bright-siding

 The phrase look on the bright side has been with us since the early 1800s but it is in the last few decades that it has moved from being a reasonable strategy to a relentless obligation of positive thinking.  Whatever the circumstances, we must now retain an upbeat attitude.  This has come to mean that we deliberately ignore the bad things that are happening, close our minds to the grief in the world, so that we can retain our cheerful, and now somewhat silly, smile.  It also means that we are relieved of the obligation to understand someone else’s sadness, because that would be distressing for us.  A cancer patient is bright-sided if they cannot get anyone to acknowledge their situation, exhortations to be positive coming thick and fast instead of genuine sympathy.

 Bright-siding comes naturally to our politicians.  It is an attempt to conceal the dark side which can sometimes look very black indeed.  Morrison has been accused of attempting to bright-side the disastrous events unfolding in aged-care homes in Victoria.