ON ACTING: WHINING; or, How to Turn Off the Audience

WHINING is pretending it hurts more than it really does.

WHINING is what children do.

WHINING is an attempt to avoid deeper feeling.

WHINING is exaggerating pain to make the other person feel guilty.

WHINING is accepting one's own impotence.

WHINING is a Loser's Lament.

WHINING is complaining and not solving.

WHINING is the tactic of cowards and manipulators.

WHINING is unappealing.

WHINING is self-pity.

WHINING is unsympathetic.

WHINING is shrill.

Therefore: ACTORS-AS-CHARACTERS should rarely WHINE; unless they are playing the leading man's or leading woman's boyfriend or girlfriend (or wife or husband) who is destined to be dumped in Act One so the real, audience appealing, love affair can commence.

Children learn to do it. They can be forgiven. They can't really change their circumstances. But as adults, we expect them to try to change their circumstances. "If it's that bad, do something about it."

"Don't suffer; solve. Don't complain; convince. Don't whine; win."