Telling Strangers to Smile

[Pikonic]

I think the intentions are good, but asking strangers to smile is a little rude.
You don't know how my day was. What if I just came back from putting my pet down, what if I just lost my job, what if I recently got the news one of my friends or family members died?
You don't know any of this yet you tell me to smile. Fuck off.

 

[The Hunter]

Oh, I never did say my position on this.

I smile whenever I can, just to make people comfortable. Although when people catch me on my own, I'm told I look unbelievably depressed, which really just means I'm bored and not doing anything, but people are still convinced I'm going to kill someone or myself. When told to smile, I frown. When I'm enjoying myself, I look the same way I do when I'm not doing anything. Although if you really get me giddy enough for something, then I'll genuinely smile (like last night in history class, we were watching a video on steam engines and I thought it was the most interesting thing ever).

 

[Grand Number of Pounds]

People should smile and make eye contact when they meet someone and shake hands, esp. in a professional setting or when congratulating someone, because that's what's considered polite.

Other than that, I can't really think of other times when it's obligatory to smile.

 

[RV 229]

I tell them to dance for me first. They usually do, right there in public, so I crack a grin at them embarrassing themselves.

Way more fun than being pissed off about it.

 

[The Hunter]

I tell them to dance for me first. They usually do, right there in public, so I crack a grin at them embarrassing themselves.

Way more fun than being pissed off about it.

That's brilliant.

 

[Princess]

I'm a very small woman, so I tend to be very conservative in when I choose to smile, as it is easy for me to be read as immature or ditzy for giggling or grinning. I find if I let my guard down and start smiling, people will try to take advantage of me. So it is perma-bitchface for me.

As for smiling in American culture, that definitely varies by region. I live in NYC and I consider it really fucking rude and creepy to smile at a stranger.

 

[Surtur]

Yea Ive lived in places wherr smiling at the wrong person can get you shot.

 

[The Hunter]

Yea Ive lived in places wherr smiling at the wrong person can get you shot.

I think it depends more on the neighborhood, really. Poorer neighborhoods have higher numbers of depression, general anger, and gang violence, where as rich neighborhoods usually have more satisfied people and security. However, that still doesn't stop old people from smiling at you no matter what. I was actually out at dinner the other day, and some woman I'd never met in my life entered the restaurant and just immediately smiled at me because I looked to see who was at the door. Just don't smile at guys in their mid 20's with shaved heads wearing tank tops and shades and covered in tattoos and piercings. They'll somehow think you're the gay one despite looking like a fucking younger version of Mr. Clean... (for the love of God, don't tell them that either unless you want to be tortured before they kill you).

 

[The Knife]

I was researching for some paper recently and read that smiling and acting chipper is coded as submissive behavior--it means that you accept the situation and want to be looked on with favor. There's even a "fear grin," a.k.a. the nervous smile, which people do when they're uncomfortable to inform other parties "I'm compliant; please don't threaten me." People who do what they're told tend not to be subjected to further scrutiny.

Which explains why some retail management insist on it, since it would make customers feel they are in charge, and why women are often told to "smile!" by perfect fucking strangers.

 

[GFYS]

Apparently I smile like Jack Nicholson, quite often. Most of the time I don't even know it, but people complain that it's creepy - especially when smiling at inappropriate moments. I don't do it on purpose, though I admit that I enjoy the negative attention. Even my face is a JERK.

 

[Watcher]

Apparently I smile like Jack Nicholson

Like this?

Spoiler

I really wonder why someone would find that creepy...