The Mean Reds

Quotation
"'Listen. You know those days when you've got the mean reds?'
'Same as the blues?'
'No,' she said slowly. 'No, the blues are because you're getting fat or maybe it's been raining too long. You're sad, that's all. But the mean reds are horrible. You're afraid and you sweat like hell, but you don't know what you're afraid of. Except something bad is going to happen, only you don't know what it is.'" -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's

Random Musing
I've always wondered what to call the mean reds once that "something bad" actually does happen and you know what it is. The mean reds would have evolved into something else by that point; horrible uncertainty and anticipation is such a huge part of them. And as awful as the mean reds are I think that new manifestation of them would probably be worse.

Horrible things are often even more horrible than you were expecting them to be. It's kind of like how the anticipation of looking forward to something is so often more fun than that "something" itself. Breakfast at Tiffany's introduces us to the mean reds, but I'm personally looking to avoid what inevitably follows them. The "Evil Blacks" or "Sad Greys" maybe? Lame suggestions I'm afraid.

Leave reply

Back to Top