Norman Vincent Peale pretty much started it with his book The Power of Positive Thinking in which he tries to convince us that reading can make a person feel better than eating a pint of Ben and Jerry s Chubby Hubby. And making a movie out of Rocky and Bullwinkle was a good idea too. For My Bank Account. While everyone who s ever bought a Ford that came with tires is being pessimistic and calling their dealer to see if they can get replacements for free, Firestone is being optimistic and seeing it as an opportunity to figure out how to manufacture tires which don t come apart while you re driving. According to its proponents, optimism brings success, friends, and good health while pessimism breeds failure and hairy warts on your nose.
Optimists look at pessimists and see the warts on their nose as something they can improve on.
It s all in how you view things. They say they had to go six miles from the pole before they could find ice thick enough to stand on. To put this in perspective, it s like going to New Orleans during Mardi Gras and having to visit a strip bar to see women pull up their shirts. It just isn t right. Thus the scientists set off the Emergency Global Warming Broadcast System, saying this proves we re driving too many SUVs, creating too much pollution, and that the presidential candidates talk too much, which as we know is a leading source of hot air.