Smiling is Overrated

We read in today's Globe that some good-hearted woman thinks Bostonians are too brusque and unfriendly and is trying to get people to pledge to smile at strangers. For a perennially snarky site like ours, commenting on such a wide-eyed, innocent campaign is like shooting fish in a barrel, so we're about to try very hard to go easy:

There's nothing wrong with not smiling. It's part of the character of old eastern cities, and it's perfectly respectable. We are straightforward, serious, honest people and we don't see the use in forced displays of jollity. The important thing, Bostonist thinks, is to give up seats on the T for old people and pregnant women, to help blind people cross the street, to come to the aide of fellow citizens who have slipped on the ice. Bostonians do this, we think, just as much as people anywhere else. And in moments of shared joy or struggle, we rally together - we cheer every runner in the Marathon, high-five the guy next to us at Fenway, and commiserate with strangers (tersely but with great empathy) while waiting in the snow for the stupid green line. We even sometimes give accurate directions to out-of-towners. Isn't that enough?