Ben Jacobs - Sentimentalism lyrics

“To expect too much is to have a sentimental view of life and this is a softness that ends in bitterness.” -Flannery O'Connor This quote from beloved fiction writer Flannery O'Connor perfectly captures the multifaceted nature of the idea of sentimentalism. To be too sentimental is to leave oneself vulnerable to life's fickle whims. This is not to say that sentimentality should be avoided altogether. The key is finding a balance, and in order to do so, we must take many things in society with a grain of salt. Although the feelings and emotions covered under the idea of sentiment feel intimate and unique to each of us as an individual, the reality of the matter is that most of our emotional triggers and responses are shared with the rest of humanity. It is this that allows many types of people, from advertisers to authors and politicians to actors, to exploit our sentimentality and achieve their respective desired ends. Even the most innocuous forms of media are guilty of this. Authors make us care about the characters they put in their novels. Actors do the same about the characters they portray. One example of this is in the Atlanta-based television show The Walking Dead, where the protagonists live in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world. The show seemingly follows a pattern in which the audience begins to care for a certain character, and not long afterwards they are k**ed off. This may seem counterproductive for the creators of the show, but by doing this they create an environment where nobody is safe, which increases the suspense. This creates a more riveting show, which in turn satisfies both the viewers and the creators. In this way, the exploitation of our sentimentality is not inherently bad. In other cases, such as in politics, this exploitation is more nefarious. Whether in the form of government corruption or a campaign that stretches the truth, the manipulation of emotion is a rampant phenomenon in the political world. It's no secret that most, if not all, politicians make promises that they cannot and do not keep. However, the boldest claims of many politicians are often made regarding the issues that the American public holds closest to its heart. These politicians know that if they can appeal to the sentimentality of the population, they have a much better chance of being elected. This is not to say that sentimentalism doesn't have its limits. Logic is the enemy of sentimentalism. A purely logical decision is one made based on all the quantifiable knowledge available to us, without contamination from any emotion. Cold, hard logic allows us to protect ourselves from exploitation based on our emotions. When a politician running for office goes a little overboard and makes a promise that he or she clearly cannot keep, it's our sense of logic and common sense that cla**ifies their statement as outlandish. This is why many things must be taken with a grain of salt. With all of the new forms of media and advertising techniques, humans today are constantly being bombarded with different appeals to our sentimental side. It grows harder and harder to remain grounded by logic and not blindly follow our emotions, however it is imperative that we do.