(no subject)

In the last few days, I've noticed something about reaction predictions:

When somebody says something to the effect of "You'll either love it or hate it" or "You'll either laugh or not get it at all," I usually do neither. It doesn't bother me to avoid pigeonholing like that. In fact, it rather amuses me.

When somebody says, "You can't help but laugh," and I hardly even smile on the inside, I feel the slightest trace of annoyance at not sharing the allegedly universal joy, but it's no big deal.

But when somebody says, "You can't help but cry," and I don't come close to crying, I feel like there's something wrong with me. Senses of humor may vary wildly, but differences in compassion are harder to tolerate. Am I callous? Aloof? Simply tough against tears? (I sure don't see myself as a man's man.)

People, please refrain from universalizing specific reactions. A faulty binary choice I can take, but let that be the worst.

In case you're wondering, I read the phrase on crying the other day in reference to the last scene of Brokeback Mountain.