Despair Repair

Happy faces have given way to frownies in a depressed world of plunging stocks, terrorism and massive layoffs. Is there any way to repair our despair?

Motivational icons. Every decade has one.

In the ’70s, a smiley face entreated us to “Have a nice day.”

In the ’80s, we sang, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” with a smiling Bobby McFerrin.

In the ’90s we were admonished to “Just Do It.”

But here in the toddlerhood of the 21st century, motivation has been harder to market. Terrorism, bunker busters, a shock and awe stock market and massive layoffs have put a crimp in the motivational marketing pipeline. Snappy jingles and yellow smileys have given way to orange alerts and pink slips.

Enter a company with products for the times in which we live. Despair, Inc. has cornered the market in pragmatic pessimism. While some companies peddle pithy motivational materials, Despair markets a line of “demotivational” products, all designed to feed the collective angst of a depressed populace.

For example, there’s the Pessimist’s MugTM — a glass mug with a line in the middle that says, “This cup is half-empty.”

Perhaps you’d like to give your spouse, coworker ...