It's crying time again. . .and again and again

Monetizing tears in the snowflake era

It wasn’t that long ago that “pity party” was a term of derision. Now, apparently, it’s a way to become a force on social media.

Kiara McGowan, age 31, was a low-level Senate staffer until she lost that job last year. Devastated, she started crying on her way home as she walked past the Supreme Court building.

This was hardly an abnormal reaction. And it might have been a beneficial one. Maybe by fully letting out her emotions, McGowan would be able to close the book on one chapter of her life and get on with starting another.

And in fact, she has. But the new chapter consists of more crying. Much more.

The Washington Post has the details in a story called (in the paper edition) “An inspirational sob story.” I’m hard pressed to find inspiration in McGowan’s tale. A pathetic sob story is more like it.

According to the Post:

[Crying near the Supreme Court] was the first of many heaving sobs McGowan, 31, has let out at scenic landmarks and establishments around Washington, D.C.: She has cried on the Navy Yard pier, gazing out at the Anacostia River from behind a pair of dark sunglasses. She has cried at the Alamo Drafthouse in Edgewood, readying herself for a breakup with her boyfriend. She has cried on hotel steps in Adams Morgan after getting locked out of her apartment. And she has cried into a bowl of pho at a noodle bar on 14th Street, overwhelmed by the uncertainties still surrounding her life. . . .

Has she tried crying alone, behind closed doors? It seems not. In fact, McGowan now shares her fits of crying on social media:

This catharsis, along with the encouragement of a friend, inspired McGowan to launch @cryingindc. Through candidly narrated TikTok videos, she visits attractions around the city and reviews her experiences crying there — including a “walk ’n’ cry” in Mount Vernon (“It was quiet, and I was able to really get it all out”) and a scenic trail in Rock Creek Park (“i cried so hard i almost threw up,” she wrote). And it’s gaining traction. Since her first post in early June, her account has grown to an audience of more than 1,200 followers.

Got that? More than 1,200 people are interested in watching this woman cry. And the Post says that one of her videos gained more than 100,000 views.

Furthermore, McGowan’s TikTok audience is growing. Imagine how large it will be if Donald Trump wins in 2024.

McGowan is not the only voice for normalizing crying in public. The Post reports:

Media outlet Curbed has produced lists of the best places to cry in cities across the country, including in Austin, Chicago and New York City. And, in recent years, against the backdrop of a pandemic, crying selfies have begun surging online. Influencers and celebrities — including Lizzo and Bella Hadid — have been posting teary-eyed content as a growing number of users signal an interest in more authenticity and vulnerability online.

The Post can sugarcoat this phenomenon as much as it wants with words like “authenticity” and “vulnerability.” A nation in which people want to see other people crying on the internet is a troubled nation. And probably a nation in trouble.