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Published Letters: 2
Editor's Choice: 1
Crying, like any other expression of emotion, is not a simple thing to categorize. People can and will cry for sadness, fear, joy, anger, etc. That is precisely what renders it at best neutral as a means of communication.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with crying as a means of emotional release, but it begs the question, now what? If crying inspires or motivates the person to accomplish, communicate and even relax, then it's emotion well spent. If it merely serves as a tool to intimidate or manipulate it becomes no better than a calculated tantrum.
People who have problem with seeing tears on a friend or coworker need to develop the patience to wait for the aftermath and rejoin the person at this juncture, without needing to feel disgust, fear, or even sympathy as a response the the tears.
Criticizing a movie reviewer about being judgemental is like bemoaning the fact that Nascar drivers go too fast.
I actually enjoyed Ms Zacharek's carefully calibrated assessments of "The Goblet of Fire" and fully detailed reasons of why such "judgements" were made. The Harry Potter movies and books continue to defy categorization and easy opinions. The review carefully avoided falling into the trap and actually made the movie sound interesting and understandable.
I guess I must be of the same generation..
