MARY: I'm not so down.
RHODA: Oh yeah you are. I mean, admit it Mary, suddenly your life got crummy. So, it'll get better. It has to. You're not the crummy life type. Truly, you aren't. I am the crummy life type. You're just on a lousy streak. I happen to be on a terrific streak, but soon things will be back to normal again. Tomorrow, you'll meet a crowned head of Europe and marry. I will have a fat attack; eat 300 peanut butter cups and die. That's the way it always is.
So, I've been watching a lot of Mary Tyler Moore lately -- and cackling at it. And it's taught me a little something valuable.
You know when you have a really bad day -- like you get a flat tire -- and it seems like the world as you know it is OVER!?!?! Don't you always appreciate it when there's someone there to tell you about the time that she got TWO flat tires in one day?
It might sound crazy, but sometimes I think pessimism, or the "glass half empty" view of life, has a bit of virtue. Sometimes when somebody shares her whoas and negativity with you, it makes your problems seem smaller. It helps you to feel better.
... Right?
I guess (at the very least) it's a nifty storytelling trick. If you have a show about an optimist (like MTM), pairing her with a cynic just makes her seem all the more radiant and positive... and able to turn the world on with her smile!
Plus, cynicism and negativity just make for good laughs.
So, here's to eye-rolling, self-doubting sidekicks like Rhoda Morgenstern, whether on sitcoms or in real life.
I adore them.
And I just needed a good reason to share that hilarious quote on my blog -- and to excuse my negativity by saying that it just might a positive side.
Ciao for now.
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