Aunty Acid by Ged Backland for August 29, 2024

in that case i’d draw a smile on a paper and send it

Agreed.

Aunty’s fake smile would be grotesque and scary, like The Joker in ‘Batman’ comics.

Love it. Good attitude, Aunty!

No parades for Aunty!!!!!

All that make up would crack and scare people even more.

Aunty won’t vote in 2024?!?

Oh come on now Aunty. Look at you, your hair is a fake color, your makeup tries to fake your age, why you are a walking talking fake, why not add fake smiling to the list.

If it involves that, and making a lot of small talk, I’m not going.

Some people look sour and disgruntled when they are not smiling. Princess Kate comes to mind as an example. I agree with the fake smiling point but perhaps we should practice keeping a more pleasant expression on our faces.

It make crack your face.

I always smile, especially in the face of adversity. It makes others think, “What is he up to?”

I am with A.A. on this.

What if you don’t want the attention crying would bring?

I remember thinking that Covid-era mask wearing was a nice break for me to not always wear a smiling engaging welcoming expression when I talked to people.

And that goes TRIPLE if it requires fake LISTENING.

If you are in a job search, practice your smile in a mirror. It is amazing how so many people “lose points” on an interview because they never smiled. Smiling puts you in a good mood and puts others in a good mood.

Also pay attention to your body language. I suggest taking a look at videos of Adolf Hitler giving a speech and tone it down by a factor of 10. After all, you’re only going after a job, not world domination.

How you say it, in both words and non-verbal communications is almost as important as what you say. In addition to selling whatever “technical” skills are needed for the job, you want to come across as being enthusiastic just being there.