely not been in American history. In one's "pursuit" of happiness, they should keep in mind that other people are attempting to pursue their own happiness as well. Someone else striving for happiness should not be considered a personal attack or major upset on your personal life, and if it feels like it is, perhaps it's time to reevaluate what it is you are happy about. :)
Wow, Kalynn! I really liked reading your post. I think the biggest thing that stuck out to me was when you said "It's often the people who are in power that bring up the issue of happiness." The people in power want others to be/seem happy so that they do not get mad and overthrow the terrible government that is making them unhappy. I think this was a very interesting post because, as you pointed out, many stereotypes are linked to this idea of the cult of positivity. I really enjoyed reading this because of how much our society needs to hear that people are not happy and we should not be forcing people to falsify their happiness. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis was such an interesting post to read, Kalynn!! Your ending paragraph about the Declaration of Independence really stuck out to me--while we like to claim that these freedoms apply to all people, we know that they really don't. It's very similar to the freedoms "ensured" to us by the Constitution--they do not apply to everybody, and they have always been that way. Your analysis of happiness as it relates to patriotism is really interesting, too. It makes me think, though, about how the phrase of "get out of this country" or however it comes across, comes from mostly one side of the political spectrum. After all, when one proclaims "Make America Great Again," the implied meaning is that America isn't great already, and people are complaining. So, using that logic, they're then unpatriotic because they're complaining about their country... I'm not really sure where else to go with that, because the logic is so wonky, but I think it's interesting to think about, because it's not so much about patriotism/happiness as it is about something more sinister; it sort of ties back to your points about patriarchal domination in terms of female positivity.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post Kalynn! I think toxic positivity is so important to criticize, especially when it's used as a way to as ammunition against feminist, environmental, and other progressive movements. I find that it's also often used to dismiss and belittle people struggling with mental illness, especially depression. It brings to mind "at least you have a roof over your head/aren't starving" type remarks that we often face when we express our valid negative feelings.
ReplyDeleteI always think of "bread and circuses" when it comes to patriotism and the placation of the working class. If you make the people happy or seem happy they will not rebel. The question of why be a feminist when they aren't happy is hilarious to me because housewives who aren't allowed to do anything but cook, clean, and take care of the kids are so unhappy but they don't show it.
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