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The power of

 

 

..and more!

¢ Being a pessimist isn't all bad

¢ #10YearChallenge focuses too much on
physical beauty

¢ Rants in your Pants

negative

thinking compels you

» Being a pessimist isn't all bad

Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor

 

ptimism gets too good of a

rap. I think it’s viewed too
much as a redeeming quality in
people, while pessimism is seen
as a deterrent. Sure, optimism has
its benefits, but people need to
start understanding that thinking
negatively sometimes can be a
positive thing.

People often complain about
being frustrated by negative
people. Well, I’m frustrated by
positive people. I think the refrain
of “stay positive!” or “not all people
are bad” is a tired, unrealistic view.
It’s important to look on the dark
side of life. Realize that there is
good and bad (but mostly bad) in
everyone.

The truth is we need both
pessimism and optimism in our
lives because they each have
redeeming qualities. However,
people look down on pessimism
as a negative characteristic. Being
pessimistic doesn’t mean you are
miserable all the time; it just means
you think more critically about

the world around you and more
cautiously about the people you

let in and the decisions you make.
Still, many have their quarrels with
it. To me, this critical perspective is
better than wearing rose-coloured
glasses and being naive (sorry
optimists).

Being pessimistic doesn't
necessarily mean you're always
angry—you simply expect the
worst. People who are pessimistic
also tend to be more practical,
since they have lower expectations.
Expecting the worst out of any
situation or any person makes you
more cautious and less vulnerable
to people who prey on trusting,
innocent, or optimistic people. If
you are too trusting or nice because
you consider yourself an optimist,
people can and will take advantage
of that.

Assuming the worst makes
you weigh every possible outcome
in any situation. It also makes you
think of everything that could
go wrong ina scenario, so you're
mentally and emotionally prepared
for it. Ultimately, it equips you for
the worst and makes the outcome
seem not as scary as it might have if

Instagram celebrity-endorsed.
products are a scam

» They may seem trustworthy, but think again

Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor

 

very time I scroll through my Instagram

feed, many of the posts I see are either
advertisements or Instagram influencer
endorsements. For some, buying products
because a celebrity said to is a no-brainer—
you shouldn't do it. For others, the answer
is not so cut-and-dry.

Ina 2017 poll by tech company
Morning Consult to see how many people
trust celebrity advertisements, it was
found that 30 percent of millennials
surveyed “give some credence to celebrity
advertisements,” and 18 percent said they
trust them a lot. That’s 48 percent of people
who believe celebrity endorsements. I am
talking to you, the 48 percent. Don’t believe
whatever garbage these social figures are
trying to sell you.

I know it’s easy to believe Instagram
celebrity advertisements because they don’t
even seem like advertisements. There’s
a level of personability when following a
celebrity or influencer on social media. You
see their posts every day—what they eat,
what they’re wearing, where they're going.

you hadn't planned for it.

Pessimism does have
downsides—for instance, thinking
negatively about yourself and
your life is not going to make you
successful or happy. However,
optimism is not without its faults.
Research has shown that being too
positive makes you too trusting and
overly confident, as reported by
The Globe and Mail. Another study
has revealed pessimists generally
also live longer because “those with
low expectations for a ‘satisfying
future’ actually led healthier lives,”
as reported in The Daily Mail. Lead
author Frieder R. Lang said about
the findings, which were drawn
from 40,000 adults across a range
of ages, “Pessimism about the
future may encourage people to live
more carefully, taking health and
safety precautions.”

No one way of looking at life
is better. It’s important to harness
both optimistic and negative
attributes in different situations.
Sure, optimism can be good for
some things, but I recommend
looking at the glass half-empty
once ina while.

It feels as if you know them personally.

Asa result, when they make a post about

a product they say they use, it doesn’t

sound or feel like a commercial; rather, it

looks like a recommendation or a review.

It seems more trustworthy. Making

celebrities endorse products adds a

sense of trust and familiarity so people

go for that product. Therein lies the rub.
Just because they seem genuine,

doesn’t mean they are. In fact, most

products endorsed by celebrities on

Instagram or “influencers” are a huge

scam. Take the detox tea for instance,

or “teatox” as they so adorably refer

to it. Although many celebrities and

influencers endorse the product and

the many different companies that

have their own, detox teas are not

good for you. These companies just

prey on people's insecurities to sell

their products. Celebrities are only

advertising these goods because they are

getting paid to do it, not because they

like or even use these products, which

is one reason why you shouldn't trust

them.

  

Furthermore, despite those “before
and after” photos, these products are
often ineffective and can actually be
really unhealthy (as with most products
celebrities are paid to advertise). For
example, the primary ingredient in these
detox teas is something called senna,
which acts as a laxative. Lyfe Tea states
outright that senna “work[s] as a laxative
by smoothing the muscles as digested
food moves through the intestines. This
helps to move it out of the colon.” It
cleans out your system, all right.

This detoxing tea is not healthy
or something people should be
integrating into their routine, and they
really shouldn't be taking it for two
weeks straight as a way to lose weight.
Instagrammers don’t mention that in
their endorsements, do they?

Think twice or even three times
before considering purchasing a
product you see advertised ona
popular Instagram page. These people
are getting paid to sell a company’s
products, so they don't really care
whether the products work or not—and
they usually don't.

Photo via kyliejenner on Instagram